Days 5 & 6: Skoura

A 10 minute wait for a grand taxi to get back to Tinerhir and from there, a bus in the direction of Ouarzazate to Skoura. This is a town of perhaps 5,000 people in the middle of a large date palm grove. I am staying in another kasbah, smaller than the Taborihte but with a friendly family atmosphere. The daughter of Abdullatif, the owner, brings me some mint tea on the terrace. This affords attractive views of village life and as the sun starts to sink, provides beautiful "golden hour" shots of nearby kasbahs, date palms and the distant mountains.

Breakfast the next morning includes crepes and honey, which together with coffee and fruit juice, set me up for the rest of the day. It's a 2 mile walk to the Kasbah Amridil, another stronghold of local dignitaries. It's built of mud brick which has to be renovated every 5 years or so but with its maze of secret stairways and courtyards and its own views over the palm grove, is an impressive monument.

The Monday souk (market) is in full swing on my return to Skoura. This is decidedly not a tourist attraction---in fact I seem to be the only European here---hence there is an authenticity lacking from the more famous markets.

And so, supper back at my mini-kasbah. Skoura is by no means warm at night but I am heated internally by the excellent tagine de kefta (meat ball stew in a sturdy earthenware bowl), and go to bed satisfied.Read more