GARDENMUSEUMDARFUSIONbargains are estate-grown herbal tisanes (Dh20 to Dh40). The place gets busy during saffron
harvest (end of October to mid-November); otherwise you can relax on the patio with
complimentary tea.
Nectarôme
( 0524 31 38 00; www.nectarome.com; km34 Rte de l’Ourika, Tnine; garden visits Dh10;
10am-5pm) In the town centre of Tnine, signs off the main road point west towards the organic
botanical gardens of a Franco-Moroccan natural bath-product company combining Berber
herbal remedies with modern aromatherapy. The garden certainly smells great, and a footbath
and foot massage with organic essential oils (Dh100 to Dh200) is just the thing after a trek.
La Clédes Huiles
( 0524 48 20 30; km35 Rte de l’Ourika; www.lacledeshuiles.com; admission with tasting
Dh25; 8am-5pm) A couple of kilometres past Tnine is this farmhouse eco-museum housing a
traditional Moroccan olive-oil press. The French wall text covers some interesting facts – olive
trees can reach 2000 years of age, and 80% to 90% of Moroccan olive trees yield Picholine
olives – plus enough industry-insider minutiae to satisfy olive obsessives. Tastings of estate-
grown oils, jam and bread are offered in an adjoining room; a restaurant was under
construction at the time of our visit. A stone villa guesthouse and bungalows (doubles/quads
Dh880/1100) offer comfortable quarters in 10-hectare gardens, plus a pool right in the olive
grove.
Sleeping & Eating
Jardin de Timalizene $
(incl half-board per adult Dh440, child 12-18yr Dh330) Follow the garden path to the
Café des Arts’ sister property: a mudbrick country house with five cosy bedrooms available to
guests with en-suite bathrooms, wood-beamed ceilings, garden views, and reading nooks (ask
for the double with the sleeping loft). Your hosts Mustapha and Rémi have called this dar home
since 1996 – trust them to organise botanical treks, excursions by dromedary or donkey, and
walks to local spots where High Atlas rock salt is found. Discounts are offered online
Café des Arts $
( 0524 48 40 59; www.timalizene.com, in French; km41 Rte de l’Ourika, Timalizene) Lunch,
hammocks, sculpture and bunnies await your arrival at this garden getaway approximately 8km
after Tnine – look for red banners to the east across the bridge. Call ahead for creative meals
(Dh150) that make the most of wild herbs and garden-grown organic produce, including
seasonal specialities like local turkey in Oaxaca-style molé sauce and fennel braised in
mountain honey. Afterwards, wander organic gardens to meet resident rabbits, and check out
shows by Moroccan contemporary artists in the gallery.
Information
Centre d’Informations Touristique Ourika ( 0668 46 55 45; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat,
8.30am-1pm Sun) Just outside Tnine, this local NGO-operated information office provides
maps of valley vista points and updates on trekking conditions. December to March, flash