TREKKINGTREKKING, SHOPInstead of turning back at Taouz, you could take the piste by 4WD about one hour/30km southwest towards the 2km stretch of
dunes at Ouzina , a desert destination known only to Sahara savants and seldom visited by casual tourists. Here you’ll find
Kasbah Ouzina ( 0668 98 65 00; per person incl half-board Dh250) , a small, tidy auberge with mercifully sand-free beds.
At Ouzina the piste turns west toward the Drâa Valley, heading 45km to Mhaje village , where you can turn north onto a well-
graded piste to Alnif , where it intersects with the tarmac road to Zagora. Otherwise, you could follow a bumpy piste from
Taouz west towards the Drâa Valley south of Zagora. Either way, the Taouz–Zagora journey takes at least seven hours,
equipped with plenty of water, petrol, food, a spare tyre, mobile phone and Sahara-savvy guide – if you take a wrong turn too
far south, you could end up in Algeria, and that’s a whole other guidebook.RISSANI TO ZAGORA
Desert travellers often return to Marrakesh via the N10, but the more scenic Rissani–Zagora
route heads west through fossil-rich Alnif, Tazzarine oasis and castle-filled N’Kob before turning
north through Zagora 98km towards Ouarzazate.
N’Kob, Tazzarine & Alnif
One of Morocco’s best-kept secrets is the Berber oasis of N’Kob, where 45 mudbrick ksour
make you stop and stare – and a couple of castles are converted to guesthouses (Click here ).
On the main square at the eastern edge of town, you might also spot a member of the
legendary local Aït Atta warrior tribe striding into the N’Kob post office wearing a scimitar,
which must certainly make letter-opening simple.
Across the street from the post office is Aït Atta Chassures , a cobbler banging out
traditional walking sandals with leather, rope, and used tyre treads – more comfortable than
they sound and quite stylish, with Berber Pride symbols embroidered where logos might be
(Dh80 to DH120). Wander 500m down the sidestreet with signs for Kasbah Baha Baha and
through a doorway bedecked with dented pots to find N’Kob’s teapot mender, whose services
are in high demand on Sunday souq days.
To reach N’Kob, head out of Rissani 100km across the hammada towards Alnif and one of
Morocco’s richest seams of fossils: the Maidir basin. The next pit stop before N’Kob is
Tazzarine, a scruffy crossroads town 150km from Rissani where the roads from Zagora and
Agdz meet, and drivers brake for internet cafes, lunch, petrol and a Tuesday souq.
Sights & Activities
N’Kob Bureau des Guides
( 0667 48 75 09; N’Kob) On the main road, this bureau organises Jebel Sarhro treks ( Click
here ) and hikes to explore N’Kob’s castles, vast palm oasis, and rock formations.
Ihmadi Trilobites Centre
( 066 22 15 93; [email protected]; Alnif) Genuine fossils are sold here at fixed
prices, and the geologist owner leads short trips to local fossil sites (Dh180 for the afternoon).