Best tips for roadtrip from Imilchil to Dades valley. Your guide n°1.
We started this trip with the granaries of Aoujgal then Imilchil to the valley of Dades.
Sommaire
Imilchil
📍The Attics of Aoujgal
🛣 Itinerary :
The most accessible road is the one going towards Imilchil (R317). I had visited these granaries on my way to Imilchil. You will find more info on this trip here.
The attics of Aoujgal
Although Aoujgal is in the rural commune of Boutferda which is part of the province of Béni Mellal while Imilchil is part of the province of Midelt.
But it is much closer by car to Imilchil than to any other rural town in the province of Beni Mellal or Azilal.
I present to you the largest collective cliff attics in Morocco: The attics of Aoujgal! 🤩
📝PS: The attics of Aoujgal are part of the geoparc Mgoun in the province of Beni Mellal / Azilal.
📅 A tribal memory of the Amazighs, which has always existed, long before the arrival of Islam (dated around 170 million years)
🖌 Attics are named differently depending on the region: Irherm (Irher man in the plural) in the Central Atlas, and Agadir (Igoudar or Iguidar in the plural) in the Anti-Atlas.
📍 The cliff granaries of Aoujgal are located south of Bourferda northwest of Imilchil (70km) in the magnificent province of Azilal. A region that alone concentrates 71 collective attics out of the 550 in Morocco 😱
📜These attics were a hiding place for food, wheat and treasures. This is a site steeped in history and referring to the way of life of the local Amazigh populations. They bear witness to the spirit of survival-together of our ancestors. They were an insurance for life in the event of famine.
🔎The Aoujgal attics are small dry stone and adobe buildings built on a steep cliff at an altitude of 1800m overlooking the Oued Attach and overlooking a large void.
They are built along a 400m long axis. meters high, access is via a 700 meter long wooden and stone staircase.
🪟 There, boxes are linked and overlapping, similar to bird niches when you look at them from afar. At the height of its exploitation, this granary of Aoujgal had some 370 boxes.
✏️These hollows are called Tihuna in Amazigh.
They are strongly ventilated by openings to guarantee the longevity of foodstuffs.
⛺️ The specificity of the attics in the Azilal region: they belong to semi-nomadic tribes!
These are tribes who spent their lives between the mountains and the plain. They descended to the plain after the arrival of the snow. That's why they built these Irhermans high up.
📞Contact of a local guide: Said +212 6 77 24 55 98
⚠️ access is dangerous. I do not recommend it. Please ask the authorities to take the necessary measures for the safety of tourists.
🎥 Feel free to see my Reel video on this place on Instagram
📍 Isli lake in Imilchil
One of the most beautiful lakes I have seen in Morocco!
🏞Lake Isli, a vast expanse of perfectly circular water, lights up in dazzling blue thanks to the reflections of the sky which contrasts with the arid landscape of the rocks. All in the middle of a landscape of snow-capped mountains.
📍Lake Isli is located in the lake plateau region, north of Imilchil, at the foot of Jebel Msedrid in the Moroccan National Park of the High Atlas Oriental.
🥾 It is 10km of rocky track from the road. Which is 2 hours of hiking from Lake Tislit located at the start of the road.
It is also the deepest lake in Morocco (92m deep) with an area of 400 ha and an altitude of 2270m.
📝 It is identified as a Site of Biological and Ecological Interest (SIBE), by the Protected Areas Master Plan (PDAP)
🐟 The only native fish, the fario trout, forms an ecotype specific to this lake.
The lake regularly hosts waterfowl, both during the breeding and wintering periods: the shelduck, the crested grebe, the grebe chestnut, the black-necked grebe…
📸Feel free to check out my highlight stories "Imilchil" in my instagram pagefor more videos/photos.
📍Tislit Lake in Imilchil
Lake Tislit, its twin (Lake Isli), is easily accessible. It is on the road 7 km north of Imilchil.
🛏 As a result, the amenities are located on the side of the small lake of Tislit. A campsite is located by the lake, and allows you to take full advantage of the setting and to be able to easily reach the unmissable sites of the region.
💧 This vast expanse of water extends over 1.3km² on a bare plateau in the middle of the border between the Middle and High Atlas with a depth of 27m, at an altitude of 2,266m
🐑 It is also agdal (reserved pasture) where the Aït Haddidou tribes drive their herds in the summer.
🏔 You can climb Mount Bab N Ouayad (2804m) for a more panoramic view of Lake Tislit.
📝 Every year in September, an important moussem (annual regional festival) is held near the lake.
🏊♀️ You can swim in this lake. The water is fresh and very clean.
🎉Best time to visit this lake is in October when the famous Imilchil wedding festival “Moussem d’Imilchil” is held.
These two mythical lakes of Imilchil hide a legend behind which gives birth to the famous festival: Engagement Moussem.
📸Feel free to check out my highlight stories "Imilchil" in my instagram pagefor more videos/photos.
📜The legend of Imilchil:
Indeed, in Amazigh Tislit means the bride and Isli the groom.
They symbolize the tragic love of a young girl from the Ait Yaaza tribe and a young man from the rival tribe of Ait Ibrahim (different fractions of Ait Hadiddou).
The parents opposed their unions and the lovebirds fled!
They climbed Mount Isslan (married in Tamazight) and spent whole days there crying.
It is said that these tears gave birth to the two twin lakes Isli and Tilsit in which they eventually drowned.
Their deaths caused the tribes to regret and reconcile. They finally decide to allow the young people to choose each other by celebrating their engagement during the famous Imilchil Engagement Moussem.
👩❤️👨 Engagement Moussem in Imilchil:
This ancestral tradition dates back to the schism of the Aït Hdiddou tribe (about 9 centuries ago).
Once a year, young people from the region meet and choose each other to celebrate their union in a large collective wedding, in the shelter of a large Berber tent where the adouls officiate.
The meeting of young people is a local custom called "Taqerfiyt" which gives the young man the opportunity to see the young girl without any opposition from their families.
The moussem is not a simple event, it is a gathering with a triple vocation: commercial, social and religious.
Festive days are animated by the famous dance of Ahidous.
📍Agoudal
Guess what is the highest inhabited village in Morocco? 😝
Nestled at an altitude of 2300m, Agoudal is a village founded by the Ait Hadidou south of Imilchil in the High Atlas. It is a crucial crossroads in the region where the tracks coming from Toudra, Dades and Imilchil meet!
🤸♂️Places of interest:
-Assif Melloul valley, where many small villages are scattered along the Assif Melloul.
-Akhiam cave, where the Assif Melloul river has its source. This enigmatic cave gives birth to a multitude of legends:
Its water fights against female sterility, wards off the bewitchment of a bewitched person and cancels the influence of magic.
🛣 The track in the photo is the one between Agoudal and Dades. I admit it is one of the most amazing roads I have seen in Morocco with that of Tizi N'ait Hmed leading to Ait Bouguemaz.
Where to stay in Agoudal?
Admittedly Agoudal is a very small village disconnected from modernization, and yet it shelters some hotel infrastructures.
I'm going to tell you about my favorite hostel there:
🏨 Auberge Ibrahim
In fact, it’s more of a homestay experience. The staff are Amazighs from the village.
🛌 The beds are super comfortable, the rooms are heated (luckily because it's incredibly cold in winter! )
🍽 The meals were varied and delicious!
💰 200 dhs per person in half board. Cheaper than that you die!
We quickly felt at home and plan to come back as soon as possible!
📸Feel free to check out my highlight stories "Imilchil" in my instagram pagefor more videos/photos.
Dades valley and Canyons
📍Dades Canyons
The Dades canyons are originally formed from the Oued du Dades which has its source in the High Atlas. It is one of the most spectacular canyons in Morocco with the Todra Gorge not far away.
📍 The heart of the valley located between the localities of Boumalne Dadès and M'semrir is a real haven of freshness in the middle of an arid and desert landscape. It extends 170 km between Jbel Saghro and the High Atlas massif.
🤸♂️The #1 activity to do in the Dadès gorges and very easy to access is the observation of the viewpoints.
And the most touristic panoramic view is the one in the photo: 🛣 Timzzilite where there is a café restaurant of the same name overlooking the famous bends of the Dades gorges Several possibilities of activities, including hiking over several tens of kms, climbing, rafting and a walk along the river.
🌵 These gorges are of paramount importance in the valley. They indeed protect the course of the eponymous river which feeds the palm grove over several tens of kilometres.
Ce désert de roche est serpenté tout au long par le fleuve de Draa, alimentant ainsi les nombreuses oasis qui jalonnent ses rives connues par ses dattes.
👨👩👧👦In addition to the amazing landscapes, you will meet a very very welcoming population. Warm, simple and tolerant Amazighs!
🌸 Discover the Dadès gorges in the spring, when the valley is covered with exceptionally flourishing nature: let yourself go to escape in the middle of the gardens of almond trees, argan trees, walnut trees, palm trees and poplars.
🏠 Architecture is a key element of Amazigh heritage. We can clearly see it in this valley of Dadès, the ocher color of the houses which reflects that of the cliffs and its burnt red earth. An architecture where natural laws take back their rights with dignity.
📸Feel free to check out my highlight stories "Dades" in my instagram pagefor more videos/photos.
📍Cliffs of Tamlalt
About 15 km from Boumalne Dades is the small town of Tamlalt where the famous cliffs of Tamlalt are located, also known as 'monkey pates' or 'monkey fingers'.
📜 The human imagination gave birth to this nomination of these cliffs sculpted by erosion which shaped the rock into large blocks.
📍Stop at the ‘les pattes de singe’ campsite, there is a car park just opposite to discover the best panoramic view.
🤩 It overlooks this geological curiosity, rocky peaks of captivating beauty overlooking the Dades Valley.
🛕 On the other side of the wadi you will discover the ruins of an old kasbah, a beautiful painting full of mystery and melancholy in the mountains of the village Imzzoudar in the Dades valley, a few km from Timlalt.
💫According to local legend, wedding guests threw food at the bride and groom to celebrate their union. A gesture that God considered a sacrilege. He petrified the whole assembly forever with this carefully carved mountain of monkeys, to punish them.
🎒You can walk further down the orchards along the wadi and even take the canyon for a hike. From there, a beautiful 3-hour excursion will take you along the Dadès to the village of Aït Oudinar.
🙋♂️The hiking route is not indicated and the exit from the canyon can lead to confusion. Better to be accompanied by a local "guide".
🥾 Provide water, shoes adapted to water because sometimes there is no choice, you have to walk in the basins.
📸Feel free to check out my highlight stories "Dades" in my instagram pagefor more videos/photos.
Where to stay near Dades?
🏨 Dar Ahlam Dades
This region from Imilchil to Boulemane Dades never ceases to amaze me with the quality of their accommodation!
This time I found you a charming guest house in the heart of the Dades valley in Ait Ouaddar near the Dades gorges: Dar Ahlam Dades.
👨 The welcome and service are just impeccable. As soon as we arrived, the boss Mohamed himself welcomed us warmly with tea and cakes on the terrace facing the mountains.
🌟 As there was availability, we were upgraded for free to their best suite with private terrace, magnificent view of the valley.
🛌 The rooms are comfortable with everything you need (heating, air conditioning…).
The facilities are of high quality.
The bathroom is super well equipped.
The attention paid to the decoration, the Amazigh touch and the traditional clothes available in the rooms, give a lot of charm!
🍴Meals are well presented.
Meals (high quality breakfasts and dinners).
As it was relatively cold in early April, the dining room was warmed up by a fireplace and we ate there. an excellent meal. The breakfast was perfect too.
🥇 The decoration is particularly neat and successful, as in the whole building. It should be noted that Mohamed, from the same village, did a training in interior decoration which he exploited well while keeping the Amazigh touch.
🏊♀️ In summer, you have access to a swimming pool with the same view as the other terraces.
💰 The price is from 300 dhs per person in half board. The price varies according to the season.
📞 0673929302
📸Feel free to check out my highlight stories "Dades" in my instagram pagefor more videos/photos.
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