Jebel Siroua

Siroua is a volcanic massif rising to 3,304 metres that sits exactly where the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas meet, and it is geologically distinct from both - basalt and trachyte over older rock, weathered into needles, plateaus and lava plugs, with a summit that is a genuine scramble rather than a walk. It is trekked over three to five days from Taliouine, mule-supported, through villages of stone and earth, high pastures, and the Tislit gorge. The other reason the name is known is saffron: the villages on the southern flanks around Taliouine grow the great majority of Morocco's crop, harvested by hand over about three weeks in late October and early November, when the fields are picked at dawn and the stigmas separated by hand indoors the same day. A cooperative and a small saffron museum in Taliouine explain the process and sell the product.

What you actually see

• A volcanic massif - basalt needles and plugs where two ranges meet.
• A 3,304-metre summit - a scramble rather than a walk at the top.
• Saffron villages - the southern flanks growing most of Morocco's crop.
• A three-week harvest - hand picking at dawn in late October and early November.

When to go

Late October to early November for saffron; spring and autumn for trekking. Three to five days.

Honest expectations

The trek needs a guide and mules, arranged in Taliouine - it is remote with no facilities. The summit is an exposed scramble. Saffron sold at roadside stalls is often adulterated; buy from the cooperative. Winter closes the high ground.

Nearby

Taliouine is south; Taroudant and the Souss plain are west.