NATURAL SCENERYMAISON D’HÔTEBERBERand explain local lore associated with this travertine bridge formed some 1.8 million years ago.
The two sides of the bridge are said to represent two local lovers whose families kept them
apart, so this Romeo and Juliet held hands and turned to stone. On the south side of the gorge
is a spring with water rich in natural mineral salts, where brides come for pre-wedding rites; in
summer you may hear women singing and playing drums and tambourines at Berber
bachelorette parties. On the other side of the gorge is a freshwater spring said to cure acne,
which explains the number of teens hanging out here. Pass under the bridge, and suddenly
you’re in a Lord of the Rings setting, with flocks of crows swooping down from dramatic
stalactites overhead.
Aït Blel
Follow the road that forks to the left at Imi-n-Ifri into the breathtaking Aït Blel Valley, which
connects to Aït Bougomez Valley via Aït Bououli Valley. In spring, Aït Blel is like an animated
Impressionist painting, with golden wheat fields rippling in the breeze, dotted with red poppies.
Women in pinafores and polka-dotted kerchiefs harvesting these fields often look up as cars
pass, and wave with their scythes.
The road here is fairly new, so the entire valley seems untouched by time. Mountains are
striped gold, orange and purple, with green crops sprouting from stone-walled terraces. Follow
the road 6km from Imi-n-Ifri to the village of Iouaridene , and you’re in prehistoric territory.
Signs point you towards what geologists claim are dinosaur footprints dating from the mid-
Jurassic period, about 170 million years ago. Quadruped and carnivorous dinosaurs once
roamed this area, and local kids do a mean impersonation of a T-rex.
Sleeping
Kasbah Timdaf $$
( 0523 50 71 78; GPS coordinates N 31°46,50 W 007°01,13; www.kasbah-
timdaf.com; s/d Dh495/660-880, extra adult/child Dh220/110) A cosy eco-castle 15 minutes
from Demnate on the road to Azila, with vast rooms warmed by fireplaces and snazzy tadelakt
bathrooms. It may seem palatial, but this stone and mudbrick kasbah is a working farm
surrounded by almond and olive groves, providing inspired Mediterranean-Berber meals.
Owners Jacqueline and Yannick are active in Assaphar (www.assaphar.com) , a Demnate
medical association providing pre- and post-natal care to those in need. When they’re not
making olive oil, cooking feasts or helping new mums, they organise transfers to/from
Marrakesh by car (Dh500) and bicycle, trekking and fishing trips.
Eating
Café-Restaurant Al Jazeera $$
( 0524 45 82 39; near Gare Routiére, Demnate; 3-course menus from Dh130;
8am-8pm; ) Call ahead to reserve a table for savoury seasonal salads that are a prelude to
Demnate’s signature fine-grain couscous, decadently laced with local olive oil and sprinkled with
toasted Demnati almonds. Enjoy a leisurely dining experience with a refreshing dip in the
courtyard pool (open in summer) and excellent espresso in the garden.