HOMESTAYSleeping & Eating
Dar Samy $$
(s/d incl half-board Dh500/800) A Casa family getaway that doubles as a guesthouse, with
gardens and lake access downstairs and ping-pong table, barbecue grill and caidal tent on the
panoramic roof terrace. Twelve themed guest rooms are inspired by Moroccan cities: Zagora
has a Tuareg four-poster bed; Volubilis has Greco-Roman murals; Ourika has beldi wooden
furnishings. One room is wheelchair-accessible; all have en-suite bathrooms. It’s on the west
side of road to Ben el-Ouidane.
SOUTH OF MARRAKESH
For a quick getaway from Marrakesh, you’re headed in the right direction. Popular destinations
are the waterfalls of Setti Fatma; the terraced town of Imlil, wedged into a crevice below Jebel
Toubkal; and the ski resort of Oukaïmeden, especially during the peak December–February
snow season. But there’s more to this region than meets the eye: off the Ourika Valley road,
you’ll find archaeological sites, healing footbaths, medicinal plant gardens, and ancient
petroglyphs. Around the Lalla Takerkoust ( Click here ) and Ouirgane reservoirs ( Click here ),
mountain retreats and organic farmsteads attract escapees from the heat and hubbub of
Marrakesh. Further afield, this High Atlas hinterland has hidden valleys, cliffside villages,
moonscape plateaux and marabout shrines that offer good luck to passers-by.
Ourika Valley
This blooming valley 45 minutes by car or grand taxi from Marrakesh is the city’s escape hatch.
Temperatures are cooler in the shadow of snowcapped High Atlas peaks, and a patchwork of
fields unrolls towards Marrakesh like a green carpet, providing places to picnic, loll and listen to
your blood pressure drop. The valley is especially mood-altering from February to April, when
almond and cherry orchards bloom manically and wildflowers run riot.
SOUQ DAYS
In the Ourika Valley, around Jebel Toubkal, and towards the Tizi n’Tichka pass, local market days featuring local crafts, fresh
produce and donkeys include the following.
» » Monday Tnine
» » Tuesday Tahanaoute, Aït Ourir
» » Wednesday Tighdouine
» » Thursday El-Khemis
» » Friday Aghmat
» » Saturday Asni
» » Sunday Setti Fatma