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Tafraout pink granite
Sandstone blocks

Sandstone blocks

An installation by Belgian visual artist Jean Verame.

Admirable scenery in the Anti-Atlas

Admirable scenery in the Anti-Atlas

The painted rocks are spread over square kilometres.

Blue and yellow

Blue and yellow

There is little vegetation around the painted rocks. To the north, however, water reservoirs have given rise to plantations of olive trees and sunflowers.

On the way to Aït Mansour

On the way to Aït Mansour

Breathtaking landscapes...

Aït Mansour Gorge

Aït Mansour Gorge

The car makes its way through the palm grove on a winding road.

Painted rocks from Tafraout to Aït Mansour

In Tafraout, the wild and sublime character of the place in 1984 prompted the French visual artist of Belgian origin Jean Verame to paint rocks in color, creating a "multidimensional work, at various scales", which magnifies an already exceptional landscape and attracts visitors. Painted rocks, a road goes up, then down again in the direction ofAit Mansour palm grove, which we reach in 35 minutes (55 minutes including crossing the palm grove). Passing through these gorges will be a highlight of your stay.

A contemporary installation in a majestic landscape                             

From Tafraout (1,200 meters above sea level), the painted rocks of Jean Verame are accessible by the two roads that lead to Tiznit. The first is born at the crossroads of the heart of the Berber city and the second is located as an extension of it, on the south side. As soon as you reach the road signs, take a track, which turns out to be suitable for all vehicles, as long as you don't drive like a Formula 1 driver. Mountain bike enthusiasts will find what they are looking for. 
 
This artistic installation, which is linked to Land Art, is obviously not unanimous, as it breaks with the ambient conservatism. The Tafraoutis have however adopted it, if only because it contributes to the economic contribution of tourism...
 
In 1984
 
Jean Verame painted these rocks in 1984, in a granite landscape opening wide on the horizon, in front of one of the most spectacular chains of the Anti-Atlas. Some see it as a western landscape. 
 
The work of the European artist is dotted at various scales over kilometres. Originally, it borrowed blue tints, but also red, purple and black. No less than 19 tons of paint bombs would have been necessary during the creation. Regularly, the painting is perked up, with more or less success, according to the specialists.

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Palm grove of Aït Mansour: magical crossing

To the south of Tafraout, a magnificent road, which climbs before descending, provides access to the palm grove of Aït Mansour. The crossing of this luxuriant vegetation is done by car (watch the video below).  The variant on foot is quite imaginable. It then takes two to three hours. 
 
You enter an oasis that stretches all along the torrent, framed by splendid rocks. In autumn, the palm trees are overwhelmed with date regimes. And the tourists do not jostle there, so that serenity is fully on the program. Ideal to relax there!
 
 

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From the painted rocks of Tafraout to the palm grove of Aït Mansour, 

comp you just under an hour.

 

 

​From the palm grove of AïtFrom the Aït Mansour palm grove to the Jardin aux Etoiles, allow less than 4 hours, via Tiznit, which allows you to discover other landscapes and stop for a meal at Ksar Massa or A l'Ombre du figuier in Tiznit, for example.

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