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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