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Day 1: MARRAKECH – IMLIL – AROUMD – ACHAYN – MARRAKECH
Departure from Marrakech by car early in the morning, we drive south up the Moulay Brahim Gorges to see Saturday weekly market in Asni Valley. Then we continue to Imlil (1740m), set in the upper level foothills of the Western High Atlas. We shall stop at Aroumd to visit this rather singular village in the Assif Aït Mizane Valley, built seemingly house upon house on a large moraine spur, overlooking ancient irrigated terraced fields of barley, corn and vegetables and always surrounded by almond and walnut trees. We thence carry on for another half an hour to get to our lunch which will be served among a Berber family in the village of Achayn prior to setting off back down the other side of the valley back to Imlil and our return trip to Marrakech.
Day 2: MARRAKECH – IMLIL – AROUMD – SIDI CHAMHAROUCH – IMLIL – MARRAKECH
We set off towards the southwest skirting the Berber town of Imlil (1740m), known as Morocco’s ‘Little Chamonix’, set, as we are, in the upper level foothills of the Western High Atlas Mountains.
We shall stop at Aroumd to visit this rather singular village in the Assif Aït Mizane Valley, built seemingly house upon house on a large moraine spur overlooking ancient irrigated terraced fields of barley, corn and vegetables and always surrounded by almond and walnut trees. We thence carry on for another 8km.to the equally-quaint village of Sidi Chamharouch, a Berber village set beside a waterfall and a small stream, again with its pisé homes seemingly built somewhat chaotically one into another. This village is a place of pilgrimage for devout Moslems and there is a marabout shrine (forbidden to non-Moslems) said to be a relic of a pre-Islamic religious and naturalist cult.
We take a break for a picnic, within full view of Jbel Toubkal, prior to setting off back down the other side of the valley at a gentle pace back to the delightful Douar Achayn.