Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
races. Follow the road 6km from Imi n'Ifri to the village of
Iouaridene
and you're in pre-
historic territory. Signs point you towards what geologists claim are
dinosaur footprints
dat-
ing from the mid-Jurassic period, about 170 million years ago. Quadruped and carnivor-
ous dinosaurs once roamed this area, and local kids do a mean impersonation of a T-rex.
AÏT BLEL TO AÏT BOUGOMEZ
From Aït Blel the only way is up, east over the
Tizi-n-Oubadou pass
(2173m) towards Aït Bououli
(
Click here
), Aït Bougomez (
Click here
) and beyond. It's a spectacular drive through
mountain oak
forests
set against striking, vertically striped sedimentary
rock formations
formed during the Triassic
period some 230 million years ago. You'll need a 4WD and dry weather (thunderstorms and flash
floods often wipe out bridges) between April and November.
The road sometimes narrows to one lane, but it's paved or graded the entire way. The cliff-edge vil-
lages and centuries-old way of life you'll encounter make it worth the additional two hours it takes to
reach Aït Bougomez, instead of going the faster route via Aït Mohammed. Gas up before you go: the
biggest town is Khemis Aït Blel, with a Tuesday souq and stalls selling sundries and occasionally pet-
rol.
Near the pass,
Gîte Tizi-n-Oubadou
( 0661 44 36 02) offers wraparound views over meticu-
lously trimmed terraces with carob and almond groves. If you call as you leave Demnate in the morn-
ing, it may be able to provide lunch (Dh60 to Dh80).
Cascades d'Ouzoud
Northeast of Demnate, just 167km from Marrakesh and a world away from the city heat
are the Cascades d'Ouzoud, one of the most popular day trips from Marrakesh for tourists
and Moroccans alike. The Oued Ouzoud drops 110m into the canyon of Oued el-Abid in
three-tiered waterfalls, and the view only gets better as you descend into the cool of the
canyon, past the late-afternoon rainbow mists to the pools at its base. The falls are most
dramatic from March to June when there's more water, but young Moroccans often camp
here in summer on terraces facing the falls. To reach the falls, walk past the signs for Riad
Cascades d'Ouzoud towards the precipice, where converging paths wind down towards
the falls.
But, be prepared: you won't have this natural idyll to yourself. The cascades are so uni-
versally beloved that during summer weekends the cafe-lined paths that lead down to the
falls are filled with local families and tourists browsing souvenir stalls and taking pictures.
