There is a moment on the Tichka, somewhere past the summit and heading south, when the vegetation stops. Not thins — stops. One side of the pass is green and the other is not, and you cross the line at driving speed.
The numbers
The pass tops out at 2,260 metres, linking Marrakech to Ouarzazate over about 180 kilometres. Allow four hours, not the two and a half the map suggests. The road has been widened and resurfaced in recent years and is in good condition, but it is still a mountain road, and behind every lorry is a queue.
| Marrakech side | Ouarzazate side | |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | Walnut, olive, terraced fields | Bare rock, red earth |
| Villages | Frequent, green | Sparse, fortified |
| Weather | Cloud, sometimes rain | Almost always clear |
Stopping
Do stop. The pass is not the point; the valleys on either side are.
Aït Ben Haddou is the obvious detour, about twenty minutes off the road near the southern end, and it deserves the hour. Telouet is the better one — the ruined Glaoui kasbah, plain earth outside and Fez-grade zellij within, which was exactly the point its builders were making.
The contrast between the exterior and the interior of Telouet is not carelessness. It is the whole argument of the building.
Driving it
- Go south in the morning. The light is behind you and the lorries are fewer.
- Fuel in Marrakech or Ouarzazate. Options between are limited and expensive.
- In winter, check the pass is open. It closes for snow, occasionally for days, and the diversion is very long.
- Do not rush the switchbacks. Nothing about this road rewards it.
