Day with the Berbers in the Ourika Valley
The Ourika Valley is a quintessentially beautiful part of the Atlas Mountains, complete with a thriving Berber culture and dramatic scenery. You begin by driving from Marrakech via the village of Tahanaout which has an interesting local market on Tuesdays. Continue to the village of Sidi Fares which is perched on the edge of the valley, containing traditional wattle and daub houses. Here, you can visit a local home for a mint tea and meet a Berber family. You then drive down to Ourika Valley, stopping at some superb scenic points to admire the view.
You reach the village of Agounsane, where you can stop for a picnic lunch. Here you can visit a charity pre-school centre where little Berbers learn Arabic in preparation for big school. This area is also famous for local pottery and you can spend an hour or so taking a short trek in the mountains and visiting a local potters’ kiln.