Lake d’Ifne

3 october 2022

We spent the morning walking through the Assif n'Islani valley alongside the river as we made our way towards the high glacial lake.

The valley is very lush and green, irrigated carefully with water from the lake. Again we saw traditional Berber life in action; the clearing of the fields to make sure the grass and maize had been collected and stored for cattle feed and the winter fodder, land being ploughed with hand held devises pulled by mules, trees being pruned by hand. People were busy working the land in each section of this wider valley.

We also passed next to age old walnut trees still producing the annual harvest of nuts for selling.

Further up the valley, we climbed up through villages hugging the higher slopes. I learnt more about the way the village authorities work and how collective decision-making is managed in order to support all the community members. All villagers have assess to water, in-house toilets and an electricity supply which in the more remote villages is provided free by the government.

The trek to the lake was through huge mounds of moraine until you emerge suddenly at the top of the ridge to look down on the lake and surrounding mountains. An amazing sight.

I camped overlooking the lake and we were joined later by some two trekking groups and the herd of sheep and goats who had come down from the higher slopes for the evening. The sky was clear and we watched the stars emerge across the clear sky. A memorable evening in a remote and beautiful place.