The title compound, C(16)H(23)Cl(2)NO, was synthesised from β-himachalene (3,5,5,9-tetra-methyl-2,4a,5,6,7,8-hexa-hydro-1H-benzocyclo-heptene), which was isolated from the essential oil of the Atlas cedar (Cedrus Atlantica). The mol-ecule contains a seven membered ring, which is fused to a five- and a three-membered ring. The five-membered ring has a twisted conformation, whereas the seven-membered ring displays a chair conformation. The dihedral angle between the five- and seven-membered rings is 45.26 (9)°. The absolute structure was established unambiguously from anomalous dispersion effects. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into chains propagating along the b axis by inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds; an intramolecular N-H⋯O link also occurs.