Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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.
Sleeping & Eating
Tizouit
MAISON D'HÔTE
€€
( 0658 34 61 48;
www.tizouit.ma
;
Aït Oumghar; r Dh600-660, tr Dh825; )
Stepped
into the hillside overlooking Demnate and shaded by flourishing gardens filled with ba-
nana, pomegranate and olive trees, Tizouit is a labour of love and it shows. Henri and
Nadja, who has family ties with the nearby village of Aït Oumghar, have brought their
considerable talents in construction and agronomy to bear on this superb ecolodge with its
eight individual cottage rooms (each with its own private terrace), natural biological pond
and luxurious native planting scheme.
A relaxed, Euro-ethnic vibe - combining raffia rugs, Moroccan antiques and textiles
and squashy European sofas - characterises the living areas and rooms where floor-to-
ceiling patio doors overlook sun-kissed views of Demnate's ancient olive groves. Activit-
ies are naturally laid-back: long, leisurely walks along ancient irrigation channels to Imi
n'Ifri's awesome grotto, or treks in dinosaur footprints at Aït Blel. And keep an eye out
for future yoga retreats.
Kasbah Illy
( 0523 50 89 53; set lunch menu Dh130)
This splashy kasbah-hotel, 5km from Demnate on
the road to Imi n'Ifri, offers lunch by a dolphin-tiled pool overlooking the valley. Reserve
ahead.
BERBER
€€
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 the breeze rippling golden wheat fields dotted
with red poppies.
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 ter-
