M'Goun Geopark

The M'Goun geopark covers a large area of the Central High Atlas around Azilal and was recognised in 2014 as Africa's first UNESCO Global Geopark. What it protects is the record: this was a shallow sea and then a coastal plain through the Jurassic, and the rock preserves the sequence unusually well - trackways of sauropod and theropod dinosaurs at Iouaridene and elsewhere, marine fossils, and folded and eroded strata that make the structure of the mountains legible from the road. Skeletal material found here includes Atlasaurus, described from a nearly complete specimen from these beds. The Azilal museum holds finds. Around the geological interest sit the things people actually travel for - Ouzoud falls, the Bou Guemez valley, Bin el-Ouidane - and the geopark designation is a frame around them rather than a single site to visit.

The landscape

• Africa's first global geopark - recognised by UNESCO in 2014.
• Dinosaur trackways - sauropod and theropod prints in the Jurassic beds.
• Legible structure - folded and eroded strata visible from the roads.
• A frame, not a site - Ouzoud, Bou Guemez and Bin el-Ouidane all within it.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Two to three days. A guide makes the geology visible.

What to expect

There is no single entrance or centre - it is a designation over a large area. Trackway sites are unmarked and need a guide to find and interpret. Pistes are rough. Interpretation facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Ouzoud falls are west; the Bou Guemez valley is east.

Key facts