Imagine hiking several kilometres to a Berber village in the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, and being treated to a full tagine feast on the roof of a humble cinder-block home. I was so taken by the generosity of our Berber hosts, by their ability to prepare such a feast in a remote location, and by the satiated guests after the meal.
This award-winning image tells that story. And this blog tells the backstory.
All photos are © Barbara Cameron Pix, unless otherwise noted.
Ourika Valley, Morocco
The guided tour description started with this statement: “Nestled in the Atlas Mountains is the dreamy and tranquil valley of Ourika.” That’s all I needed to know to sign up for the 12 km hike.
I was travelling the world with Remote Year, an incredible opportunity for anyone who wants to explore the digital nomad lifestyle. And everyone in our group were struggling with staying fit while travelling (and eating) around the world. So the chance to do a day hike outside of the frenetic city of Marrakech was a popular choice for most of us. (In the long run this meant an additional 3+ kms of hiking; you will learn why later.)
We left our apartments during the chill of the desert morning, drove almost due east for about 30 kms, grabbed a quick “bio-break” and coffee in Sati Fadma, then hit the trail.
The Ourika Valley is a popular day trip from Marrakech. Many tourists descend on the valley, especially during the hot summer months, to enjoy the cooler mountain air and the water cascading down many waterfalls in the Ourika River. Flanking the river near Sati Fadma are numerous restaurants. This food photo shows many tagine dishes being prepared for the lunch rush.
Our Berber guide, Rachid, grew up in the Ourika (“Or-eek-a”) Valley and is a sure-footed mountain guide with a quick smile and dancing eyes. His concern for his hikers was touching. He made sure no one was left behind or had any troubles scaling the rocky terrain.
Our first stop was at an impressive waterfall, one of 7 in the valley. The hike in was pretty easy and the path was only steep in a few sections. Plus there were souks and tea houses along the way!
This rustic tea house was perched on a rocky outcrop along the trail near one of the 7 waterfalls in the Ourika Valley. Moroccan mint tea is a staple anywhere you go in that country. And they sure do like sugar!
Remote Year Curie hikers take a quick break in the Ourika Valley, Morocco.
These Berber men obliged this travel photographer in the village of Siti Fadma. Most Moroccan people do not like their photos taken so this was a rare opportunity to capture a slice of real life in the Atlas Mountain village.
Hike to a Berber Village, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Once our group returned to Sati Fadma after hiking the valley of the 7 waterfalls, I recall feeling somewhat disappointed. Was our hike over already?
Not so… our guide had other plans for us. Rachid would take us to his family’s home in a Berber village nestled deep in the High Atlas Mountains for lunch. (Pinch me?)
So we scrambled back into the passenger vans and started driving north into the High Atlas Mountains. But the large vehicles couldn’t travel as far into the next valley as Rachid had hoped. So we added an additional several kilometers to the day’s hiking itinerary. (Okay by me!)
The local Berber villagers had 3 mules ready for us if we were tired of walking, but at the beginning no one took them up on their offer.
After watching these quiet, kind men ride the mules for awhile, I wondered if we were disrespecting them by not choosing to ride? They had done a lot of work to prepare and deliver the mules to us. So… I decided to show my respect by riding a mule for the last bit of our journey into the valley. Photo credit: Luke Gulbrand.
We were close to our final destination, an isolated Berber village in the Atlas Mountains that you can barely see in the centre of the photo. I’m not sure if this is still considered the Ourika Valley. And it was a long way in, although if you look at the right of the photo you will see power poles.
As we got closer to the village this humble cinder-block home caught my attention. I had seen several of these homes hugging the steep hills along the hike to Rachid’s village. So I was mentally setting my expectations for a very basic and humble lunch ahead…
Tagine Feast in a Berber Village
Tagine lunch for 30 people! Served on the roof of a cinder-block home in a very isolated Berber village in the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco.
I was completely impressed at how well we were fed and treated by the lovely, kind and shy Berber villagers. Notice some of the hikers napping after the big feast? And our Berber host offering mint tea to someone?
This image placed as “highly commended” in the “Food On The Table” category in the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition, in 2024.
To say I am proud of this award is such an understatement. Nothing could make me feel better than to be recognized for my work by a global panel of photography experts.
It’s an image captured in a moment, and an image that captures a moment in time at the intersection of people, food, and culture.
That award-winning photo shows a hint of the napping hikers after the feast. Let me tell you, there were sleeping people everywhere around those small tables on that cinder-block rooftop after hours of hiking and then an amazing tagine feast.
Here are a few more of my favourite images from that memorable meal.
After our naps it was time to trek back down the valley before sunset. As we crossed the rock-strewn valley to the trail, the local children had just left school and had fun following us out of the village.
Another final glance at the village where we had been royally treated by the Berber villagers. The red building on the left is the schoolhouse. And if you look very closely, you see a woman in a red tunic on the roof of a house… cleaning up after our amazing tagine feast.
And that ends the backstory
Each year I submit somewhere between 5-10 images to the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition. I’ve been blessed by landing on the shortlist 4 years in a row. To be a finalist, and a highly commended award-winner, well… there are no words.
This highly commended image, Tagine Feast in a Berber Village, almost didn’t get submitted! It was a spontaneous last-minute decision to add it to my submissions in 2024. How fortunate that divine intervention guided me that day.
For anyone considering submitting to this prestigious international photography competition, I encourage you to just do it! Ignore the inner voice that says you’re not good enough. (I know, I hear it too.)
Every year when the entry date announcements start, I begin a list of potential images to enter. I keep a note on my iPhone and pore over the previous years’ shortlisted and finalist images; when something strikes me as similar to an image of mine, or triggers a creative vision in my head, I jot that down. And then I get to work to curate a handful of selections to enter. Whether I win or not is not the motivator for me; it’s all about the process. It keeps my head in the game, keeps me pushing my own boundaries to create something new OR to look at my food photography archives in a different way.
Thank you to the esteemed panel of judges, congratulations to all of the award-winners, and good luck to any and all of you enter in the future.
I hope you will share your comments about these this award-winning image! Drop me a message in the comments below.
#OurikaValley #TravellingMorocco #Maroc #Award-winningPhotographer #Travel&FoodPhotographer #TagineFeast
Want to see more from Morocco?
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