Taliouine (Morocco)

To get to Taliouine, I recommend that you come by 4x4. The roads are scattered with mountainous hills which reach an altitude of almost 2000 metres. If you like spices, you mustn't miss coming to Taliouine on a Monday, the day of the big saffron market.

I was impressed by the excitement which reigns in the village then: all the businesses, from an opulent shop to a little neighbourhood business, put on their greatest finery and display kilos of saffron on their stalls.

Taliouine is considered as the African centre of saffron, the 'king of spices' as it's known, and I quickly understood why: one gram of saffron is sold for between 35 and 40 dirhams. To avoid paying too much for your saffron. Go to Dar Zaafaran: an information centre in Taliouine which displays the price of the spice from day to day.