Back at the campsite a guided tour has rolled in. Four Land Rovers with some logo on and full of eager desert explorers. They jump out and immediately start banging tent pegs into the solid earth. In a few minutes some very large old-style canvas tents have popped up.
We say our goodbyes to Louis and his crew, and swap emails, and then hit the road to Zagora.
This is the Draa valley, following the Oued (river) Draa. Its stony desert scenery, with dense forests of palm trees dotting bright green amongst the sandy ground. From the trees hang clusters of dates, drooping down low on their stalks.
We enter Zagora and find the campsite easy enough. It provides a lot of shelter with high palm trees all around. There are other trees with a variety of unusual fruit all around. There's a swimming pool that we don't really like the look of. Two skinny tabby cats show a slight interest in us. A dog is too scared to approach, even for some food. Abbie spots a frog lurking in the undergrowth. It seems that the trees have attracted all sorts of wildlife.
After dinner I enter the coordinates of the desert piste from Tagounite to Rissani into my GPS. Sam's book has full details of the piste, including coordinates, landmarks, and route descriptions. We're all set for our trip out into the Sahara.
|
|
