When I awoke on day#6 of my Morocco holiday, I headed to the hotel dining room for an early breakfast. I opted for the Moroccan pancakes with jam and a side of salad, French bread, and of course the local olives! My feast was scrumptious! You gotta love those Moroccan pancakes!

Our day would begin with a scenic drive through the eastern slopes of the Atlas Mountains. We drove through some small villages passing by many a shop, cafes, and homes.

Along the way, we encountered an area of volcano-like mounds peeping through the sides of the roadways. They were wells which provided water to the villagers.

Our guide brought us underground into the wells to see how the water was found and brought up above ground.

What a treat it was to see camels grazing along the roadways in the Atlas Mountain region!

We had arrived in the “Land of a Thousand Kasbahs”! Ancient kasbahs dotted our path for miles.

The Tinehir Oasis with its lush palm trees and local villages greeted us on our way to the impressive Todra Gorge.

The region’s women were clothed with a white fabric across their dress to protect them from sand and winds.

The local people were washing their clothes in the river.

It was brought to our attention by the guide that you frequently notice inscriptions on the mountain sides which translates to “God, Country, and Peace”.

At last, our tour group arrived at the monumental Todra Gorge!

Lunch time was upon us, so we decided to dine at a restaurant within the Gorge vicinity.

I started my meal break with a Moroccan mint tea. It was fantastic, as many of the tea leaves were soaking right in the cup!

For my main entree, I opted for the vegetable tagine. As always, this choice was filling comfort food and very tasty.

Outside of the restaurant, alongside the gorge, we noticed several pomegranate trees with bountiful supplies of fruit.

We proceeded west along the Dades Valley, passing through some small villages. More palm trees, olive trees, and rose bushes were in sight during our day’s journey.

Our group arrived at our destination: Ouazazarte in the mid-afternoon. This town is known as the “door to the desert”. It is located in a plateau south of the High Atlas Mountains. The local inhabitants are mainly Berbers. The first tour of the town was at the Kasbah Taourirt. It was the home of the former leader of the region. Now a film-making town, it was orginally a stopover for African traders and later a garrison.

After freshening up back at the hotel, I walked down into the main part of town for dinner. My pre-trip research had discovered that there was indeed a vegan-friendly restaurant in town: Restaurant Douyria. (Restaurant Douyria) They even offered a local, Moroccan speciality: Vegetable Bastilla. While many restaurant prepare this with butter, this place did not do so. I started with the Moroccan salad. The finely chopped tomatoes and peppers were coated with the local argan oil. It was superb!

My entree was the vegetable bastilla. The pastry dough was filled with delicious vegetables! I absolutely loved it and quickly devoured it!

For dessert, I snacked on the local favorite of oranges sprinkled with cinnamon. The local oranges are simply divine and the cinnamon added a nice perk to the flavor!

As I walked back to my accommodations, the sun was setting and offered a gorgeous view complete with orange and red hues in the sky! It was then time to go to sleep until the next day’s onward journey to Marrakech.