Drive over the pass Tizi-n-Tichka

When you leave very interesting royal city of Marrakech (460 m asl), you will drive on the highway N9 in agricultural and slightly arid landscape along the broad valley of river Ouled Zad.

The road leaves the river valley Zad and slowly begins to rise along the slopes of Atlas. There are small villages stuck among olive groves. Along the way you'll constantly meet small stalls with „valuable“ minerals.

The first pass on this mountain road is Tiz Imguer (1 470 m asl), which is interesting only by eroded colored rocks rather than by views.

A few kilometers away is a nice outlook of the red rock wall below the pass Imuger. The mountain massifs around it have only about 1600–1700 meters above sea level.

Deep below the road is an interesting red landscape around seasonal river.

Red slopes covered with sparse woodland contrast with fields around rivers flowing down from the High Atlas. The main ridge is already on the horizon and slowly begins the main part of the crossing of the mountains.

The landscape begins to change dramatically with increasing kilometers and altitude – absolutely barren ridges only with a scanty vegetation evoke the landscape of north Indian Ladakh.

The landscape is the most photogenic just below the pass. In good weather it is certainly not a bad idea to choose a walkable hill near the road and make a little hike here.

It is often bad weather in pass and there are lots of souvenir shops. In the west direction is visible on the horizon jebel Anrhomer.

 

The southern side of the pass has a completely different character – front of you are long red ridges ((about 2500 m asl)) with scanty vegetation. In valley that you can see below, leads the road to kashbahs Telouet and Anemitér. This is a very nice side trip.

The landscape on the other side of the mountains has also its own beauty. You slowly approach the crossroads where you have to decide whether to continue along the main road to Ouarzazate or make a trip to the side valley to kasbahs Telouet and Anemiter.