Fossil factory at Erfoud Morocco
Fossil factory in Erfoud
Our next stop on our tour of Morocco was at one of the fossil outlets in Erfoud. There appears to be an abundance of a range of different fossils to be found in the nearby desert. The factory and obligatory retail outlet we went through was the Macro Fossiles Kasbah as shown in today’s photos.
On our guided tour I found out that there are millions of fossils in the area, mostly trilobites but also a variety of other fossilised creatures. This factory finds the fossils, cuts them into various shapes and polishes them ready for sale in the adjoining shop. The range of items for sale is amazing. It includes small items like key rings, plates, bowls and dishes, wah basins, fountains, tables and much more.
I would love to have bought one of the wonderfully polished tables, but the cost of buying it would have blown our holiday budget. The cost of shipping it to Australia would have added greatly to the cost. I could but dream. (I also had the same feelings in the ceramic factory in Fes – see here for photos.)
I will show more photos of this factory and the shop in coming days.
Further reading:
- Website of Macro Fossiles Kasbah Please note that this website is not in English
- Website Achour Fossils Erfoud An excellent website in English with many photos, a short video and instructions for ordering.
Fossil factory in Erfoud
Fossil factory in Erfoud
Fossil factory in Erfoud
Lunch in the Ziz Valley
Maison Vallee De Ziz
After leaving Errachidia and travelling along the Ziz Valley we stopped again at the Maison Vallee De Ziz for lunch. This hotel and restaurant was a road side stop but our guide knew that they served good meals. In fact, we were never disappointed with any of our meals during our two week tour of Morocco.
I think I actually amazed my wife and daughter with some of the meals I ordered. They were quite out of the ordinary compared with some of the food I like and order when we are dining out here in Australia. This trend continued into Spain, the next leg of our journey. I will write about that here in a few weeks’ time.
Meanwhile, please forgive me for posting a photo of my lunch. I will try not to bore with such things too much.
My lunch at the Maison Vallee De Ziz
Maison Vallee De Ziz
My wife and some of the million plus palms in the valley.
Scenes of the River Ziz Valley
Date palms in the Ziz Valley
In recent posts here on my travel site I have shown photos and written about our holiday in Morocco several years ago. Today I feature another set of photos of the River Ziz Valley in south eastern Morocco. Our tour guide (who was excellent – Peregrine Adventures) stopped our mini bus near the edge of the gorge so that we could get out and look down into the valley. After many hours of driving it was good to stretch one’s legs. I also liked the opportunity to take plenty of photos, too.
A feature of the gorge is the many date palms growing in the valley. Said, our wonderful guide, told us that the 140 kilometre valley had over one million palm trees, and he assured us that they had actually been counted. I would not like that job – even if paid in dates. Someone came to our bus and sold us a few boxes of dates. we enjoyed sharing the large, delicious dates for many days after that.
The last few photos in today’s post show several mud houses and some of the local people. They were immediately below where I stood on the cliff edge. I was able to get close-up views of them with my zoom lens.
In the coming days will be sharing more photos taken on this tour.
Date palms in the Ziz Valley
River Ziz Valley
Life in the River Ziz Valley
Life in the River Ziz Valley
Dates from the River Ziz Gorge in Morocco
No Comments »12th December, 2015; Category: Africa, Exotic Destinations, Holidays, Morocco, Mountains, Plants
River Ziz Gorge Morocco
After travelling through the Atlas Mountains from Midelt we travelled through Errachidia until we came to the River Ziz Gorge. Our tour bus stopped near the edge of the gorge in one spot so that we could get out and wander over to the edge of the gorge to get some good photos.
The River Ziz Gorge is truly spectacular and meanders through this part of Morocco for about 140 kilometres. One of the features of this gorge is the enormous number of date palms. In fact, our guide told us that they number over one million trees. And yes – they have actually been counted! I don’t think I would like that job – you just figure out why!
Soon after stopping our bus a local date seller came along and we bought several boxes of the local produce. For the next few days we enjoyed sharing in this delicious fruit.
Further reading:
River Ziz Gorge Morocco
River Ziz Gorge Morocco
River Ziz Gorge Morocco
River Ziz Gorge Morocco
Errachidia in Morocco
Errachidia in Morocco
A few years ago my wife, daughter and I went on a two week tour of Morocco. (You can read through recent posts here to see some more photos I took during our holiday. Stay tuned because I have many more photos to share in coming days.)
One of the towns we travelled through was Errachidia as featured in today’s photos. This town is in south east Morocco.
Errachidia in Morocco
Errachidia in Morocco
Errachidia in Morocco
Errachidia in Morocco