Telouet & Aït ben Haddou Day Trip from Marrakech

The driver will pick you up from your Riad at 8:00 and take you through the High Atlas mountains and over the famous Tizi-n-Tichka pass. It is the highest in all of Africa at 2260 m. 

Along the way, you can see the Berber villages nestled on the side of the mountains. Sometimes they blend in with the surrounding soil. Sometimes you descend into the valleys and drive along the river lined with oleander and fruit trees. The gardens are full of olive, walnut, pomegranate, apple, pear, and quince trees. Berber women and children tend to their goats and sheep here and they climb very steep slopes in search of animal food and firewood.  

But on the other side of the mountains, the landscape changes dramatically and becomes semi-arid and desert-like. Here you can witness Kasbah architecture with towers at the corners. These buildings have grilled windows and soft peach coloured walls. These traditional houses are made of adobe, highly suitable for the climatic conditions of the south.  

After the Tichka pass, you leave the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah. It served as a palatial residence and the headquarters of the powerful Glaoui tribe. Their wealth came in part from the salt mines just outside the village. Each addition to the Kasbah buildings now stands in ruins exposed to the wind and the rain. They were abandoned and plundered after the last Pasha’s property was confiscated as he had plotted Mohammed V’s exile. Wait to be pleasantly surprised by the traditional interior decoration as you reach the farthest end of the Kasbah. 

Then the route leads south down the Ounila Valley with the green fields and gardens running parallel down below full of bends in the roads. You will be surprised at the hues of the rock and soil, the Berber villages and gardens, as well as the smaller Kasbahs. Here olive, almond and fruit trees are the main crops and the mainstay for many families. 

This stunning road leads to the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, which is the oldest and most famous Kasbah in Morocco. It is also one of Morocco’s nine UNESCO World Heritage sites. The architectural style is well preserved and the earthen constructions are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions and in harmony with the natural and social environment. It probably originated in the 17th century and was one of the most important fortress strongholds on the old Salt Road caravan routes. Traders brought slaves, gold, ivory and salt from sub-Saharan Africa to Marrakech and beyond. The Kasbah is now especially famous as the backdrop to many Hollywood blockbuster films. 

You have just spent a wonderful day fascinated by the landscapes and Berber life, and your visits to these famous Kasbahs. We return along the main road back to the Tichka pass and so to Marrakech. We reach the city in the early evening.