"Tafraoute with its pink rocks and houses" Tafraoute by angiebabe

The rocks around Tafraoute, of which there are many - many unusual shapes large and small - are a pink hue, especially if the sun shines on them - a tradition that has developed around the district is to paint houses and buildings pink - apparently though the latest decision by the Tafraoute council is that everyone is to paint their houses in the town a mushroom colour. Occasionally you will also see a house that has been painted red.

Add the spring colours when the almond trees are in blossom in pink or white and the landscape becomes a very colourful, rich affair - along with green palms and palmeraies.

The traditional garb for women in the area is a black minhaf - ie much like the saharian women further south which though are typically brightly multicoloured - a black scarf wrapped like a skirt and then a top piece as a shawl to cover their upper body and head and to whatever degree their face. You will notice that the minhafs are decorated with an embroidery or lace edging and generally an embroidered motif on the corners - these are in a range of colours.

Also a speciality of the area are the bright leather babouches - red for the women, yellow for the men - and also there is a variety in which the red babouche for women is elaborately embroidered such as in this picture and generally worn for special times such as festivals or when dressing up. Ive driven past women out in the fields or collecting argan nuts and they are there in their typical minhafs and bright red leather shoes - and still wearing their silver bangles and rings - all part and parcel of the colours of Morocco!

4km out of town from Tafraoute under a long ridge is the Ammeln Valley in the direction of Agadir and direction southwest of Tiznit - famed too in this range is the rock formation that resembles a lions face.

Here there is much that could be done to enjoy one to many days - with many berber villages, many old and only half inhabited that could be walked or cycled to and visited.

One village in particular is Omnesat where a blind man set up his 3 storey 400 year old house as museum for visitors to see the typical lifestyle. His family also have a small gite with accommodations - a nice location to relax for a while. This is a particularly picturesque village in which two visits Ive taken many photographs!

There is also a waterfall here in the Ammeln valley that can be hiked to.

Of course particularly beautiful in February when the almond trees throughout the valley are in blossom, but continuing on with springflowers through the spring months into early summer.....then summer can be very, very hot!

• Pros:stunning rock formations around the whole town, contemporary looking and coloured houses built into and around rocks, sunsets over picturesque nearby blue painted rocks, prolific almond blossoms in feb and march, colourful tafroute babouches,music
• In a nutshell:scores high up as one of the best areas in Morocco to visit