Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sidi Ouarsik
The fishing village of Sidi Ouarsik, 18km south of Sidi Ifni along the coast, has a great
beach. Overlooking it from the bare hillside,
Auberge Figue de Barbarie
( 0672 69 08 13;
www.aubergefiguedebarbarie.com
; s/d Dh150/200)
, named after the surrounding prickly pears,
occupies a beautifully restored farmhouse with green lizards painted on the walls. The
four rooms are simple, traditional affairs with small salons and shared bathrooms, but cer-
tainly aren't lacking in style. The auberge was previously a ruin and there are idiosyn-
crasies - high winds sometimes knock out the electricity - but it's a great place to savour
the countryside. Half-/full board are an extra Dh100/150 per person. The owners, who can
help organise activities including fishing, biking and day trips, also offer a restored pisé
house in Ifni (Dh1500/3000 per week/month).
Mesti
This Berber village is 25km southeast of Sidi Ifni on the road through the prickly-pear-
covered hills to Goulimime. At the turnoff for Mesti and the back road to Tiznit, you can
do a tasting at the shop of honey cooperative
Miel Afoulki
( 0661 47 24 33)
. It sells some
extraordinary local flavours, including orange and euphorbia. In the village, the
Tafyoucht
Cooperative
( 0528 21 84 16; tafyouchte.com)
is a women's cooperative producing oil and
cosmetic products (Dh35 to Dh250) from the versatile argan tree, with a shop for tastings.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Goulimime
POP 96,000
Once the 'Gateway of the Sahara', dusty Goulimime (or Guelmim) sprang up as a border
town where farmers from the fertile Souss traded with nomads from the south. If you have
come from the north, you will still recognise Goulimime as a border town: for the first
time, you will see Saharawis in the majority.
The main reason to stop here is the Saturday-morning souq, which includes a camel
market and takes place a few kilometres from town on the Tan Tan road. A weeklong
moussem
(festival) and camel fair is held here around the end of July.
