2016-09-29 Hotel Dar Rhizlane Marrakesh and Ourika Valley, Morocco
With our friend Abdul picking us up at the hotel mid morning, we depart for a day of sightseeing out of townPassing stone villages, mosques and minarets, it is not long before we are out of the city of MarrakeshWe travel south east towards the Ourika ValleyThe trip to the Ourika Valley takes us through the lower hills of the Atlas MountainsOur first stop is to visit the home of a local Berber familyWe arrive at the stone dwelling and are welcomed by the man of the house and his young sonThe elevated terrace of the house was cluttered with an array of pot plants and had a wonderful view down the fertile valley
Situated on the terrace is also a unique outdoor ovenNext we are taken indoors and greeted by the lady of the houseWe are given a guided tour of the neat and tidy Berber homeAnother member of the family is cooking the traditional Berber pita bread on an open stoveAlso inside another member of the family is having a late breakfastAfter our tour our hostess pours us her special maghrebi mint teaSpecial sugar is placed into the teapot with fresh mint, tea leaves and boiling waterIt was a very special experience visiting the home of the local Berber familyWe continue our trip along the picturesque valley passing villages nestled into the hillsideContinuing along the road that follows the Wadi River we arrive at the town of Setti Fatma which is where the road finishesDuring the summer period, cafes, restaurants and bars are set up on the banks of the Wadi RiverOutrageous coloured couches adorn the shoreline of the shoreDuring the sweltering heat of July and August this area would be a popular place to visit to get some relief from the heat!!From Setti Fatma we set off to climb to one of the 7 waterfallsHeading up the path we pass a number of apple carriersNestled amongst the trees are numerous cafes and barsAn amazing craftsman at work!!With ample chilled water at hand, this is a unique way of keeping drinks chilled!!After following a number of graded paths it was a steep climb over many large boulders to get to our destinationFinally we arrive at the Cascades Ourika WaterfallThis waterfall was one of the easier ones to get to as the more difficult ones required mountain climbing skills!!!Stunning views from hereRic with Abdul and a local guide, who joined us for safety and assistance if we had required itAfter spending quite some time enjoying the scenery by the waterfall we made our way back down to the village
Time for lunch by the cool running water of the Wadi RiverAbdul expertly pours the refreshing Moroccan mint teaA local Moroccan singer arrives to serenade us at the table……..accompanied by Moroccan musician playing an old single stringed rebabDelicious Moroccan freshly baked bread arrives at our tableNext a fresh plate of salad with a selection of olives arrives….followed by a vegetable tangineSo far we have had a great day enjoying the lovely scenery and the good experiences of the Ourika ValleyOnce we departed Setti Fatma we continued back towards Marrakesh passing several Berber villages on the way
Above the fertile valleys below, the barren terrain was quite obvious
Plenty of fabulous pots for sale here in this villageWe eventually arrive back after a fabulous day in the Ourika Valley which took us approximately 68km southeast of Marrakesh
We again pass the Koutoubia MosqueWe parted ways with Abdul in the main square, Place Jemaa el-FnaEarly evening Jemaa el-Fna is reasonably quiet before the crowds arrive at duskThe fresh juice vendors prepare for another busy night
Before returning to our hotel we take another stroll through the covered market of the medina
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