GÎTE( 1-6pm Tue-Sun) Just past the ancient douar is this women’s weaving centre and after-
school vocational training program, where you can watch carpets woven with pronged antique
carpet tools that could easily put an eye out in lesser hands. To give everyone a laugh, ask to
give it a try yourself – just don’t be offended if they take out your knot. The carpets are for
sale, and part of the proceeds support the weaving training program and the village
association’s medical dispensary; the rest goes directly to the woman who made it, no
middlemen involved.
Sleeping
Sidi Ahmed Amahdar $
( 0678 53 88 82; dm with/without breakfast Dh30/50, half-board Dh120) Bunk here for hot
showers, clean shared bathrooms and a clamorous welcome from the women who manage the
place. For every night’s stay, Dh10 is donated to the village medical dispensary and women’s
weaving school.
Getting There & Away
Your only reliable bet is 4WD, though trucks head from Tabant to Zaouiat Ahansal on Sunday,
and minivans run between Zaouiat Ahansal and Aït Mohammed (Dh40) and less frequently to
Ouaouizarht via Tilougguite.
Cathédrale des Rochers & Reserve Naturelle de
Tamga
Continuing north along the main road from Zaouiat Ahansal leads to La Cathédrale des
Rochers, the ‘rock cathedral’ with sheer stone faces that are a climber’s challenge and delight,
and the Reserve Naturelle de Tamga, a vast national reserve with eight separate parks.
Birdwatchers will have a field day (or several) observing 107 species of birds, including rare
and endangered species. A botanical garden 3km from the sign marking the park’s entry
highlights the park’s diverse flora, including medicinal herbs said to cure rheumatism.
Overnight stays and meals are available at Gîte le Cathédrale ( 0523 44 20 23; dm incl
half-board Dh150; lunch/dinner Dh50/60) , 2km after the sign for the cathédrale.
Bin el-Ouidane
Once you’ve reached the cathédrale, you can loop back to Azilal via a paved road to Bin el-
Ouidane. Confusingly, a lake, the dam that created the lake and a town on the shores of the
lake all share the same name. The dam provides the majority of the electricity in the region, and
though there isn’t much of a beach scene on these jagged shores, the lake is still a sight for dry
eyes. The best stretch of shoreline is southwest of the dam, mostly occupied by private villas.