The end of the line for the Toubkal bus and Marrakesh grands taxis, Asni is little more than a roadside village and marketplace, and many trekkers pass straight through to get up into the mountains. If you’re in a hurry, this is good reasoning, though it’s no disaster if you have to stay overnight. The village can feel a bit overcommercialized on arrival, with locals hawking meals and jewellery, but this doesn’t last long, and between buses the village drifts back to its usual farming existence.
The most interesting time to be here before heading on to Toubkal is for the Saturday souk, when the enclosure behind the rew of shop cubicles is filled with produce and livestock stalls, plus the odd storyteller or entertainer. An advantage of arriving on Saturday morning (or Friday night) is that you can stock up with cheap supplies, before heading into the mountains.