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The ridges of the High Atlas seen from the summit of Toubkal in winter, with snow among the rocks

Sample journey · 8–10 days

On foot through the High Atlas, village to village and up Toubkal

Imlil, the Azzaden valley, the summit of Toubkal & the Aït Bouguemez valley

Photo: Youssef Gahouchi / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

From Marrakech's roof terraces the Atlas looks like a distant backdrop. On this journey it becomes daily life: mornings with mint tea in a family guesthouse, days on paths through walnut groves and over stony passes, evenings with a tagine by the stove in an earth-built house, sleeping on thick rugs. Mules carry the bags, a local mountain guide leads the way, and the villages you walk through are not a museum but living Amazigh homes.

The route is for active travellers and groups of friends comfortable walking five to seven hours a day for several days in a row. Toubkal (4,167 m) is an option, not an obligation: anyone who'd rather not climb can rest in a village or take lower paths. To finish, a few gentler days in the Aït Bouguemez valley. You could travel privately or join a small group; the pace and the stays would be shaped around you.

The route

The journey

  1. Marrakech
  2. Imlil
  3. Azzaden valley
  4. Toubkal
  5. Aït Bouguemez valley
  6. Marrakech
  1. Earth and stone houses on a terraced slope above green trees, Imlil

    01Days 1–2 · Marrakech & Imlil

    From the city to the mountains

    After landing in Marrakech, around an hour and a half by road past Asni to Imlil, a village at about 1,700 metres at the foot of Toubkal National Park. The first day is easy: meeting the guide and muleteers, a walk to the village of Aroumd through walnut groves and irrigation channels, a first dinner in the mountains. It's time to get used to the altitude and the rhythm of the mountains – early mornings, and evenings that are cool even in summer.

  2. Pack mules loaded with bags on a snowy path in the Toubkal massif

    02Days 3–5 · The Azzaden valley

    Over the pass to another valley

    In the morning the mules are loaded and the path climbs to the Tizi n'Mzik pass (about 2,500 m), beyond which the Azzaden valley opens up – greener, quieter and far less visited. For the next two days you walk from village to village: past Tizi Oussem and terraced barley fields, up to a waterfall at the head of the valley, past summer pastures with stone shepherds' huts. The nights are in simple village guesthouses: clean rooms or shared dormitories, hot food and a roof from which to watch the stars.

  3. Walkers with backpacks climbing a rocky path on the slopes of Toubkal

    03Days 6–7 · Toubkal

    Dawn on the roof of North Africa

    From Azzaden the path crosses another pass back into the Mizane valley and climbs to the mountain refuges at about 3,200 metres. The next morning, still in the dark, you start up the stony slopes to the summit of Toubkal (4,167 m), from which, on a clear day, the ridges of the Atlas stretch all the way to the edge of the Sahara. The ascent is not technical, but it is long and high; anyone feeling tired or struggling with the altitude can stay at the refuge or take a lower route. In the afternoon, a long descent back to Imlil and a hot shower.

  4. 04Days 8–10 · The Aït Bouguemez valley & Marrakech

    A slower valley

    A drive of around five or six hours north-east via Azilal brings you to the Aït Bouguemez, which locals sometimes call the 'happy valley': wide, green, ringed by mountains and dotted with earth-built villages and kasbahs. The walking here is gentler – half-day paths between the fields, a climb to the hill of Sidi Moussa and its old communal granary, tea with a family who open their door to guests. You stay in a restored kasbah or a guesthouse. On the last day, around four hours back to Marrakech, an evening in the medina and the flight home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Mules on the pass

    Bells, a stony path and another valley opening up beyond every pass.

  2. 02

    An evening in a village guesthouse

    A tagine, warm bread and mint tea on the roof as the last light colours the mountains.

  3. 03

    The summit of Toubkal

    4,167 metres, a cold dawn and, on a clear day, the ridges of the Atlas as far as the horizon.

  4. 04

    The granary on the hill

    The communal granary of Sidi Moussa in the Aït Bouguemez, where villages once kept their grain and valuables.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Without the summit

    All the time goes to village-to-village walking on lower paths – a good fit for anyone who'd rather not climb to 4,000 metres.

  • With a small group

    For solo travellers, the option to join a small group with the same guide and mules, sharing the evenings and the stories.

  • Into the M'Goun massif

    From the Aït Bouguemez, experienced walkers could continue with a multi-day trek into the M'Goun massif, one of the most remote parts of the High Atlas.

  • With Marrakech or the desert

    Add a couple of days in the Marrakech medina before the trek, or continue afterwards over a mountain pass to the south, towards the kasbahs and the Sahara dunes.

Practical considerations

  • The best seasons for trekking are spring (roughly April to June) and autumn (September to October). In winter there is snow and ice on the passes and on Toubkal, which calls for different equipment and experience, so we'd change the route.
  • Toubkal reaches 4,167 metres: altitude sickness is possible even for fit, healthy people. Talk to your doctor before travelling; the route itself is planned to gain height gradually.
  • In recent years a licensed mountain guide has been required for the Toubkal ascent – one is included anyway – and we'd check the current rules before you travel.
  • Some Atlas villages are still rebuilding after the 2023 earthquake. We'd check the state of the paths and stays before you go; your visit also supports local families.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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