Erfoud

For the similarly named capital of Thuringia see under Erfurt

Erfoud (Arabic: أرفود‎ - Also written Arfoud) is a town in southern Morocco, in the Tafilalet-region.

Erfoud is known by the name of "Gate of Sahara Desert" as it is near Erg Chebbi Dunes, and you can actually take direct off-road tracks to the dunes.

Many films were shot in the area, some of the most famous are: Prince of Persia - 2010 - Director Dick Richards; The Mummy - 1999 - Director Stephen Sommers; March or Die - 1977 - Director Dick Richards.

While many Ksars (fortified villages) have existed for centuries, Erfoud was built new by the French around 1920s. Arabs are the majority but as the tourist industry developed, many Berbers started coming to the city around 1990s.

Erfoud is a good place to stay and explore local destinations. Also Erfoud offers quite a good range of businesses, supermarkets, restaurants, mechanics - great for those traveling overland with their own 4x4 or cars, and wish to fill up with goods.

• Royal Palace. Erfoud holds Morocco's only Royal Palace in Sahara Desert. Although you can't go inside, a quick visit to its outside illuminated gate after Sunset makes somehow worth it.
• Erfoud's Souq. This is an authentic Moroccan market (with a twist of Afghanistan look and ambiance). If you're into markets and shipping, indulge yourself into this magnificent Moroccan souq. Saturday 8AM is best.
• Maadid Ancient Ksar, Maadid, Route d'Errachidia (Out of Erfoud, Errachidia direction. Maadid is supposedly the biggest ksar in south Morocco. A ksar is an ancient fortified village. You can visit Maadid's tiny streets and nearby oases.
• Carrières de fossiles. Erfoud is known for its precious and unique fossils. 500 million years ago, the Sahara Desert was under water. On the outskirts of Erfoud you can visit impressive fossil filled marble workshops and other type of fossil varieties such as trilobites and ammonites.
• Borj-Est. This is the hill that overlooks Erfoud. The top is occupied by military a strategic building. This is the perfect place to enjoy Sunset over Erfoud, watching the river, the town, and surrounded mountains / dunes.
• Jewish Cemetery, Route de Rissani (Out of Erfoud Rissani direction, just before petrol station before Hotel el Ati. Interesting mix of cultures makes this part of the desert quite interesting. You can visit this ancient Jewish cemetery's graveyard and inside mausoleum.

Royal Palace. Erfoud holds Morocco's only Royal Palace in Sahara Desert. Although you can't go inside, a quick visit to its outside illuminated gate after Sunset makes somehow worth it.

Erfoud's Souq. This is an authentic Moroccan market (with a twist of Afghanistan look and ambiance). If you're into markets and shipping, indulge yourself into this magnificent Moroccan souq. Saturday 8AM is best.

Maadid Ancient Ksar, Maadid, Route d'Errachidia (Out of Erfoud, Errachidia direction. Maadid is supposedly the biggest ksar in south Morocco. A ksar is an ancient fortified village. You can visit Maadid's tiny streets and nearby oases.

Carrières de fossiles. Erfoud is known for its precious and unique fossils. 500 million years ago, the Sahara Desert was under water. On the outskirts of Erfoud you can visit impressive fossil filled marble workshops and other type of fossil varieties such as trilobites and ammonites.

Borj-Est. This is the hill that overlooks Erfoud. The top is occupied by military a strategic building. This is the perfect place to enjoy Sunset over Erfoud, watching the river, the town, and surrounded mountains / dunes.

Jewish Cemetery, Route de Rissani (Out of Erfoud Rissani direction, just before petrol station before Hotel el Ati. Interesting mix of cultures makes this part of the desert quite interesting. You can visit this ancient Jewish cemetery's graveyard and inside mausoleum.

• Annual Palm Date Festival. Once a year (October/November) Erfoud celebrates the pick-up of the fresh new palm dates with a 3-day festival with music, local activities and tons of palm dates.
• Chill out with local men in street cafes. Try to get to know local men and share a cup of tea and few talks. Try Restaurant Oasis or Chez Rachid just on the corner before the butcher. These street cafes are full of people from police officers to 4X4 drivers to English teachers. Find them out.
• Erg Chebbi Dunes. Just don't miss out these impressive dunes. Erg Chebbi Dunes have several villages on the edge of the sand: Merzouga, Hassilabied, Takoujt and Khamlia.
• Desert 4x4 Tour. Many companies in Erfoud offer different tours and packages around the region. You can visit Erg Chebbi Dunes and surrounding villages, Rissani's ancient ksars trails, nomads camps, palm groves, etc.

Annual Palm Date Festival. Once a year (October/November) Erfoud celebrates the pick-up of the fresh new palm dates with a 3-day festival with music, local activities and tons of palm dates.

Chill out with local men in street cafes. Try to get to know local men and share a cup of tea and few talks. Try Restaurant Oasis or Chez Rachid just on the corner before the butcher. These street cafes are full of people from police officers to 4X4 drivers to English teachers. Find them out.

Erg Chebbi Dunes. Just don't miss out these impressive dunes. Erg Chebbi Dunes have several villages on the edge of the sand: Merzouga, Hassilabied, Takoujt and Khamlia.

Desert 4x4 Tour. Many companies in Erfoud offer different tours and packages around the region. You can visit Erg Chebbi Dunes and surrounding villages, Rissani's ancient ksars trails, nomads camps, palm groves, etc.

• Palm Dates. Erfoud holds the annual palm dates festival. This is supposedly to be Morocco's palm dates capital. Erfoud main market has a few vending stands with tons of tasty and sweet dates. Try Mejoul type, more pricey but wonderful taste and nutritional facts.
• Fossils from Sahara. Erfoud is well known by its fossils. All around town you'll find plenty of shops selling fossils and fossils products like tables and home accessories.
• Local Handicraft. Many shops in town sell different types of gifts and traditional handicraft. Turbans, necklaces, Sahara Desert blue gandoras men's dress.
• Olives. Errachidia Region has tasty olives mix. Several shops inside the market offer great variety of olives and also good mixes of them all together. Try the spicy ones. 12 dirham/kg, but depends of olive type.
• 2nd hand clothes. Imagine yourself getting expensive clothes as cheap as it can gets. If you're into 2nd-hand clothes, try Erfoud souq with weekly updates on clothes coming from Spain and France. Majority of clothes are in really good shape and some are even new. All major clothes marks and labels. 5-20 dirham depending on the clothes..
• Museum Fossils, Ksar Ksir Siffa (Route de Rissani, +212-661-42-59-27. Nice museum where you can also buy things. Ask for visiting the factory.

Palm Dates. Erfoud holds the annual palm dates festival. This is supposedly to be Morocco's palm dates capital. Erfoud main market has a few vending stands with tons of tasty and sweet dates. Try Mejoul type, more pricey but wonderful taste and nutritional facts.

Fossils from Sahara. Erfoud is well known by its fossils. All around town you'll find plenty of shops selling fossils and fossils products like tables and home accessories.

Local Handicraft. Many shops in town sell different types of gifts and traditional handicraft. Turbans, necklaces, Sahara Desert blue gandoras men's dress.

Olives. Errachidia Region has tasty olives mix. Several shops inside the market offer great variety of olives and also good mixes of them all together. Try the spicy ones. 12 dirham/kg, but depends of olive type.

2nd hand clothes. Imagine yourself getting expensive clothes as cheap as it can gets. If you're into 2nd-hand clothes, try Erfoud souq with weekly updates on clothes coming from Spain and France. Majority of clothes are in really good shape and some are even new. All major clothes marks and labels. 5-20 dirham depending on the clothes..

Museum Fossils, Ksar Ksir Siffa (Route de Rissani, +212-661-42-59-27. Nice museum where you can also buy things. Ask for visiting the factory.

• Restaurant Pizzeria des Dunes, Avenue Moulay Ismail BP 104, +212 535-576-793. 9AM to 10PM. Restaurant Pizzeria des Dunes offers different types of menus, from fresh salads, traditional Moroccan dishes and wooden oven pizzas. The restaurant is divided into several rooms, and open air terraces. Many vegetarian/vegan options.
• Soup Street Vendor, Avenue Mohammed 6 (In front of Maroc Telecom just passing the post office in the city center.. Working everyday from 07:00 until around 21:00, this small street trailer offers great traditional Bisara fava soup and Moroccan Harira soup. Egg sandwiches with olive oil and cumins are also tasty. Soup 3 dirham.
• Chez Rachid, Mohamed 5 Boulevard (Before Town Hall (Municipalité) after Moulay Ahmed's Computer shop and on the other side of Oasis Restaurant, +212 623-437237. If into some harira soup, omelet, local grilled meat and French fries, try this place out. Cheap.
• Snail street vendor, Rue Allal ben Abdellah (Inside Kissaria. Every evening from 18:00 until 21:00. If you are into snails you could try Erfoud snails specialty. Many people in Erfoud will come here to socialize. Snails soup with special herbal mix. Cheap.
• Fava Beans and Chickpeas street vendor, Rue Allal ben Abdellah (Inside Kissaria. Every evening from 18:00 until 21:00. If you want to have a quick snack full of protein try the guys selling Fava Beans and Chickpeas on the street. You can mix both and add some salt, cumins and paprika. Price depends on what you want to eat, but a handful of chickpeas will cost around 3 dirham..

Restaurant Pizzeria des Dunes, Avenue Moulay Ismail BP 104, +212 535-576-793. 9AM to 10PM. Restaurant Pizzeria des Dunes offers different types of menus, from fresh salads, traditional Moroccan dishes and wooden oven pizzas. The restaurant is divided into several rooms, and open air terraces. Many vegetarian/vegan options.

Soup Street Vendor, Avenue Mohammed 6 (In front of Maroc Telecom just passing the post office in the city center.. Working everyday from 07:00 until around 21:00, this small street trailer offers great traditional Bisara fava soup and Moroccan Harira soup. Egg sandwiches with olive oil and cumins are also tasty. Soup 3 dirham.

Chez Rachid, Mohamed 5 Boulevard (Before Town Hall (Municipalité) after Moulay Ahmed's Computer shop and on the other side of Oasis Restaurant, +212 623-437237. If into some harira soup, omelet, local grilled meat and French fries, try this place out. Cheap.

Snail street vendor, Rue Allal ben Abdellah (Inside Kissaria. Every evening from 18:00 until 21:00. If you are into snails you could try Erfoud snails specialty. Many people in Erfoud will come here to socialize. Snails soup with special herbal mix. Cheap.

Fava Beans and Chickpeas street vendor, Rue Allal ben Abdellah (Inside Kissaria. Every evening from 18:00 until 21:00. If you want to have a quick snack full of protein try the guys selling Fava Beans and Chickpeas on the street. You can mix both and add some salt, cumins and paprika. Price depends on what you want to eat, but a handful of chickpeas will cost around 3 dirham..

• Sahara Mint Tea. Erfoud is also called "The Desert Gate", so why not sit down in one of the dozen existing street cafes and taste a glass of Moroccan mint tea. 4 dirham per cup in non-touristic cafes.
• Fresh orange juice, Avenue Moulay el Hassan. Sahara weather often calls for fresh fruits. Try a fresh squeezed orange juice. There a small groceries store just on the right side of the souk entrance door (taxi and bus square - called Place des FAR Square), Mr AbdelGhani, you can notice the orange stand outside, also aside the bus ticket office. Many other street cafes also serve orange juice. 8 dirham in normal street stand, 10-15 dirham in touristic cafe..
• Panaché Milk Shake. Panaché is a usual Moroccan milk shake blending milk, sugar, apples, avocado and banana. This can be easily be changed to a non-dairy and no sugar smoothie if asked to do it with orange juice instead of milk. Depending the fruit season peach and strawberries can also be added. Ask for panaché special for an extra taste of dried grapes and almonds. 10-15 dirham.
• Avocado Milk Shake. Most cafes will prepare you a avocado milk shake. This is probably one of Moroccans favorite milk shake.

Sahara Mint Tea. Erfoud is also called "The Desert Gate", so why not sit down in one of the dozen existing street cafes and taste a glass of Moroccan mint tea. 4 dirham per cup in non-touristic cafes.

Fresh orange juice, Avenue Moulay el Hassan. Sahara weather often calls for fresh fruits. Try a fresh squeezed orange juice. There a small groceries store just on the right side of the souk entrance door (taxi and bus square - called Place des FAR Square), Mr AbdelGhani, you can notice the orange stand outside, also aside the bus ticket office. Many other street cafes also serve orange juice. 8 dirham in normal street stand, 10-15 dirham in touristic cafe..

Panaché Milk Shake. Panaché is a usual Moroccan milk shake blending milk, sugar, apples, avocado and banana. This can be easily be changed to a non-dairy and no sugar smoothie if asked to do it with orange juice instead of milk. Depending the fruit season peach and strawberries can also be added. Ask for panaché special for an extra taste of dried grapes and almonds. 10-15 dirham.

Avocado Milk Shake. Most cafes will prepare you a avocado milk shake. This is probably one of Moroccans favorite milk shake.

• ATM machines, Avenue Moulay Ismail (Erfoud Main Avenue have few banks where you can take some money out. 24/7. Attijariwafa Bank ATM in front of the Post Office; BMCE Bank ATM right before Total Petrol Station;
• Exchange money, Avenue Moulay Ismail (Near the Post Office. 24/7. Banque Populaire near the post office offers 2 possibilities of exchanging money: inside the bank, or, easy/quick automatic machine on the street (accurate exchange - just put the money inside the machine and will automatically give you dirham.
• Medical Doctor Erfoud, 1 Moukawama Street (Crossing of Place des Far Square and Erfoud court house, +212 661-355-684 (Doctors direct cell phone), +212 535-576-520 (Clinic land line). Urgent calls 24/7 call the doctor for something serious and off working hours. Dr Fatiha Lemjimer is without a doubt Erfoud best doctor. She has French Doctor University so expect very professional behavior. Ultrasound equipment. 200 dirham for doctor's appointment.
• Post Office, Avenue Moulay Ismail (On the crossing of Moulay Ismail Avenue and Mohamed 5 Boulevard. 8AM to 4PM. Erfoud Post Office
• Police & Authorities. Police attention in Erfoud should be taken by both "Commissariat Central" for any criminal aspects (Mr. Driss is the officer responsible for foreigners in town) and "Gendarmerie Royale" for vehicle and road related problems.
• Computer Repair, Avenue Mohamed 5 (On the crossing of Mohamed 5 Boulevard and Rue Al Madariss Street, between motorcycle repair and Restaurant Chez Rachid. 10AM to 9PM. Nowadays most people travel with their own laptop. Having a problem is common while traveling. If anything gets to your PC, this is the place to go. Also several hardware available from USB keys to portable hard-drives. Repair prices depend on the problem, but this is also the perfect place to get a good 2nd hand Pentium 4 PC for about €150.
• Internet Cafés. 9AM to midnight. If you need to check your email, Erfoud offers quite a few number of places where you can surf the Internet at a fast speed connection. Ask around or search for outside street signs. 4-5 dirham per hour.
• 3G Internet Device, Mohamed 5 Boulevard (After the Post Office. 24/7. You can get your own Maroc Telecom 3G USB Modem device from Maroc Telecom Price depends of offers and season. Expect to pay around 400 dirham for Modem and 1 month of unlimited Internet access. Works better in bigger cities..

ATM machines, Avenue Moulay Ismail (Erfoud Main Avenue have few banks where you can take some money out. 24/7. Attijariwafa Bank ATM in front of the Post Office; BMCE Bank ATM right before Total Petrol Station;

Exchange money, Avenue Moulay Ismail (Near the Post Office. 24/7. Banque Populaire near the post office offers 2 possibilities of exchanging money: inside the bank, or, easy/quick automatic machine on the street (accurate exchange - just put the money inside the machine and will automatically give you dirham.

Medical Doctor Erfoud, 1 Moukawama Street (Crossing of Place des Far Square and Erfoud court house, +212 661-355-684 (Doctors direct cell phone), +212 535-576-520 (Clinic land line). Urgent calls 24/7 call the doctor for something serious and off working hours. Dr Fatiha Lemjimer is without a doubt Erfoud best doctor. She has French Doctor University so expect very professional behavior. Ultrasound equipment. 200 dirham for doctor's appointment.

Post Office, Avenue Moulay Ismail (On the crossing of Moulay Ismail Avenue and Mohamed 5 Boulevard. 8AM to 4PM. Erfoud Post Office

Police & Authorities. Police attention in Erfoud should be taken by both "Commissariat Central" for any criminal aspects (Mr. Driss is the officer responsible for foreigners in town) and "Gendarmerie Royale" for vehicle and road related problems.

Computer Repair, Avenue Mohamed 5 (On the crossing of Mohamed 5 Boulevard and Rue Al Madariss Street, between motorcycle repair and Restaurant Chez Rachid. 10AM to 9PM. Nowadays most people travel with their own laptop. Having a problem is common while traveling. If anything gets to your PC, this is the place to go. Also several hardware available from USB keys to portable hard-drives. Repair prices depend on the problem, but this is also the perfect place to get a good 2nd hand Pentium 4 PC for about €150.

Internet Cafés. 9AM to midnight. If you need to check your email, Erfoud offers quite a few number of places where you can surf the Internet at a fast speed connection. Ask around or search for outside street signs. 4-5 dirham per hour.

3G Internet Device, Mohamed 5 Boulevard (After the Post Office. 24/7. You can get your own Maroc Telecom 3G USB Modem device from Maroc Telecom Price depends of offers and season. Expect to pay around 400 dirham for Modem and 1 month of unlimited Internet access. Works better in bigger cities..

• Merzouga – Clearly ... Village on the edge of Erg Chebbi Dunes, amazing orange colored dunes just 35km away from Erfoud.
• Rissani – Desert town with a museum, Alaouite King Mausoleum and impressive center market, full of old kasbahs and surrounded by palm groves and the Saghrou Mountains.
• Nkob – Small Berber town southeast of Agdz on the road Ouarzazate. Village with 45 well-preserved Kasbahs and surrounded by the Saghrou Mountains and Palm Groves.
• Errachidia – Region's capital with airport and other main government facilities. Maybe better for going to Quazazate from here.
• Zagora – Small desert town south of Ouarzazate.
• Ouarzazate - Called the capital of the south, Ouarzazate makes the transition from oases to Sahara Desert