Scottish Explorer Completes 1,400 km Trek Across Morocco in Search of Dinosaur Fossils

The adventurer’s new expedition began on foot and on camelback from Nador to Ouarzazate, a distance of 1,400 km. Alice Morrison’s expedition team consisted of three local guides, Brahim Ahalfi, Addi Bin Youssef and Ali Ahalfi, as well as six camels. She says she named this expedition "The Quest for Dinosaurs" in memory of the highlight of this journey of great discoveries. "It was incredibly exciting when we found dinosaur footprints in an area near the M’Goun massif (central part of the High Atlas). It was very rewarding after nine weeks of searching," says the adventurer. The footprints belong to Sauropods, a species of dinosaur that existed more than 66 million years ago, reports MAP.

Alice Morrison’s previous expeditions in Morocco, nicknamed "Indiana Jones of the Girls", took her on the trail of the Draa River and the Sahara Desert. She has actually become the first woman to traverse the entire course of the Draa River. The three expeditions allowed her to cover about 4,000 kilometers across Morocco. Throughout her journey, she documented her blog with her emotions, discoveries and encounters. She also reported on the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rural and remote communities. "I witnessed how even the most remote nomadic tribes were affected. During the 1,400 kilometers of walking, every community we met told us that they had no cases of infection, but the economic effects have been devastating," she says.

Alice Morrison is fluent in Arabic and Amazigh, and had no difficulty immersing herself in the lives of women in the rural communities she visited and collecting their stories and testimonies. "Morocco is currently going through a period of great change with the widespread provision of education. In a single generation, the literacy rate of girls has increased considerably, often demonstrating that they aspire to a better and different future than that of their mothers," explains the adventurer, deeply touched by the many expressions of affection and sympathy that were reserved for her in each community.

For his part, the British Ambassador to Morocco, Simon Martin, salutes the courage and determination of the adventurer. "I am impressed by Alice’s performance and her passion for Morocco. Through this journey, and despite the difficult times due to the pandemic, the adventurer shares with the world her passion for the Kingdom and reveals on a large scale its invaluable cultural and natural riches," he said to the press.

The camel trek across Morocco is not the first for the Scotswoman. She has already cycled across Africa, from Cairo to Cape Town in South Africa. She has also run the Marathon des Sables. She has also retraced the ancient salt, gold and slave trade routes in the BBC2 series "From Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure". Alice is also the author of three books that provide more information about her adventures, including the Amazon bestsellers "Adventures in Morocco: From the Souks to the Sahara" and "Dodging Elephants," the same source specifies.