1000 Stunning Moroccan Castles
ref. - ITCTOZZ02
(6 hours hike)
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: GRADE ONE - WALKING MOSTLY ON PATHS AT LOWER LEVELS, SOMETIMES ROCKY, SELDOM FLAT, FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS EACH DAY. GOOD TRAINERS WOULD DO, BUT TAKE BOOTS IF YOU ARE USED TO THEM. FOR ANYONE WHO LEADS A REASONABLY ACTIVE LIFE. HIKING ALWAYS INVOLVES SOME EFFORT.

OUARZAZATE – DADES VALLEY - SKOURA – QALÂA’T MGOUNA – AÏT HADDOU n’AÏT YOUL - IMGOUN VALLEY – OUARZAZATE

Departure from Ouarzazate at around 08:00 in the morning eastwards towards Qalâa’t Mgouna – “The Village Of The Rose” in English. On our way through the magnificent Dadès Valley , the “Valley of the Roses”, through lands once trodden by Alexander the Great and his invading armies, we travel along what is a vast flood plain whose southern horizon is blocked by the sun-blasted Anti Atlas Mountains and to the north by the jagged High Atlas mountain ranges. On the edges of the verdant palmeraie of Skoura, one-time capital of Moulay Essmaïl, the nearby river reflects the intense blue of the sky, the brilliant green of the palmeraies and the red earth; we shall stop to photograph two magnificent 17th century kasbahs of singular beauty (‘kasbah’ translates to ‘tighernit’ in the language of the Berber) – Amerhidil – surrounded by rose bushes - and whose image is to found printed on the current 50 dirham bank note - and its neighbour, Dar Aït Sidi El Mati.
Continuing along in our vehicle, we come across an imposing set of kasbahs blending harmoniously with the environment, yet in various stages of ruin, all shouting out their last defiant cries against the eroding desert winds. 20kms further on we enter the valley full of rose bush plantations and palmeraies, magnificent Berber villages and more kasbahs, the Jbel Sarhro (2332m) to our right, Jbel M’Goun (4071m) - the second highest peak in the Maghreb to our left - until we reach the large village of Qalâa’t Mgouna (1433m), where tens of thousands of roses are grown to be sold and their essences distilled to make the rose water so favoured by the Berber people. Here, at the feet of a bluff of rock separating the two verdant valleys of Dadès and M’Goun at the head of a meandering valley leading up through the mountains, we now alight from our vehicle, to set off on our walk towards the north up the Oued Mgoun between fields of rose bushes and a sequence of kasbahs, apparently fragile but actually of a majestic strength.
The meandering path takes us past the villages of Aït Hammou Ou Yahya (1478m) and Aït Saïd (1531m) between the Timassinine and Imi n’Louh Plateaux until we reach the foothills of the Jbel Talouit (2084m) where we turn to the east, following a winding track past the cliffs of the Jbel Riguit (2004m) until, after some 2 hours, we arrive at the Berber village of Aït Haddou n’Aït Youlwhere we shall picnic in the surrounds of the Glaoui Kasbahn’Aït Youl.
Our afternoon hike takes us back towards the south-west, up and down the tracks of the lower valley slopes between Jbel Talouit, Imi n’Louh and finally Jbel Guersif (1847m), through scattered groves of fig and olive trees, stark red cliffs and ochre rock pitons to rejoin our vehicle at Tabarkhacht Hdida at around 17:00 taking us down to Qalâa’t Mgouna and back to Ouarzazate.

Cost for this tour:

- please call or email for a full quote - all our holidays are tailor-made and the cost of each trek is based upon the following:

* the number of people in your group (some hikes available for single travellers, one person FREE for groups of 10 or more);

* where you are starting from and to where you wish to travel at the end the hike;

* whether you are including any additional accommodation (e.g. in Imlil or Marrakech)

* extras such as WC tent or refuge accommodation, etc.

Our price includes:

Experienced, licensed, bi-lingual mountain guide throughout, round trip transportation, picnic lunch.

Picnic lunch - fresh Moroccan salad, cheese, tinned tuna fish*, bread, fruit. * If vegetarian or vegan, please pre-advise.

Our prices do not include:

Personal medical or accident insurance. Any expenditure of a personal nature. Bottled or gaseous water, nor anything not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.

It is recommended that you bring:

Walking boots or stout shoes suitable for walking, rambler pole (optional), Hat, sunscreen, nibbles, hygienic wipes, filled water bottle(s).

NB: all our prices are for land arrangements only (starting and finishing in Ouarzazate), please contact us to arrange accommodation in the Ouarzazate area as flights from your preferred airport if required.

Tel: + 44 (0) 1989 730 552 (UK)

Back to Ouarzazate home page