CONTENTS
Map key
Overview map
Location of routes
Transport and communications
Introduction
The landscapes of the Anti-Atlas
Geological evolution
The Berbers and the Anti-Atlas
History and politics
Plants and animals
Local culture
Personal safety
Terrain
When to go
What to take
Money and entry requirements
Where to base yourself
Getting there
Getting around
Information and guides
Eating and drinking
Health and emergencies
Route selection and grading
Using this guide
1 Tafraout
Route 1 Ouadou Desert Basin Walk and Scramble
Route 2 The Painted Rocks and Tafraout Back Country
Route 3 The Elephant’s Trunk
Route 4 Napoleon’s Hat and the Three Flagpoles Scramble
Adrar Mqorn
Route 5 Direct from Ayerd
Route 6 Traverse by Southeast Ridge
Route 7 The Grid Ridge Scramble
Route 8 Tahala Peaks Scramble and Walk
2 Ait Mansour and the South
Route 9 Afra Ridge Scramble
Route 10 Tasselt Walk
Route 11 Tizi Ridge Scramble
Ait Mansour
Route 12 Northern Skyline
Route 13 Southwest Rim and Summits
Route 14 Southeast Towers
3 Ameln Valley and Abdellah Cirque
Route 15 Jebel Amagdour (Horseshoe Route)
Route 16 Ardrar Idekel Scramble and Walk
Route 17 Tizgut Ridge Scramble
Route 18 Above the Lion’s Face
Route 19 Below the Lion’s Face
Route 20 Ameln Villages Valley Traverse
Abdellah Cirque
Route 21 Abdellah Ridge Scramble and Azarhar Summit
Route 22 Isefsas Peak
Route 23 Azgour Ridge Scramble
Route 24 Oumsnat Peak by Dinosaur Wall West Window
4 Jebel El Kest
Route 25 The Summits from Tagdicht
Route 26 Tagdicht Skyline Scramble
Route 27 West Ridge Scramble and Summits from Anergui
Route 28 West Ridge Scramble from Afantinzar
Route 29 Jebel El Kest and the Ameln Summits
5 Taskra and the Northeast
Route 30 The Tamgelochte Fortress
Route 31 Amzkhssan Summit
Route 32 Tassilla Summits
Route 33 Jebel Taskra and the Tizi Skyline
Route 34 The Targa Skyline
6 Tanalt and the Northwest
Route 35 In Search of Darth Vader
Route 36 Dwawj Circuit
Route 37 The Tirki River Valley and Potter’s Cave
Adad Medni
Route 38 The Lost World of Adad Medni
Route 39 Adad Medni Tighmert Face Circular Walk
Route 40 Jebel Imzi and the Dragon Tree Gorges
7 A Traverse of the Northwestern Anti-Atlas
Route 41 From Ait Baha to Ait Mansour
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Distance table
Appendix C Useful contacts
A nice, well researched guide to hiking and mountain adventures in this wonderful part of North Africa.
I have a couple of other guidebooks to Morocco as it’s finally edging itself up the list of places to visit for a trip in 2019 or early 2020 so the arrival of the new and updated Cicerone guide came as a welcome addition to my The High Atlas: Treks and Climbs and Morocco Rock. On top of those two the you might find the Lonely Planet guide and other useful addition if you are intending to explore the country after your mountain adventures.
That said there is more than enough useful information in Walks and Scrambles in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas to plan a trip to the area and the area is well served with mobile signal so you should be able to supplement the guide with Google. The information David Wood provides in the guide is informative and very useful with being overly complicated and unnecessary, just enough to get what you need. There is plenty of informative advice on when to go, how to get there and how to enter the country. On top of that there are chapters covering geology, politics, culture, climate and a good section covering the basics needed to enjoys a holiday scrambling and travelling through the mountain environment. All very useful stuff that doesn’t crowd out the main content of describing the routes.
Routes are described in geographical locations and each village has a detailed map showing where important places are such as the pharmacy, medical centre, etc. Each area has a great selection of routes at all grades (grades are explained in detail in the introduction section) and abilities from simple walks with easy summits to complicated and long days out with scrambles that will test you. They are all described in detail with where to park, a general description and then a detailed description and map. The description also notes what detailed map is needed for the activity and it must be stated that although the maps provided are reasonable they are no substitute for a detailed topo map and a compass.
Much care is used to describe descents and this alone marks out David’s knowledge of the routes and the area as in other guidebooks I’ve used they are often sketchy. There are also plenty of good quality photos to keep you inspired. The Walks and Scrambles in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas is a useful guide to planning and enjoying your hiking adventures in this amazing and varied country. I’m currently planning a big Moroccan trip which involves hiking, scrambling, bouldering and general travel so David Wood's Guide is proving extremely useful as the information is bang up to date and the guide is small enough to pack in my very small hand luggage. I won’t hesitate to take it with me and use it as an in country source of reference.
Dave Sarker, Climbing Gear Reviews