Kik Plateau

The Kik is a flat-topped limestone plateau at around 1,700 metres running along the ridge above the Asni valley, and its value is entirely seasonal: from March into May, after the winter rains, the whole surface flowers - wild iris, chrysanthemum, marigold, poppy and a great many others across open grazing land, with the High Atlas wall and Toubkal directly across the valley to the south and the Marrakech plain falling away north. For those few weeks it is one of the best walks near Marrakech, and there is nothing to it: a track along the top, shepherds and flocks, a scatter of hamlets, and no infrastructure at all. Out of season the plateau is dry, brown and windy and the flowers are gone entirely. The Lalla Takerkoust reservoir is at the far end of the ridge and the road can be made into a loop from Marrakech.

What you actually see

• A spring flower plateau - iris, chrysanthemum and poppy across open grazing from March.
• Toubkal across the valley - the High Atlas wall directly opposite to the south.
• Grazing and hamlets - shepherds and flocks on a track with no infrastructure.
• A loop drive - the ridge connecting Moulay Brahim with the Takerkoust reservoir.

When to go

March to May, and essentially only then. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Outside spring there is nothing to see - the plateau is brown and windy. There are no facilities of any kind. The track is rough in places and muddy after rain. Flowering timing varies by year with the rains.

Nearby

Moulay Brahim is below the eastern end; Lalla Takerkoust is at the western.