There is a small town at the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, which is called the Gateway to the Atlas Mountains. It is a town of few people, a simple way of life and sheer beauty that cannot be matched by many places in Morocco.

Asni, which is a two-hour drive from Marrakech, is the main route out of and into the Atlas Mountains.

Many will call Asni nothing more than a roadside village and marketplace, that serves as a jumping off point into the Atlas Mountains.

What to See: The Atlas Mountains

Other than visiting the local marketplace and enjoying some local hospitality, although be careful of scammers, there is little to do in Asni. As a result, the main attraction for the entire village is the Atlas Mountains, which rise like behemoths into the sky around the small town.

Walking into the Atlas Mountains is like walking into the belly of the Earth. To truly appreciate these amazing mountains, a one to two week trek is required through the mountains and its valleys. There are many different guides that will be able to provide you with a tour, most likely as part of a large group consisting of six to 20 people. The groups will often provide you with three meals a day, a tent and a large dinner tent so you can get out of the wind and rain.

Through the mountains, you will see waterfalls, canyons that have refreshing bathing opportunities, green valleys and villages that cling to the mountain side.

The High Atlas Mountains, where Asni is located, contains the largest mountain in the entire range, Jbel Toubkal, which is 4,167 meters tall and lies in the Toubkal National Park. Due to the High Atlas Mountains, much of Morroco is sheltered from the severe weather that affects the Sahara desert. If you are a fan of winter sports, you may be able to take part in them in the upper elevations, where snow lasts into late spring, especially on the northern part of the High Atlas Mountain range.

The area of the range that Asni is in is considered the oldest part of the High Atlas Mountains, with several Jurassic and Cretaceous formations scattered through out the erosion-carved valleys.

Tours

There are many tours offered in Morocco that include a trip through Asni on the way to the Atlas Mountains.

When you choose a tour, make sure it is through a reputable tour guide like Sahara Soul Travel, which has several guides who are all government certified and able to speak several languages. These types of guides will not give you the run around and they will allow you to have a truly magical journey through the Atlas mountains, which is an experience that will leave you breathless, both for the beauty and for the large amount of hiking you will have to do.

Where To Stay

When you choose to stay in Asni, there is only one place to do so if you like living in the lap of luxury, with a hotel that is a leader in Morocco for elegance and class.

The Kasbah Tamadot, which is a walled complex near Asni, offers peaceful courtyards, interesting staircases, landscaped gardens and amazing views of the valleys and Atlas Mountains.

The entire hotel consists of ten rooms, eight suites, one with a private pool, and a three-bedroom master suite.

Two of the rooms, the Aman room and Tazart room, are truly a cut above. The Aman room has a pool, and a great place to eat breakfast outside, while the Tazart room has carved wood ceilings, a stunning green bathroom and a beautiful terrace.

As well, the hotel boasts a spa, gym, infinity pool with a mountain view, indoor pool, sauna, hammam, floodlit tennis courts, internet access salon, log fire room, gift shop, as well as many tours including those that let you hike, ride a horse or sit in a hot-air balloon as you glide over the mountains.

The hotel also has a restaurant, rooftop bar and pool bar where you can enjoy excellent Moroccan cuisine, African dishes and International flavors, with some of the best wine the area has to offer.

Lunch can be taken by the pool and you are able to have a private dinner anywhere in the Kasbah.

Conclusion

It would be wrong to say that Asni does not have a lot to offer. Granted, it is a very small town with little in the way of cultural or historical attractions. However, what it lacks there, it makes up for in the ability to give you the best views of the Atlas Mountains, as well as providing you with a jumping off point onto hikes that take you deep into the mountains. As well, if you would prefer to spend your time in Marrakech, but want a small town to sleep in, then Asni is the place for you. From here you can journey into the mountains one day, then go to Marrakech the next. It is an amazing little town with friendly people who are more than happy to share some tea with you and show you a simple way of life that makes the small town of Asni a great place to visit.

Even if you are just traveling through on your way to Marrakech or the High Atlas Mountains, stop at this town and spend a few hours in the marketplace meeting the amazing locals who live there.