Central Atlas (April 2014) -- Part 2: From Assif Imejdag to Zawyat Ahancal

image001

Return to Sahro & Atlas 2014 webpage

 

 

Map.

atlas-2-it

 

Soon after reaching Assif Imejdag below Tizi n′Toudat, we left its valley to establish our camp #11 near a better source of water. On the next morning we returned into the riverbed of Assif Imejdag by another path and followed this riverbed up to our camp #12. Along the way we saw many goats, sheep, and dromedaries. Dromedaries tend to stay on the upper ridges where, thanks to the wind, there are fewer bugs.

DSC03301

 

DSC03305

 

DSC03307

 

In the riverbed of Assif Imejdag.

DSC03309

 

Further up Assif Imejdag had made its way through a very narrow gorge (see here for photos of the gorge I took in 2008).

DSC03313

 

DSC03322

 

Above the gorge, the valley of Assif Imejdag widens again.

DSC03334

 

From camp #12 we climbed to Tizi n′Wadou (literally ′′Windy Pass′′), which roughly separates the southern flanks of the Central Atlas from the northern ones. The views from this pass over Jebel Aroudane (on the left in the first picture below) and the canyons leading to the Taghia Cirque (see here and here for photos of Taghia Cirque that I took during previous trips) are awesome.

DSC03337

 

DSC03336

 

From Tizi n′Wadou it is a relatively long hike to the small village of Tafraout, with many ups and downs between Jebel n′Tarzilmine (on the south-east side) and Jebel Tafraout (on the north-west side, with a small snow cap in the first photo below), but with more great views.

DSC03341

 

DSC03356

 

DSC03368

 

DSC03370

 

DSC03387

 

Despite the apparently very dry environment, as is often the case in the High Atlas, we crossed a number of pleasant streams. We set our camp #13 near one of them.

DSC03400

 

As we were getting closer to the village of Tafraout, the scenery became a bit greener with more trees.

DSC03407

 

DSC03416

 

DSC03411

DSC03417

DSC03419

 

DSC03421

 

Finally we could see the village of Tafraout (in the middle of the photo below).

DSC03422

 

Views of the small village of Tafraout and Jebel n′Ourkar behind it.

DSC03426

 

DSC03427

 

The entrance of the canyon of Assif n′Tafraout after we passed the village. We did not follow this canyon, but instead turned left (west) toward the Koucer Plateau and Zawyat Ahancal.

DSC03429

 

On the Koucer Plateau (first photo), where we had our camp #14, and view of Jebel Tafraout from there (second photo).

DSC03450

 

DSC03449

 

On the south-western edge of the Koucer plateau looking toward Taghia Cirque (cliffs in the center of the photo) and Jebel Aroudane (right). Zawyat Ahancal is in the valley below Jebel Aroudane.

DSC03454

 

Successive views during the descent from the Koucer Plateau.

DSC03467

 

DSC03464

 

DSC03485

 

DSC03477

 

Approaching Zawyat Ahancal.

DSC03487

 

Zawyat Ahancal in the early morning. We had set our camp #15 a short distance from it. From Zawyat Ahancal I took a mini-bus to Azilal and then a grand taxi to Marrakech. Ichou and Ahmed went to Ahmed′s village (Ifrane in the Ait Bouguemez), one long hiking day away. Ichou then returned with his mule to his house in the n′Ouarg valley of Jebel Sahro, where he married his daughter a couple of weeks later.

DSC03510

 

Click on the following links to see photos of other sections of the trip:

- Jebel Sahro, Part 1: from n′Ouarg Valley to Tizi n′Tagourt,

- Jebel Sahro, Part 2: from Tizi n′Tagourt to Qalaat Mgouna,

- Central Atlas, Part 1: from Qalaat Mgouna to Assif Imejdag.

 

image001

Return to Sahro & Atlas 2014 webpage