Walking the Atlas

The mountains of the High Atlas are visible from Marrakech, lying just a few miles away and reached by a road that leads up to North Africa’s highest mountain, the 13,665 feet high Mount Toubkal. Close by is the beautiful village of Imlil with its pink houses unevenly arranged between numerous trees and a surrounding landscape perfect for walks through the mountains. Here can be found riad Dar Imlil, wonderfully located on the outskirts of the village, 15 minutes walk from the Kasbah du Toubkal, with 7 rooms with private facilities and looking up to the summit of Toubkal.

At the mountain’s base, but itself 5,850 feet high, is the Kasbah du Toubkal, a unique mountain retreat run by an English company in cooperation with the local Berber community (5% of room fees go to the local community, as indeed they do at Dar Imlil). Originally built over a hamlet by a dictatorial Caid, this is the home of eleven villages of the Ait Mizane tribe of the High Atlas. The Kasbah du Toubkal has a restaurant, roof terrace, ‘hammam’ steam bath and 11 rooms with private facilities. It was featured in 2004 as one of the ‘Five Best Mountain Resorts’ by the Independent Traveller magazine.

The Angsana riads used in Marrakech ideally complement this programme. Part of the prestigious Banyan Tree group well known in the Far East for their luxury hotels and spas, these riads are well located in the medina, beautifully restored and of excellent quality, all offering roof terraces, small pools, hammams and rooms with private facilities. It must be emphasised that this tour is specifically designed for dedicated walkers. The distances and times are estimated. This tour is for those physically fit and used to rough and uneven terrain. Walking shoes are essential.