Asni
Discover Asni
Asni is a small town in the foothills of the High Atlas mountains in Morocco. It is about an hour's drive from Marrakech. As the town is on both the routes into and around the Atlas mountains, there is a steady drift of tourists, and hence the place is full of hustlers. For a more peaceful stay near the Atlas mountains, carry on up the road to the more attractive Imlil.
Taste of Asni...
There no cheese (except 'Laughing Cow') and although they sell milk, it's already curdled before you buy it. There is one hostel and one hotel (The hotel has closed down, but the hostel is open for business).
Climate
There are buses from Gare Routière or Jardin Sidi Mimoun which ostensibly leave every 30 min. A slightly quicker way is to take a petit taxi to the out-of-town grand taxi 'park' (15 dirham. If you're better at haggling you can get this lower, if you care about a few pence.). From there, a grand taxi will take you to Asni for 15 dirham per person. Don't get ripped off taking a taxi straight from the airport! Asni describes both the small village where the grand taxis drop you and the wider valley, however if we just consider the village: it is split into two parts. The commercial area, down by the main road. Here there are shops lined up on either side of the road. Behind the shops up a slope to the south(?) a short distance is the residential part of the village, consisting of 50 or so houses. Walking on foot is the way to get around (as the village is only a few hundred metres wide). This village has little to see.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThere are buses from Gare Routière or Jardin Sidi Mimoun which ostensibly leave every 30 min. A slightly quicker way is to take a petit taxi to the out-of-town grand taxi 'park' (15 dirham. If you're better at haggling you can get this lower, if you care about a few pence.). From there, a grand taxi will take you to Asni for 15 dirham per person. Don't get ripped off taking a taxi straight from the airport! Asni describes both the small village where the grand taxis drop you and the wider valley, however if we just consider the village: it is split into two parts. The commercial area, down by the main road. Here there are shops lined up on either side of the road. Behind the shops up a slope to the south(?) a short distance is the residential part of the village, consisting of 50 or so houses. Walking on foot is the way to get around (as the village is only a few hundred metres wide). This village has little to see....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Asni describes both the small village where the grand taxis drop you and the wider valley, however if we just consider the village: it is split into two parts. The commercial area, down by the main road. Here there are shops lined up on either side of the road. Behind the shops up a slope to the south(?) a short distance is the residential part of the village, consisting of 50 or so houses. Walking on foot is the way to get around (as the village is only a few hundred metres wide). This village has little to see. Old mud-brick houses seem amazing the first time you seem them, but you'll see more, higher up in the mountains, without all the touts and conmen. Compared to Imlil and Marrakech, Asni is noticeably less touristy and therefore is more like the 'real' Morocco whilst still offering all the amenities needed to stay there. It is, however, neither as picturesque as Imlil nor better located for visiting the Atlas.
Where to Stay
There is one hostel and one hotel (The hotel has closed down, but the hostel is open for business).
Money & Budget
There are 20–30 tiny shops in Asni, mostly selling exactly the same things. Food, water (probably a really good idea if you are planning to head further into the mountains. Bottled water gets more expensive the further you get from Marrakech? And if you feel like being conned, there are loads of really naff trinkets being sold by hustlers. Hustlers are out to get you. They'll invite you to their house, give you lots of mint tea and sell you an excellent but massively overpriced meal (50 dirham each for couscous). They become really pushy when the inevitable "silver" bangles come out. They spend all day waiting around the cafe opposite the petrol station. Sunglasses allow you to avoid making eye-contact. The weekly market (Saturdays) is big. Traders travel for hours and hours to get there.