Taroudant

Taroudant is a fascinating and authentic Berber market town in the heart of the Souss Valley, with the best preserved town walls in Morocco and a backdrop of the High and Anti Atlas mountains. With few tourists, it is a great place to gain an insight into Moroccan culture and environment - our unique Real Morocco programme is based here - with interesting souks, tremendously varied local geography and a warm winter climate.

Taroudant Town Walls

Taroudant

Taroudant is a market town rather than a city; it has a predominantly Berber population, who are well known for their friendliness. With town walls that are more complete than any other town in Morocco, souks that are reputed to be the best in the south as well as being off the normal tourist trail, Taroudant offers visitors an authentic experience of everyday life and a relaxed atmosphere for first time visitors to Morocco.

It is well placed in relation to a great variety of contrasting environments (sea, mountains, oases and mountain passes), so it is an excellent base for trips in the region. Additionally, it has warm winters - from November to March it is the warmest town in Morocco - yet in summer the cool Canaries Current prevents it from being the hottest.

Holidays in Taroudant - Things to do or see

Using Taroudant as a base, a wide choice of activities is on offer within the highly acclaimed "Real Morocco" experience, for which we won the Responsible Tourism Trophy for Social & Economic Development in 2009, which gives a unique insight into the area’s culture, environment and wildlife with our own specialist guides, including:

Exploring Berber villages in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains where Naturally Morocco is involved in various community projects and you can have lunch with a family
Learn how the oasis is central to southern Moroccan life during a visit to palmeries on the edge of the ancient Anti Atlas Mountains
Cookery lessons, which may include anything from going to the souk to buy the ingredients, to eating the fruits of your labour in the evening
Enjoy authentic hammam (steam baths) visits and improve your skin and hair using natural treatments
Be adorned with genuine henna tattoos (we do not advise using street tattooists, e.g. in Marrakech)
Learning about wildlife – option of visiting the Souss Massa National Park, a magnet for bird watchers
Trekking, mountain biking and mule riding in the High and Anti Atlas Mountains
Visit the Tiz n Test mountain pass, a breath-taking pass with options to trek nearby
Learn a little Berber, French or Arabic to improve your communication skills

Weather:

Taroudant has an equatable climate and is thus an ideal all year round destination, though July and August are too hot for some. At these times we can see that you have air conditioning, access to pools and shady gardens.