Ounila Valley

Before the Tizi n'Tichka road was cut in the 1930s, the way from Marrakech to the southern oases went over the mountains to Telouet and then down the Ounila valley to Ait Ben Haddou and the Draa - and because the modern road took a different line, the old route was left with its kasbahs, granaries and villages standing where the traffic stopped. The valley runs about forty kilometres between red cliffs with a river, palms and terraced gardens on the floor, and settlements at Anmiter, Tamdaght and Tizgui with fortified houses in various states of collapse and repair. Telouet at the head has the Glaoui kasbah, a huge early twentieth-century compound whose ruined exterior conceals rooms of extraordinary painted and carved decoration. Ait Ben Haddou at the foot is the UNESCO ksar. The road is now surfaced for most of its length and the drive takes a couple of hours with stops.

What you actually see

• The pre-1930s caravan route - the way south before the Tichka road took the traffic.
• Kasbahs in the valley - fortified houses at Anmiter, Tamdaght and Tizgui.
• The Telouet kasbah - a ruined Glaoui compound with elaborate interiors surviving.
• Red cliffs and palms - about forty kilometres of river valley between rock walls.

When to go

Spring and autumn. A day, driving from Telouet down to Ait Ben Haddou.

Honest expectations

Many kasbahs are unstable ruins and should not be entered. Telouet charges entry and guides expect payment. Summer heat in the valley is severe. Some side tracks remain rough.

Nearby

Ait Ben Haddou is at the southern end; the Tizi n'Tichka is west of Telouet.