A weekend on the Moroccan Atlas Mountains

By Wale Okediran

‘When snow falls, nature listens.’
~Antoinette Van Kleef

IT must have snowed all night. The stunning whiteness of my surrounding landscape of mountains and valleys with a scattering of white capped buildings was totally different from the previous day’s desert-like appearance. As the early morning sun glistened over the vast horizon, not even the freezing weather could deter the gaily troupe of tourists who could be seen carousing on the snow from enjoying the magical display of nature.

As I walked through the icy snow, I could feel the winter’s cold embrace all over me while the crunching sounds beneath my feet echoed all over the early morning stillness. All around me were swarms of tourists who must have arrived at the resort in some of the long buses and vehicles parked beside the road leading to the little town of Oukaimeden in Morocco where the mountain resort was located.

Moving round the enchanting space, I picked my way among the happy crowd of tourists, crunching tenderly through the snow avoiding the rocky path with the slippery ice. Along the way, I encountered a tourist riding a horse with its colorful red and blue saddle as the elderly owner in brown heavy coats led the beautifully decked mount by its reins. Moments later, a warm sun broke over the mountain peaks as I continued my walk through a small cluster of juniper flowers.

Towards the end of the space, I chanced upon a musical band that was pelting out a fast paced music amidst a colourful assemblage of dancers. Inspired by the persistent rumblings of the drums, I quickly handed over my notebook and bag to another tourist and took to the dancing floor much to the crowd’s delight.

Obviously to cater for the needs of the tourists, kiosks and mobile canteens offering all sorts of merchandize from warm clothes, cakes, biscuits to bread and tea could be seen dotting the whitish landscape. To assuage the coldness of my lips, I bought a cup of hot chocolate drink for 20 Moroccan Dirhan (MAD), an equivalent of USD$2. Another 20 MAD fetched me a woolen cap for my freezing scalp.

Security was very tight at the resort, most likely to deter the activities of pickpockets and muggers who may want to take advantage of unwary tourists. Barricades had been set up all over the place by some policemen obviously to maintain law and order. Right before me, I saw a young fellow being arrested and bundled into a police car probably for interrogation.

At the bottom of the high snow-laden mountain, some tourists could be seen renting skiing equipment for 150 MAD ($15) per day to ski down the mountain side. To reach the top of the mountain, ski lifts had been fitted at the bottom of the slopes.

Unfortunately, according to our guide, the snow was inadequate for skiing down the mountain slope. As he put it: ‘’All the tourists can do today is to ski just around the slope. About one-metre high snow is needed to ski effectively from the mountain top. Unfortunately, the density of the snow on the mountain has reduced significantly since the time of the Covid-19 pandemic with a big negative impact on the livelihood of the local citizens.”

Dr. Wale Okediran (second right, standing) with students of Mohammed 6 University and Polytechnic (UM6P) Benquirer at the Atlas Mountains

As I continued my tour of the large snow-covered space, I looked up to see some traditional houses far up the mountain. It was obvious that the small town had retained its authenticity. According to our guide, Mr Eridi Abdectif, some people still live in the traditional houses. However, since their usual livelihood depended mainly on cattle ranching, many of them were not around at the time of our visit because the winter season could not sustain animal grazing. As he put it: ‘’The Berber people have lived on these mountains for thousands of years, planting orchards and herding goats.’’

I had come to Oukameiden with 46 students of the Mohammed 6 University and Polytechnic (UM6P), Benquirer, Morocco who had enlisted for my Travel Writing Workshop on a Field Trip. After a two- week classroom session, we had come to the mountain top for the practical component of the workshop. Departing the campus in three buses laden with excited and well-kitted students, we hit the highway towards Marrakech. As music poured out of the radio, the students in my bus clapped and danced to Patty Smyth’s ‘See What Love Has Done To Me.’

Against the background of the merry-making by the students, I looked through the window of the bus to perceive beautiful, dry rolling hills on both sides of the road. Interspersed between these natural beauties were some villages and towns whose traditional settings merged into the endless landscape before we passed through our first toll gate. Outside, on the dry terrain, I could see some young adventurers riding their scooters on sand dunes.

That was when the youngsters in the bus changed their music to another melodious sound; ’Die With A Smile’ by Bruno Mars:

Ooh
I, I just woke up from a dream
Where you and I had to say goodbye
And I don’t know what it all means
But since I survived, I realized
Wherever you go, that’s where I’ll follow
Nobody’s promised tomorrow
So I’ma love you every night like it’s the last night
Like it’s the last night

Impressed and surprised by the ability of the students to follow the lyrics of the American singer line by line, I asked the students to tell me the ‘secret’. That was when the students confirmed that they learnt the lyrics during their music lessons in school. The students further informed me of their ability to play some musical instruments since music is offered as a major subject in the university.

About an hour after our departure from Benquirer, we entered the lovely town of Sidi-Youssef where a funeral procession that accompanied a dead body in a red shroud to the town’s burial ground caused the traffic to stall. Further on, some young boys could be seen hawking packets of tissue paper by the roadside.
Marrakesh, the red city, soon emerged with its beautiful tree-line boulevards and exotic shopping malls.

According to records, the city is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The city was founded circa 1070 by Abu Bakr ibn Umar as the capital of the Almoravid dynasty. The Almoravids established the first major structures in the city and shaped its layout for centuries to come. The red walls of the city, built by Ali ibn Yusuf in 1122–1123, and various buildings constructed in red sandstone afterwards, have given the city the nickname of the ‘Red City’ or ‘Ochre City’. Marrakesh grew rapidly and established itself as a cultural, religious, and trading centre for the Maghreb.

We were welcomed into the next town by a beautiful array of pottery, ornaments and arts and crafts on display by the roadside. The traffic was now getting congested as we commenced our incline into the precincts of the Atlas Mountains.

This, I was informed, was due to the tourists who like us, were also headed for the mountain resort of Oukameiden. Suddenly, far ahead, we caught a glimpse of the snow topped Atlas Mountains, a development that drew some excitement from the students.

The mountain views were breathtaking. Even though a phone camera couldn’t fully capture them, however, one of the students, Youssef, did a marvelous job of recording the sensational moments with his phone and sending same to the group’s Whatsapp platform.

After crossing the police barrier, the landscape changed dramatically. The scenery which had previously alternated between farmlands, and mixed woods, now changed into surrealistic views of snow-capped hills and valleys as we continued our ascent. We continued climbing as the road now took a new form of twists and turns with frightening deep valleys and gorges on both sides of the road with various villages set in the deep valleys. I was now feeling some popping sensations in my ears due to pressure changes from the elevated topography. Thankfully, our driver, obviously a veteran, did a marvelous job of navigating the serpentine and tricky, rocky roads.

Moments later, far above the golden orange horizon and serene valleys, one could see a line of mountains as they rolled into each other, indistinct and pale merging into the late afternoon sun. Suddenly, we were descending again, down, down on to a plain of farming fields and then up again. In contrast to its previous boisterous nature, all was now quiet in the bus.

After their energetic session of singing and dancing, most of the students were now sleeping. Those who were not sleeping were momentarily entranced by the now multiple snow-capped mountains that were all around us. It was in this euphoric mood that we final arrived at our destination about two hours after our departure.

And so between the golden rays of the late afternoon sun and the dark silhouettes of the Atlas Mountains, we arrived the small picturesque town of Oukaimden. Before long, from behind the hills materialized the community, a small but lovely commune of old buildings and craggy topography where dogs and cats trotted majestically along the narrow roads, where tourists of all kinds of backgrounds came together in a convivial mood like brothers and sisters.

Oukaimden, perched at an altitude of 3 meters in the Atlas Mountains, is an ideal winter escape just 200 kilometers from Marrakesh. It is home to Morocco and Africa’s premier ski resort, featuring a vast 74-hectare ski area, renowned as the best-equipped and snow-covered on the continent. From December to March, ski enthusiasts, whether beginners or seasoned professionals, can enjoy its diverse slopes.

In summer, Oukaimden is said to reveal extraordinary natural beauty, with hiking trails, landscapes perfect for paragliding, and opportunities to discover the region’s unique flora and fauna. The small town is set in the rural commune in Al Haouz Province of the Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz region of Morocco. At the time of the 2004 census, the commune had a total population of 4,440 people living in 655 households.

In addition to skiing, other opportunities for tourists include hiking, paragliding, climbing and carp fishing at the edge of the small lake. In summer, trourists can enjoy walks and discover the exceptional fauna and flora of the region which includes orchids and daffodils. It is equally believed that birdwatching enthusiasts will also have the chance to observe a variety of birds with enchanting names.

Our first point of call was our hotel which was said to have been established in 1936 by some French entrepreneurs. The accommodation, which is a hostel arrangement with bunk-beds, had the male and female students separately accommodated. The process was supervised by Madam Meriem Benmhamed of the Open Minds Arts and Culture organization, a partner to UM6P. It was after checking in at our lodgings that we moved to the Astronomical Observatory on another elevated place in the commune.

We were reliably informed that the Observatory is where the Morocco Oukaimeden Sky Survey is conducted to observe small Solar System bodies. Situated at 2,750 meters above sea level, the TRAPPIST-North telescope is a twin telescope of TRAPPIST-South located at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, both operated from Liège, Belgium, by the Space Center of the University of Liège.

To welcome and also conduct us round the international facility was Mr. Omar Shehu, the technician who has been in charge of the facility since 1989. According to Mr. Shehu, the centre which is remotely controlled is under the supervision of Moroccan PhD students. The genial supervisor also confirmed that apart from its astronomical abilities, the telescope can also be used to confirm the Ramadan fasting period in addition to the traditional methods.

From outside, our hotel with its bright lights glowing from the windows in the dusk appeared like an outpost in a vast grey and isolated environment. It was cozy and warm inside as we all assembled and awaited dinner. Before long, it appeared courtesy of Mr. Mohammed Aitelhaj, the hotel staff who supervised the service.

The hot soup (Harira), a Moroccan delicacy, said to be rich with protein and vegetables, was a welcome warmth to the cold of the day while the well garnished rice and roasted chicken completed a delicious dinner.

Now energized by the culinary delight, the previously famished students could be seen in small groups as they chatted excitedly over the dessert of bananas, apples and oranges.

Even though our rooms were heated and blankets supplied for additional warmth, the weather took a turn for the worse at night. While some of us slept well, a few couldn’t because of the cold. As predicted by the weather men, it snowed heavily while we slept. We therefore woke up to see the mountains and slopes heavily laden with a white coat shimmering from the early morning sun. Inspired by this enchanting scenery, everyone quickly got up, had their bath and went downstairs for breakfast before setting off for the mountains.

As the sun began to warm the cold mountain air, some of the students went skiing or horse riding while others went hiking on the mountain top. Yet others simply sat outside on the benches in front of the hotel, admiring the vast panorama of mountains and valleys and soaking in the beauty of the humbling and magnetic Atlas Mountains.