From Desert to Mountains: Day Trips from Merzouga to Atlas Foothills

Before venturing to the mountains, spend at least a day acclimating to Merzouga's desert rhythms. The massive dunes of Erg Chebbi rise like golden sound waves from the flat desert floor, creating a natural amphitheater where sound behaves differently than anywhere else I've recorded.

Our group arrived in late October, when temperatures had dropped to a manageable range (around 75°F/24°C during the day). We settled into a riad on the edge of town, where the soft padding of feet on carpeted floors and the gentle clink of mint tea glasses created a soothing soundscape after our journey.

The first morning, we woke before dawn to experience the dunes at sunrise. I brought my portable audio recorder to capture the subtle sounds of sand shifting in the morning breeze – a sound so delicate it's almost imperceptible to the naked ear but reveals incredible texture when amplified. As the sun crested the dunes, our Berber guide demonstrated the traditional call that echoes across the desert, a haunting melody that seemed to hang in the air much longer than acoustically possible.

In the evening, we joined a small drum circle with local musicians who explained how the desert's silence shapes their percussion styles. The contrast between thunderous drumming and absolute quiet creates a rhythmic tension that's distinctly Saharan. I recorded these sessions and later layered them with ambient desert sounds – an audio souvenir far more evocative than any photograph.

Just 35km from Merzouga lies Rissani, an ancient market town that serves as the rhythmic bridge between desert and mountain cultures. Once the capital of the Tafilalet region, Rissani's narrow streets and bustling souks create a different sonic environment – one filled with the calls of vendors, the negotiation of prices, and the occasional braying of donkeys carrying goods.

We arranged a driver through our riad (approximately 300 MAD for our group for the day) and arrived early to experience the Tuesday market. Unlike tourist-oriented markets in Marrakech, Rissani's souk serves primarily locals, creating an authentic atmosphere where you can observe the trading traditions that have connected desert and mountain communities for centuries.

The architectural transition here is subtle but significant – mud-brick kasbahs begin to incorporate more stone elements, foreshadowing the construction styles we'd see in the mountains ahead. Our guide pointed out how building materials change as you move from sand to rock, a practical adaptation that also creates different acoustic spaces.

For lunch, we stopped at a family-owned restaurant where I was delighted to find several vegan options. The slow-cooked vegetable tagine had a depth of flavor that spoke to the region's position as a crossroads of culinary traditions. I always travel with my travel spice kit to collect local spice blends, and Rissani's market provided an incredible array of options – from fragrant ras el hanout to the distinctive local cumin that has a sharper, more citrusy note than varieties I've found elsewhere.

As we ventured further from Merzouga, the landscape began its dramatic crescendo toward the Atlas Mountains. Approximately 3 hours from our desert base (though we broke the journey with several stops), the magnificent Todra Gorge slices through the eastern edge of the High Atlas, creating one of the most acoustically fascinating natural spaces I've ever encountered.

The journey itself is a study in changing soundscapes – from the open, wind-swept desert to increasingly enclosed valleys where sound bounces differently. I kept my recorder running through much of the drive, capturing the transition from the sparse, ambient sounds of the desert to the more dynamic acoustic environment of the foothills.

Todra Gorge itself rises dramatically with sheer rock walls reaching 300 meters high while narrowing to just 10 meters wide in places. The effect creates a natural sound chamber where even whispers seem to amplify and transform. Our group hiked through the gorge's narrowest section, stopping frequently to experiment with different sounds – a simple hand clap produces complex echoes that reveal the gorge's hidden acoustics.

Climbers from around the world come here to scale the dramatic walls, and we watched several teams working their routes. The rhythmic calls between climbing partners – 'Climbing!' 'Climb on!' – created a human percussion against the canyon walls. I captured these moments with my telephoto lens which allowed me to document climbers high on the walls without disturbing their concentration.

For those in your group who aren't avid hikers, the main gorge section is easily accessible with minimal walking. However, I recommend continuing on the trail that leads higher into the canyon, where locals sometimes play traditional music that resonates magnificently against the stone.

Just a short drive from Todra lies the equally impressive but sonically distinct Dades Valley. Where Todra offers dramatic vertical walls, Dades unfolds in a series of undulating ridges and bizarre rock formations that create a visual rhythm across the landscape. Local Berbers call this area 'the brain of the Atlas' because of how the folded mountains resemble neural pathways.

We dedicated a full day to exploring this area, departing Merzouga early to maximize our time in the valley. The famous 'monkey fingers' rock formations create wind passages that produce subtle whistling tones on breezy days – a natural aeolian harp that plays differently with each weather change. I spent nearly an hour recording these wind songs, positioning my microphone in different crevices to capture the variations.

The road through Dades is an attraction itself, particularly the serpentine section near Timzzillite village with its hairpin turns. Our driver navigated these bends expertly while our group's stomachs lurched with each switchback! The viewpoints along this route offer perfect spots to capture both visual and audio panoramas of the valley.

For lunch, we stopped at Cafe-Restaurant Timzzillite, perched dramatically on the valley edge. While enjoying a meal of fresh mountain vegetables and bread baked in traditional clay ovens, I recorded the ambient sounds of the valley – distant goat bells, the occasional motorcycle navigating the switchbacks below, and the constant subtle presence of wind through the rock formations.

Many travelers rush through Dades Valley as a quick photo stop, but I encourage spending time to hike some of the smaller trails that lead away from the main road. These paths often lead to abandoned kasbahs where you can experience the acoustic properties of traditional mud-brick architecture – how it dampens sound and creates intimate, quiet spaces despite the wind outside. My hiking daypack proved perfect for these excursions, with enough room for water, snacks, and my recording equipment while remaining lightweight enough for comfortable exploration.

Our most ambitious day trip from Merzouga took us to the legendary kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site that has served as a backdrop for countless films. This journey (approximately 7 hours round trip) represents the fullest expression of the desert-to-mountain transition, taking you from Saharan landscapes to the foothills of the High Atlas.

We departed well before dawn, packing travel pillows for those who wanted to sleep during the drive. Watching the landscape transform through the vehicle windows was like witnessing a geological time-lapse – from flat expanses to increasingly dramatic upheavals of earth.

Ait Benhaddou itself sits at the confluence of mountain and desert influences, a massive fortified village built from local earth that blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. Walking through its narrow passageways creates a sonic experience unlike any other – the thick earthen walls absorb sound completely, creating pockets of silence that contrast with the open, echoing central squares.

I was particularly struck by how music changes in this environment. We were fortunate to encounter a group of local musicians performing in one of the larger interior spaces. The same drums that had sounded sharp and percussive in the desert here took on a warmer, more rounded quality as the earthen walls absorbed the higher frequencies. I recorded these performances and later compared them with my desert recordings – the difference was striking even to untrained ears.

From Ait Benhaddou, you can see the full majesty of the High Atlas range rising in the distance. While we couldn't venture further into the mountains on this trip, this viewpoint provided a perfect finale to our desert-to-mountain exploration. Standing on the kasbah's highest point, I recorded the subtle ambience – distant voices floating up from the village below, the occasional bird call, and the ever-present wind that connects desert and mountain in an unending conversation.

Though the return journey to Merzouga was long, we broke it with a stop in Ouarzazate, known as 'the door of the desert,' where we visited film studios that have used the region's dramatic landscapes as backdrops for everything from Game of Thrones to Gladiator.