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Early morning departure from Ouled Teima

Early morning departure from Ouled Teima

The sun rises on a fantastic day. We leave the souk of the city to our right

Atlas closing in

Atlas closing in

These mountainous curves inspired the Berbers to create the designs for their carpets.

Along the way

Along the way

Typical Berber village, unfortunately even in the plastic bags...

Imilmaiss village

Imilmaiss village

Intact Berber architecture. The only signs of modernity are a few satellite dishes.

Agadir from the village of Amassa

Agadir from the village of Amassa

A Berber bank still in business

Village of Amassa

Village of Amassa

This authenticity must be maintained

Fields at the bottom of the valley

Fields at the bottom of the valley

An ideal climate for growing apple trees.

Tafraout pink granite

Secret Atlas: Great Tour

Don't look for this excursion in a guidebook. The track to be taken, which skirts the mountain in a sometimes vertiginous way, is recent and it is not tarred. There is a faint trace of IMilais on ViaMichelin and since little an indication of the ultimate purpose of this terrific discovery on Google Maps. The American software specifies that you reach in 2 hours 20 in the magic Berber city of Amassa. A good day is necessary for this unforgettable journey.
 
This dive into the secret Atlas is part of the desire for responsible development of this remote region of the Kingdom. Let's take a closer look at all of this.

From your riad in Imilmaiss                        

You have to leave early in the morning to take full advantage of this excursion and not have to rush. We are going to a country where time does not have the same value. A 4x4 vehicle is essential. The track has countless bends and it is better to be perfectly in control of your vehicle, even if the vans you encounter can be counted... on the fingers of one hand.
 
Equip yourself with good shoes (high-top sneakers are enough) and above all a backpack with water and provisions. In the Secret Atlas, restaurants are non-existent, at least for now. There remains the encounter with the inhabitant and the pleasures of the unforeseen to provoke.
 
Watch out for turns
 
We first take the old road to Marrakech, which we leave just before the artificial lake of Abdelmoumen. Sand quickly follows bitumen. Recently opened on the south side of the mountain, the track nevertheless allows two vehicles to pass each other. But watch out for the bends, because the precipice is vertiginous! 
 
The landscape is superb and never monotonous. Fortunately, because it scrolls for several tens of kilometers! The arrival at Imilmaiss takes place during the morning, after two to three hours on the road, depending on your pace and the frequency of your stops.
 
Harmonious show
 
Do not be surprised that some of these inhabitants - Berbers in their overwhelming majority - look at you a little askance, sometimes with suspicion. They are not used to foreign visitors. Behave normally, without provocation, and everything will be fine. Admire the village of adobe (raw earth) houses which rise over a large part of the slope, offering a harmonious spectacle between habitat and nature. Here nothing has changed for centuries. Only electricity and television antennas testify to a link with modernity. 
 
As there are no geographical landmarks, be aware that Imilmaiss is at the height of the tizi n'Test which, further east, connects the Souss Valley to Marrakesh. We are on the borders of the Province of Taroudant.
 
 

From Imilmaiss to Amassa                             

A track climbs from Imilmaiss towards Amassa, before descending to a wadi and climbing again. It takes a good hour to get to this reward that is Amassa, perched on a rocky peak.
 
An Agadir in the heart of the village
 
This village is a jewel, whose heart is an agadir, that is to say a Berber bank of stone and adobe. Its characteristic? He is still active; the huts are hermetically closed and supervised by a fastidious guardian. This Agadir set in the small town also has the characteristic of being almost round, whereas those of the Souss Valley, such asImchguiguiln, consist of two parallel walls.
 
Poverty and emigration
 
However, the extreme beauty of the place does not feed her man. Poverty is endemic. Here, as in Imilmaiss, young people emigrate to the Souss Valley. To look for work, they find themselves in a locality near Taroudant, Aït Aiaaza, which does not have an ounce of the beauty of their village of origin.
 
Apples and tourism
 
To reverse the trend, the director of the Ouled Teima Agricultural Development Office launched the idea of developing apple cultivation and opening the secret Atlas to tourism. The apple trees will be planted in the red Golden variety, which sells better in Morocco than the yellow Golden. Terraced orchards await them, on the edge of a wadi protected by two mountain sections. 
 
The track will be paved, which should encourage the arrival of visitors eager to rub shoulders with real authenticity. A hostel is also planned. It would of course be fitted out according to the rules of the ancestral construction of the Berbers. 
 
The Plan Wormt Moroccan is asked to finance the operation. We hope that it will materialize. It would lead to a responsible development of this region, whose authenticity is the greatest treasure.
 

Threshing wheat like in the old days                             

It is worth walking through the alleys of Amassa. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to witness the threshing of wheat by half a dozen donkeys, as shown above. Listen carefully, there is always something unexpected happening in Amassa.

Anchor 1
At 2 h 15 from Garden of Stars. Be careful on the very steep track!
 
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Berber encounters along the way
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