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About Excursion in the country of Messguina in the Western High Atlas
Just a few kilometers from Agadir, the Messguina Day Excursion invites you to explore a region rich in culture and natural beauty. Located in the Western High Atlas, it forms part of the UNESCO-listed Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve. Your journey begins at the Tighanimine Women’s Cooperative, Morocco’s first Fairtrade-certified argan oil producer. Here, you’ll learn how locals extract argan oil using traditional methods. You’ll also visit nearby apiaries, where villagers harvest honey the old-fashioned way.
Enjoy scenic hikes through authentic Berber landscapes. The easy trail from Tighanimine ElBaz offers spectacular views of the mountains and visits to ancient villages. On this walk, you’ll also discover Berber traditions, wadi vegetation, and rural life. For a more adventurous option, the medium hike takes you to the 11th-century Mosque and Medersa of Aguerd and the 16th-century Saadian Tombs, older than those in Marrakech. This unforgettable Messguina excursion blends heritage, hiking, and local flavors into a perfect day away from Agadir.
Highlights
– Explore the authentic landscapes of Messguina in the Western High Atlas, part of the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve – Visit the Tighanimine Women’s Cooperative, a pioneer in Fairtrade argan oil production, and discover traditional extraction methods – Experience Berber culture, local honey production, and rural life just a few kilometers from Agadir
Activities
– Enjoy scenic hikes through Berber villages, with views of mountains and wadi landscapes – Discover local traditions, agriculture, and everyday life during guided walks – Optional cultural hike to historic sites like the 11th-century Aguerd Mosque and Medersa and the Saadian Tombs
14 km including 4 km of hiking (easy level )
25 km including 10 km of hiking (medium level)
9:00 AM: Guests leave their hotel in Agadir to join the road to Azrarag (Messguina country) via the argan forest on the first foothills of the Western High Atlas. This road was until the 19th century the trade route  of caravans coming from S ahara.
Several remains still bear witness to this period, for example the Mosque / Medersa of Aguerd and the ancient Saadian tombs.
Two hiking opportunities in this region: one of easy level (1h30 to 2 hours with low elevations ) and another of intermediate level (5 hours with low elevations also).
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Easy hike:
Only 5 km from Agadir is the country of Messguina and more precisely. The hike starts in the village of Tighanimine ElBaz (the eagle villa) and more precisely from the Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge. Discover the ancient village in the company of an inhabitant. Hikers will enjoy spectacular views of the Western High Atlas Mountain and the UNESCO World Heritage Areraie Areraie Biosphere Reserve. The various neighboring villages as well as the local vegetation of the wadi of Tighanimine and Berber customs and traditions are all points of interest. The visit of a women’s cooperative of argan oil extraction and traditional apiaries will also allow to know the local products.
11:00 AM: Return to the Atlas Kasbah ecolodge and visit the garden and this building with its unique traditional & ecological architectural style in the argan grove biosphere reserve. Possibility of snack.
11:30 AM: Departure of the participants to Agadir. 11:50 am : Arrival at the hotel.
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Hiking medium level:
9:20 AM: Arrival in TighanimineElBaz by car and then departure on a hike with a resident of the village. Visit the ancient village of TighanimineElBaz and its women’s cooperative of Argan.
Then direction Azraragen takingmountain houses with picturesque views to the village of Aguerd known by its old Mosque / Medersa (11th century) and its Saadian tombs dating from the 16th century and which were built before those of Marrakech.  Continue to Azrarag and lunch at the guest house Paradis nomads.
2:30 PM: Departure by hike to reach the gorges – Azrarag crossing a small green valley of the Atlas. Possibility to continue to the water source and then return to the village of Aguerd. After continuation to the village of TighanimineElBaz.
17:00 PM: Departure at the hotel in Agadir
17:20 PM : arrival at the hotel.
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