Ameln Valley
Ameln Valley
If you are interested in hiking, trekking, biking, or rock climbing this is an amazing place for all the above. You can spend days trekking through the beautiful scenery, village by village.
Twenty-six villages are scattered throughout the Ameln Valley. Most are quite small. You may find one or possibly two hanouts (little shops) for drinks, but don’t count on much commerce.
Open Doors arranges trekking guides and meals throughout the area. If you enjoy cultural interaction, we highly recommend a guide since he has already gained the trust of the other locals. In addition, Tashelhit, which is a Tamazight dialect is not easily grasped by foreigners. Most locals here will not speak French, English, or even Arabic.
For the most part, the villages in the Ameln Valley are built on the slopes of Jabel el Kest, otherwise known as Lekst. (The word Jabel means mountain in Arabic.) It’s not a difficult trek to walk from village to village, especially those on the lower escarpment. If you are interested in a more adventurous hike, it’s possible to climb Jabel el Kest.
Recommended Length of Stay: 1 – 4 nights
Let’s not travel to tick things off lists or collect half hearted semi treasures to be placed in dusty drawers in empty rooms. Rather, we’ll travel to find grounds and rooftops and tiny hidden parks where we’ll sit and dismiss the passing of time, spun in the city’s web ‘tli we’ve surrendered content to be spent and consumed. I need to feel a place while I’m in itVictoria Erickson
Places to visit while here
Lion’s Face of Asgouar
If you stand at the proper angle and squint just right, you’ll be able to see the famous Lion’s…
Oumesnat
The village of Oumesnat stands out against the background of the purple hued Jabel Kest. The homes appear to…
Oumesnat
The village of Oumesnat stands out against the background of the purple hued Jabel Kest. The homes appear to be perched precariously on the rocks; however, they’ve been there for so long, they are probably not going anywhere.
Walking through the village, you’ll find that some of the homes are newer, and they have been built on top of older deserted homes. Some have enormous stilts holding up portions of the home that’s jutting out over the cliffs. Some of the homes can only be entered by climbing a short, retractable ladder. This is rather unique architecture for Morocco.
Tizgui Village
Tizgui is a remote cliff village in the Ameln Valley.
Igmir
The village of Igmir sits on a plateau above a canyon in a wild oasis. The village is accessed…
Assaka
Assaka, named for the River Assaka, is tucked away in the Ameln Valley. At 5,184 feet (1584 meters)…
Jabel el Kest
Jabel Kest, also called Lekst, lies in the eastern portion of the Anti-Atlas Mountains. This mountain ridge creates the…
Jabel el Kest
Jabel Kest, also called Lekst, lies in the eastern portion of the Anti-Atlas Mountains. This mountain ridge creates the northern boundary of the Ameln Valley, known for its traditional Berber villages. The summit of this mountain is over 6,500 feet (2,000 meters), and there are various routes to get to the top.
Afa-n-Tmezgadiwine is the highest point on the ridge and is at 7,739 feet (2,359 meters).
Painted Rocks (Pierres Bleues)
As you can see, these rocks are not your run of the mill painted rocks. They are nothing short…
Painted Rocks (Pierres Bleues)
As you can see, these rocks are not your run of the mill painted rocks. They are nothing short of ginormous. They are just south of Tafraoute and were painted in 1984 by the Belgian artist Jean Verame. Verame accomplished this rather unique endeavor by gathering a team of Moroccan firemen that hosed 18 tons of paint over the area. The same artist had initiated a similar project in Sinai prior to attempting the Morocco project.
Over the years, the color on the rocks has faded. In 2010 a local refreshed them, but the paint soon washed off into the local streams. Needless to say, many of the locals weren’t happy with this latest project.
Agard Oudad (village)
Agard Oudad lies just under two miles (3 km) south of Tafraoute. You’ll find it at the foot of…
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