Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cyber Espace Bleu
(Ave Hassan II; per hr Dh8; 9am-12.30pm & 4-10pm 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 (Dh60, 3½ hours, three daily) and Azilal and
Demnate (Dh20, 1½ hours, three daily). Arrivals in Azilal will drop you on Avenue Has-
san II, while departures leave from the bus station behind the main mosque. Plenty of
grands taxis run from Marrakesh to Azilal (Dh90) and, less frequently, from Azilal to
Demnate (Dh35). In the afternoon, when full, local minibuses depart from Azilal to
Zaouiat Ahansal (Dh50, 3½ to four hours) and Tabant (Dh40, three hours), the main town
in Aït Bougomez.
WORTH A TRIP
KAYAKING AT BIN EL-OUIDANE
From Azilal it's possible to take a detour to the huge dam of Bin el-Ouidane. The dam provides the
majority of the electricity in the region, but more importantly it's the location for the increasingly pop-
ular 10-day kayak school of Morocco Adventure & Rafting (
Click here
). Held once a year between
April and May, the school spends two days on the lake running through the basics (no previous experi-
ence is assumed) before launching off into the Ahansal river gorge. What follows are seven spectacu-
lar days of running rapids through 8ft-wide gorges, river camping and turtle-spotting before returning
in a loop to the lake.
Aside from being awesome fun, it's a wonderful way to visit the dramatic Cathédrale des Rochers
and the Ahansal Valley and affords a dramatically different perspective of the sheer rock gorges from
the valley floor. Groups are limited to 12 people and are accompanied by two guides, a safety kayaker
and a photographer. Sleeping bags are also available for hire if you don't want to carry your own. Ex-
clusive trips can also be organised for a minimum of six people.
A shorter, three-day rafting excursion down the Ahansal is also possible as is canyoning, although a
good level of fitness is required for the latter.
Zaouiat Ahansal
Fantastically remote and fiercely independent, Zaouiat Ahansal was founded in the 13th
century by travelling Islamic scholar Sidi Said Ahansal, who, according to local legend,
was instructed to establish a religious school wherever his cat leapt off his mule. Happily
for Sidi Ahansal that location sits astride a prominent crossroads between the Central
High Atlas and the plains of Marrakesh and is blessed with fresh water and abundant graz-
ing frequented by the powerful Aït Abdi and Aït Atta nomads.
