2. Mountains and Sahara
Our journey goes eastbound, along the Atlas Mountain foothills, following the Oued Sous and Asif Tifnout rivers.
Known as the Moroccan green-house, Taroudant is the first major city we will reach. Heading on through Arganeries we will reach Taliouine, famous for the production of the Moroccan Safran. Taznakht will be worth to see, especially the making of the traditional Berber carpets.
Reaching the Hollywood of Morocco region, we need to stop in Ait Benhaddou, where Gladiator, James Bond and other famous movies were partly filmed. Ouarzazate is home of the studios, worth a few hours to stroll through Egyptian and even East Asian sceneries.
You have the choice here, turning right and visiting Zagora and M'hamid to visit the Dunes of the Sahara, or going straight to Kalaat M'gouna, just a few miles further, where the finest Rose Water with the locally grown Roses is produced.
If you skipped the right turn in Ouarzazate, you have your last chance in Tinghir to pay Merzouga and the Sahara a visit.
From Tinghir we head north towards the Atlas through stunning gorges.
There are also plenty of places north of the Atlas which invite for a stay, especially Marrakech. The 250 km from Marrakech to Agadir are usually a smooth journey, motorway all the way.
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