Taroudant and the Anti-Atlas

South of the High Atlas lies the Souss, a wide valley of orange groves and argan trees. In the middle of it is Taroudant, a city inside mud-brick walls that is often called little Marrakesh. Farther south the Anti-Atlas begins, a lower, drier range with villages of stone and earth. That is where you find Tafraoute, among mountains of pink granite and orchards of almonds and olives.

Taroudant

The city wall of Taroudant is 6 to 8 kilometers long, depending on how you measure it. It has bastions and nine gates that people still use every day. The walls in their current form date from the 16th century, the time of the Saadians. That dynasty had one of its first bases here before it made Marrakesh its capital. The medina is protected as a national heritage site of Morocco.

Inside the walls, life centers on two squares, Assarag and Talmoklate. Each has a souk next to it. Outside the walls there is a market once a week. Taroudant is smaller than Marrakesh and the pace is slower. The best way to see the wall is to drive a loop around it.

Tafraoute and the Anti-Atlas

Tafraoute is a town of just over 6,000 people in the central Anti-Atlas. It sits in a valley at the foot of Djebel Lekest, a mountain of pink granite that erosion has worn into odd shapes. The name means basin or valley in Tashelhit. Almond, olive, argan and fig trees grow all around.

A few kilometers outside Tafraoute are the painted rocks. In 1984 the Belgian artist Jean Vérame painted large granite boulders blue, pink, red and black. The colors are touched up from time to time. Some people see it as art, others as an odd mark on the landscape.

In February the almond trees bloom in the Ammeln Valley near Tafraoute, and the valley turns white and pink. Tafraoute holds a festival around the almond blossom every year. If you want to see the blossom, plan your trip for February.

As a woman in Taroudant and the Anti-Atlas

Taroudant and Tafraoute are smaller and quieter than the big cities, and fewer tourists come here. The pace is slower. The villages of the Anti-Atlas are rural and people dress conservatively. Long pants or a long skirt and covered shoulders are the comfortable choice here, even when it is warm. Our guide on what to wear in Morocco has more.

For a tour of the medina in Taroudant, Soukayna arranges a guide with an official license.

Travel time and best months

From Agadir, Taroudant is about an hour and a half east. Agadir to Tafraoute takes about three hours, on the road through the Anti-Atlas by way of Aït Baha. From Marrakesh you can take the Tizi n'Test, the mountain road over the High Atlas. That road has been under repair since the 2023 earthquake, and work was still going on in 2025. We check shortly before your trip whether you can take that route. If not, you drive the highway to Agadir and head east from there.

The best months are October through April. In summer the Souss and the Anti-Atlas get hot. February is the month of the almond blossom. The best time to visit guide shows the weather by month.

Going to Taroudant and Tafraoute with Soukayna

Taroudant and the Anti-Atlas fit into a tailor-made trip. Soukayna drives you there and back, for example as a side trip from Agadir and Taghazout. A combination that works well: one night in Taroudant, then on to Tafraoute and back to the coast. If you also want to see the mountains on the way, the Atlas Mountains are on the route from Marrakesh.