VISIT TO KASBAH TELOUET AND ROUTE THROUGH THE OUNILA VALLEY

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Nightfall on a terrace in Morocco. A tea with mint cools on the table, while the call to prayer of the muezzin begins to ring from the top of the only minaret of this small town. The adobe facades gradually fade and there is only light left to illuminate the Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou. For us, a wonderful show. For the kids who play soccer barefoot, one more summer afternoon. Thus ended the first of the roadtrip days in Morocco, which led us from Marrakech to Ait Ben Haddou, with a visit to the Kasbah of Telouet and I go through the beautiful Ounila Valley.

Then we tell you the essential visits and the tour we did.

The day started fresh, like everyone else, but we would expect 35 degrees along the way. We picked up our rental car (hereinafter: “datil”) and soon we got into the N9 with a southeast direction, to face the highest mountain pass in Morocco: Tizi n'Tichka, at more than 2,200 meters high. In mid-September around here it does not even cool, although we can assume that in winter the decoration changes the red and black color of the mountains torn by a pure white. We are crossing the most important mountain range in Morocco, the Atlas, with peaks above 4,000 meters. What? Did you think everything was deserted in Morocco? Not in the way!

As we ascend the panorama is changing and the road becomes more winding. Nothing to worry about. Dilapidated stalls selling dates, honey, argan oil, geodes and fossils appear on the sides. It seems a lie but all this, a few million years ago, was covered by ocean water. What we can see today from the top of this mountain pass is a tremendous view of the High Atlas and its arid landscapes.

We would not continue much on the N9, a few kilometers from the top we take a left turn in the direction of Telouet. There we would expect one of the most beautiful kasbahs of our entire trip through Morocco.

The Kasbah Telouet It was the center of power of the Glaoui clan, one of the most powerful families in Morocco before its independence from the French protectorate. The pasha, or governor of these territories, managed to be one of the most influential figures in the country at the time, thanks to the good relations he had with the French. And the center of this power was his palace, his kasbah. When Morocco managed to break the subordination to France, back in 1956, the great Lord of the Atlas was considered a traitor, and since his death his Kasbah was abandoned and almost forgotten. A few years later it was decided restore a magnificent room, with carved wooden ceilings and doors, plaster arches full of details and tiled floors… And it was coming back: it is already on the tourist maps 🙂 The truth is that it is a pass!

For visit the Kasbah Telouet you will have to go to the place indicated as Parking (in Maps.me) and right there you can leave the car. Then walk about 100 meters along the road until you reach the entrance. The price is 20 dirhams that are paid right there (there is only one ticket). You will pass through a couple of courtyards, and in the last one you have to enter a tower and climb its stairs. In the intermediate level, if you cross a white corridor, you will reach the famous hall. Then you can continue up the stairs to reach the roof, with good views. In the parking area you may be approached by a guide to provide their services (50 dirhams), and try to convince you that you alone will not be able to find the room ... Worse it is really very easy!

We had the doubt if we could continue along this secondary road to Ait Ben Haddou or if we should undo the 11 km until the turnoff and continue on the N9. So we always looked at the horizon waiting for the gray of the asphalt to turn brown on a dirt track. It never happened, and instead we found a panoramic road of the best we remember!

The route continued through the Ounila Valley, which mixes the intense red of the color of the earth with the green of the small oases that are born where the river no longer looks like a river but still allows life. Meanwhile splashing the slopes of the mountain a few Berber villages. They seem simple abandoned villages, a handful of irregular houses that blend in with their surroundings as if they did not want to attract attention. And suddenly, among them, the ruins of an ancient Kasbah or the minaret of its mosque stand out. Some of these villages are Admit, Assaka and his pretty mosque, Douar or Tamdakhte.

A visit that we recommend, more or less in the middle of the section between Anmiter and Ait Ben Haddou, is a panoramic point on the right, marked with rather improvised signs, from where you will see the valley under your feet. There you will also be welcomed by a very nice little man who will invite you to take a look at his trinket stand. If you have a few dirhams and want to buy some souvenirs, we don't see a better place.

After 5 hours of road we arrive at Ait Ben Haddou, we leave our backpacks in our accommodation, and go out to explore the surroundings of this famous enclave at the foot of the Atlas. We descend to the riverbed and from there we have the first image of the magnificent Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou. We leave the visit for the morning of the next day, for now we leverage on a terrace to have tea ... food is on its way.

Here we tell you how to visit Ait Ben Haddou for free and with organized tours from Marrakech

Distance and route map

180 km

Where to sleep in Ait Ben Haddou

We stayed at the La Baraka hostel, on the same main street of the town. There are several accommodations for all tastes and budgets, from riads (such as Riad Maktoub) with a pool to more modest sites. We are comfortable in this

Where to eat in Ait Ben Haddou

We had dinner at Valentine restaurant (also has rooms). We ate like kings! They have menu for 110-120 dirhams with soup or Moroccan salad, a main, tea and fruit. The portions are huge and everything was really good. We stay on the terrace, it is not on the first line of the riverbed, but you can see a beautiful sunset over the Kasbah.