Anima Garden

Anima was made by the Austrian artist and impresario André Heller and opened in 2016 on land on the road towards the Ourika valley, and it is a garden built as a composition rather than a plant collection: dense planting of palm, cactus, bamboo and flowering species is cut by narrow paths that open without warning onto installations - a Keith Haring piece, work by Picasso and Calder in reproduction and original, Heller's own constructions, mirrored objects and coloured glass - so the experience is a sequence of concealments and reveals rather than a view. The High Atlas stands behind it, which is the frame. There is a cafe and a paradise-themed sound piece. It divides opinion sharply: people who want a botanical garden find it contrived and people who want a designed experience find it the best thing near Marrakech. A shuttle runs from the city and a car is otherwise needed.

What you actually see

• Concealment and reveal - narrow paths opening onto installations without warning.
• Work among the planting - Haring, Calder, Picasso and Heller's own constructions.
• The Atlas behind - the mountains framing the garden from the south.
• A composed garden - designed as an experience rather than a plant collection.

When to go

October to April; morning before the heat. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

It is contrived by design and not everyone likes it. It is 27 kilometres out and needs the shuttle or a car. Entry is expensive by Moroccan standards. Summer midday is hot despite the shade.

Nearby

The Ourika valley continues south; Marrakech is north.