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GuideMarrakech_COP22_VUK_VA

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Marrakech Surroundings<br />

Lake Lalla Takerkoust<br />

A trip to Lake Lalla Takerkoust, 40 km from<br />

Marrakech, makes a refreshing outing and<br />

you can explore the surrounding<br />

countryside by foot, quad, or cross car, and<br />

savor the local cuisine at one of the inns<br />

along the lakeshore, while enjoying the<br />

superb views they afford.<br />

The Toubkal National Park<br />

The Toubkal National Park begins in the<br />

central High Atlas Mountains, between the<br />

N’Fiss and Ourika Valleys. Its 38,000 hectares<br />

boast a remarkable biodiversity – green<br />

oaks, thujas, junipers and herbaceous<br />

plants, many species of birds of prey,<br />

including royal eagles, booted eagles and<br />

Bonelli’s eagles, along with such rarities as<br />

Barbary sheep, lynxes and Cuvier’s gazelles.<br />

Photo © ONMT<br />

The Ourika Valley<br />

30 km south of Marrakech, the Ourika<br />

Valley lies within the first foothills of the High<br />

Atlas mountains, a beautiful expanse of<br />

luxuriant green, its adobe villages clinging<br />

to the mountainsides. The road stops at the<br />

end of the valley, but the more adventurous<br />

can continue by foot to the seven waterfalls<br />

that await their discovery.<br />

Tizi-n-Test and Tizi-n-Tichka<br />

Two passes cross the High Atlas into the<br />

deep South. Tizi-n-Test links Marrakech to<br />

Taroudant while Tizi-n-Tichka takes you to<br />

Ouarzazate. The Tizi-n-Test road is one of<br />

the most spectacular in Morocco, climbing<br />

the mountain slopes through magnificent<br />

scenery to a height of 2092 meters and<br />

offering breath-taking views over the Souss<br />

Valley. The Tizi-n-Tichka road runs through<br />

the pass at an altitude of over 2300 meters,<br />

through mineral-grey lunar landscapes that<br />

gradually take on ochre tones as you<br />

descend to Ouarzazate.<br />

The Bio-aromatic Garden<br />

35 km south of Marrakech, in the city of<br />

Tnine Ourika in the Valley of Ourika, lays the<br />

Bio-aromatic Garden. Over an area of 1 ha,<br />

it grows more than 45 varieties of aromatic,<br />

medicinal and decorative plants, which you<br />

are invited to taste and smell.<br />

The Saffron Garden<br />

The “Jardin du Safran” in the village of<br />

Tnine Ourika is a saffron farm open to<br />

visitors. In this peaceful haven, you will find<br />

an educational area accessible to all,<br />

allowing you to find out more about the<br />

spice also called the “red gold”.<br />

Anima's Fanciful<br />

Wildlife Garden<br />

Created by André Heller, the Anima garden<br />

is filled with exuberant plants and flowers,<br />

adapted to the region's climate and<br />

irrigated with rainwater. Since its opening,<br />

the garden has enhanced the animal and<br />

plant biodiversity.<br />

www.anima-garden.com<br />

The Ouzoud waterfalls<br />

Morocco’s most famous waterfalls are well<br />

worth the 150-km drive from Marrakech.<br />

Once past the village of Ouzoud, you carry<br />

on downwards, along a well-maintained<br />

road lined with olive trees, until you come to<br />

the foot of the falls themselves. Some 110<br />

meters high, their waters tumble from one<br />

level to the next, their fine spray adorning a<br />

permanent rainbow halo. You can enjoy a<br />

swim there, while observing the antics of the<br />

local rhesus monkeys.<br />

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