Northern Africa and the Middle East - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 137

music, or the many excursions available in the
surrounding valley and hills. Whether you want
to trek or ride a horse, they will be your guides
to nearby villages where you can soak up the
slow pace of life in these parts. Back at the lodge
- lit by candles at night - there's a hammam
(steam room) to relax in, and a roof terrace for
gazing at the stars.

173 A TrIp To THE BErBErS In
MoroCCo'S ATlAS MounTAInS

Hidden away in the middle of an amphitheatre
of barren 4000m-high peaks in Morocco's
High Atlas mountains, the fertile valley of Ait
Bougmez is a lush patchwork of fruit orchards,
barley fields and scattered mud-brick villages.
It was only as recently as 2001 that the first
asphalted road was laid in this valley. Even
now, if there is a particularly heavy snowfall the
route in can be blocked for several days.
This remoteness has enabled the valley's
inhabitants - most of whom are Berbers, the
indigenous people of Morocco - to continue
their farming lifestyle relatively undisturbed by
changes elsewhere. An excellent place to stay
is at Dar Itrane, a lodge built of stone, wood
and adobe using traditional techniques, and
run by local Berbers who are committed both
to preserving their culture and sharing it with
guests, from the communal meals they serve
(and will teach you how to cook if you wish) to
the library stocked with Berber literature and

Need to know From Marrakesh take a shared
taxi to Azilal, and then another to Tabant/Bougmez
Valley. Dar Itrane lodge is open all year round,
though expect snow on the mountains in January
and February. For rates, reservations and further
info see W www.origins-lodge.com; T +33 (0) 472
537 219.

174 wAkE up And SMEll THE
CoffEE AT kAHAwA SHAMBA,
TAnzAnIA

The sunny slopes and fertile volcanic soils of the
foothills of Kilimanjaro provide excellent scenery
as well as excellent conditions for growing
coffee. At Kahawa
Shamba (“coffee farm”
in Swahili), small-time
coffee growers have
started inviting guests
to stay in their village
to help supplement
their income as part of
the Kilimanjaro Native
Cooperation Union,
whose members supply
coffee to the Fairtrade
company Cafédirect.
At the village of
Lyamungu, the local
Chagga tribe has built
four traditional huts
- made of vines from
the nearby forest and
thatched with dried
banana-leaf - which they

The Berber-run Dar Itrane
Lodge is built of stone, wood
and adobe using traditional
techniques