5 hrs, 14.4 kms

Day Totals: 10 hrs, 34 .4 kms



Normally my impression of the area around Marrakech as being a barren wasteland—that's because most of my hikes here have been in the dry season. Now, it actually feels like a fertile, productive region. Crossing a big irrigation canal is a welcoming sight too. Of course, it’s not every year that rain is plentiful, so living off the land here is still quite precarious.

Dusk is approaching as I reach Sidi Moussa, lined with shops selling harira soup, I supposed catering to folks coming back from a day trip in Ourika. I stop to enjoy soup along with dates as the sun sets. I’ve been walking for 5 hours almost non-stop and deserve a break.

I continue on in the darkness… no problem… except that once you get close to the city you’re more likely to run into shifty city dwellers rather than just clean cut country folks… I pass Marrakech’s new pride: an auto race course… and finally the walls of the Agdal orchards marking the beginning of the city . Here I take a little detour to check out a new, small shopping mall, just to get a glimpse of yet another facet of the city. Nice, but nothing super special about it, unlike the impressive UAE inspired Morocco Mall in Casablanca.

I continue on… right up ahead is the spot where Jamal and I got off the bus last year. Once I reach there I will have connected my Ourika hikes with my Marrakech hike, creating an impressive Superhike that stretches from Tamensourt to the north of Marrakech all the way across the plains…. up the mountains to Setti Fatna… Yep, I feel proud of myself

I then continue on, into the hustle and bustle of the city, find a place to stay… celebrate my achievement with a big glass of avocado and nuts juice… and call it a day… Tomorrow I’ve got another Superhike to work on.