Zagora

The famous sign reads "Timbuktu 52 Days" — by camel, the distance the caravans once travelled. Zagora was the last outpost before the desert, the final town with walls and water before the Sahara swallowed the trade routes south. The town itself is functional rather than beautiful. The kasbah is minor; the medina is small. What Zagora offers is position — the gateway to Erg Chigaga, the Draa palmery stretching north, the mountain of Jbel Zagora rising to the south for those who want to climb it. Most visitors pass through on the way somewhere else: the desert camps, the villages deeper in the valley, M'Hamid where the paved road ends. Zagora serves these journeys — a place to refuel, to buy supplies, to orient yourself before the emptiness begins. Best time: Morning (for the Timbuktu sign photo) Allow: 1-2 hours (unless continuing to M'Hamid) Combine with: Tamnougalt Kasbah and Draa Valley drive