HOTELLOCALAzilal
This flag-waving centre for regional development is mainly of interest to travellers as a handy
transport hub between Demnate, the Cascades d’Ouzoud and the Aït Bougomez Valley, and for
inventing a new car game: how many flags can you count driving down the main street? At last
count, the answer was 456, which must be a record for a town not celebrating a king’s visit or
state holiday. There’s a Thursday souq , and the town’s Complexe Artisanal ( Mon-Sat) ,
on the right across from the town hall, occasionally hosts regional arts-and-crafts showcases.
Sleeping & Eating
Hôtel Souss $
( 0672 32 84 95; s/d with shared bathroom Dh40/80, hot showers Dh10) Diagonally across
from Ibnou Ziad Restaurant, this laid-back hotel offers a friendly welcome, pink rooms, thick
blankets and oddly endearing child-sized desks; a video-game arcade is next door.
Ibnou Ziad Restaurant $
(Ave Hassan II) A good pit stop for Dh40 lunches of salad, tasty rotisserie chicken and chips,
though football fans might be delayed by matches shown on TV here.
Information
Attijariwafa ATM (Ave Hassan II) ATMs and credit-card machines are scarce inside Aït
Bougomez, so use this one next to the police station.
Cyber Espace Bleu (Ave Hassan II; per hr Dh8; 9am-10pm Mon-Sat) One of the last
internet outposts before heading into Aït Bougomez is next to Hôtel Assounfou.
Getting There & Away
Buses run between Azilal and Marrakesh (Dh50, three daily) and Azilal and Demnate (Dh20,
three daily). Plenty of grands taxis run from the taxi lot behind Marrakesh’s bus station to Azilal
(Dh70 to Dh100) and, less frequently, from Azilal to Demnate (Dh35).
Driving Tour: Happy Valley Goodwill Tour
Take in spectacular scenery and bring the happiness home with you after supporting 11 worthy local causes on this five-day
adventure.
Day 1
Depart Marrakesh for Demnate . Head east through Demnate for a walk under a natural bridge formed 1.8 million years ago at
Imi-n-Ifri , returning to Demnate for a lavish local lunch at Restaurant Al Jazeera .
By prior arrangement, take an afternoon tour of Demnate’s ancient mellah and visit Association Attadamoun Pour les
Handicapés , a pioneering life-skills training centre for disabled students aged five to 18. Families and small groups of five to
10 might reserve ahead for a benefit dinner concert organised by Association Attadamoun Pour les Handicapés.
Dine on garden-fresh dishes and enjoy a comfortable overnight at Kasbah Timdaf , which supports a local initiative to
extend prenatal and postnatal care to those in need.