Doors 333 – Doors and views of Sti Fadma in the High Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part XIII)
We managed to escape from the busy bustle of Marrakesh on a day excursion south to the High Atlas mountains. Our driver, who was half Arab and half Berber, explained to us that we would be heading into the mountains which is mostly populated by Berbers, often called Imazighen (“free people”).
The drive only took a couple of hours, transporting us to a stunning high valley along the course of the Ourika River Valley. Here we stopped to take a hike up into the mountains to reach the lowest of several waterfalls cascading down into the valley below. The small town of Sti Fadma, with its restaurants lining the river banks, was the starting point for the walk and to which we returned for a well-earned lunch.
Because we were visiting Morocco during the low season, the mountains weren’t all that busy and there was no traffic on our journey. Our driver said that from March onwards, the temperatures in Marrakesh become unbearable, and people flood out of the city and head to the mountains, which are a bit of a honey-pot and attract enormous crowds of people seeking a cooler climate. I’m glad that we chose a quieter time, and for us Brits, anything over 24 degrees is considered warm/hot, so there were no complaints from us at all.
Not so many doors this week, but some lovely views of the mountains and Berber settlements. I hope you enjoy them.
This is probably one of the least doorsy Thursday Doors posts that I have uploaded ever, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Next time, we visit a garden on our way back to Marrakesh from the mountains. Until then, have a great weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post.
Natural adventures 
Amazing, most of those houses look as if they could fall down at any minute.
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I expect some of them are.
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Definitely a place to visit in low season. The houses are surprisingly substantial for Berber dwellings. A testimony to the success of tourism there, but I’d love to visit xx
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Beautiful, and quieter than Marrakesh.
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Absolutely fabulous! I enjoyed the views of the mountains and the sense of height you captured in your photos, Stephen.
Love the colorful outdoor restaurant setting by the river.
P.S. That outside door to a garden sure looks like it has a fantastic story to tell or, it might do well as the subject of a fictional tale or two. Very mysterious!
A great journey. Well presented! Thank you!
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Keep this comment in mind when we ask for inspirational doors for the Writing Challenge in May 🙂
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Good call.
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Thank you. I think it was the best part of the trip if I am honest.
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Stunning photos! Love every door you have shown, especially the one at the top of the stairs.
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Thank you.
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Wonderful photos. I’d hate to be a delivery boy having to head up the precarious stairs to that red door. I love how close the river is in the photo with the restaurants. It looks like a very interesting place to visit.
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Quite incredible really. Living life on the edge. The river has flash flooded in the past with devastating consequences.
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Great photos and such an interesting place.
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Thank you.
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😊
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I would disagree: I thought this was very doorsy. So many windows and doors in the photos of the houses, and the whole post was something of a door for me; this is a whole new place, and surely that’s an open door. The restaurants along the river seem such a lively contrast to the houses. Thanks for taking us here!
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Thank you. I was feeling bad about only featuring a couple of doors, but you made me feel a whole lot better.
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