15-day itinerary in southern Morocco (page 2 of 9)

The next day, we don’t get up at the crack of dawn. No rush. Everything is calm. Yet when we arrive in the dining room, we’re invited to head out to the garden to see the méchoui bread baking in a small clay oven. And we quickly move on to tasting it, right from breakfast. It crunches under your teeth—so crispy. Even the most sensitive stomachs can’t resist the temptation for long.

A slow pace to accommodate those recovering. We’re enjoying the terraces and the garden. The dates are drying in the sun. And we take a stroll around the Kasbah before stopping by Mohamed’s place—the potter in the palm grove—at the end of the day.

A lovely surprise when we returned to the Kasbah—Ghislan had prepared a sweet-and-savory dish lightly spiced with cinnamon, made with rice, vegetables, and chicken... sprinkled with raisins... absolutely delicious.

The next morning, everyone’s in great shape, and we can consider taking a trip to the almond tree valley. It’s a stunning valley with pretty villages clinging to the mountainside above the oued on the sunny side of the mountain.

When we returned to the Kasbah in the palm grove, Mohamed and Ghislan did some harvesting in the garden, and it was really fruitful. The most abundant were the zucchinis, closely followed by turnips and carrots... huge bunches of parsley and coriander. Amazing harvest! We can see why the food is so delicious here.

I’m really sorry, but you won’t get to see the lovely vegetable harvest—my photos don’t meet the required format...

Oh no, how sad... I have to return to Marrakech next March.... Is Hussein’s hostel destroyed too? And the one in the village itself?

Best, Fangui

Hi Béatrice

I stopped for a picnic break at El Hussein’s place. His hostel has been rebuilt and even improved. However, the potters’ village across the way is badly damaged: tents and shacks everywhere, like in so many other places. It seemed like only two or three potters are still carrying on with their work.

Thanks! What a disaster...

There was a little boy who was about 4 or 5 years old—he’s a young man now. I never met the other two. 🙂

Yes Noureddine: he’s now in higher education. His father’s spitting image, just taller! Same way of talking

The next day, the whole family is feeling great—those digestive issues are just a distant memory now. We leave Skoura for the Valley of Roses, or the Pink Valley. By the way, at this time of year, we won’t see any roses, just pink rocks. And it’s absolutely stunning. We make stops to admire incredible viewpoints over the wadis and valleys.

You come across women who’ve gone to gather firewood or forage for animal feed, carrying everything on their backs, no matter their age. In these villages, nothing changes. And other women do their laundry in the wadi.

We stop for lunch on the terrace at the Awayou Hotel, and it’s really nice, so we book two rooms for the night. It’s very pretty and super cozy. We’ve got a gorgeous view from our room.

Thanks for this info. I thought it might be at the university. Finally, something post-high school. Great. Maybe I’ll check it out in March. Never two without three, as they say.

Travel journal that brings back so many great memories... Thanks, and I can't wait to read the rest!

Happy to bring back good memories for you... I’ll check out your travel journals in turn. Have a great evening.

It’s a pleasure following you on these southern Moroccan routes. Lovely photos. Thanks!

I’m still having a lot of trouble uploading my photos. Almost all of them are being rejected. It’s so frustrating. They keep saying the format isn’t right... I’m about to give up on continuing my travel journal.

We leave the Valley of Roses to head to the Dadès Valley and Gorges. We climb up to the impressive "Tortoise of Dadès" after taking the winding road that offers an extraordinary view over the canyon.