Holidays in Morocco - Summer In High Atlas

HIGH ATLAS

The High Atlas is the largest of the trekking regions in Morocco and one of the most accessible, being little more than 1 hour’s drive from Marrakech and even less from Taroudant.  This region offers the widest range of walking and trekking experiences and some of the most dramatic scenery.
All abilities are catered for: from those who are looking for casual day hikes, to the more experienced who might want longer treks and (in the summer) to ascend Mt Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, to those who are seeking expeditions through challenging terrains.

Trekking Locations
Trekking options depart from the following locations:
Afensou
Just under an hour’s drive north of Taroudant in the foothills of the western High Atlas Mountains, is the trekking base, a charming little Berber guest house in a marvellous setting at an altitude of 800m on a hillside overlooking the village of Afensou.
Amizmiz Area
Just under an hour’s drive west of Marrakech in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, this is an attractive and peaceful region, being less well known to trekkers than Imlil, Ourika or Ouirgane. En route you’ll see the Lalla Takerkoust lake.
Imlil Treks
Ninety minutes' drive south of Marrakech is the busy village of Imlil, the main trekking centre in the Marrakech region due to its proximity to the highest peak Mount Toubkal (4,167 metres) and the convergence of several valleys and passes.
M’Goun Valley
The M'Goun massif offers some of the best walking in Morocco, as well as fantastic local architecture. This remote area is visually very distinctive, being composed of long crested ridges, escarpments and deep gorges.

Ouirgane Treks

Located in an attractive bowl in the mountain in the High Atlas Mountains, Ouirgane is a Berber village one hour’s drive south west of Marrakech. It is a popular centre for rustic hotels, day walks and longer treks to the Mt Toubkal and Amizmiz areas.

Day 1
08.00am, transfer east from Marrakech with 4x4 into the Atlas Mountains to Demnate , Imi n'Ifri, Ait Blal and Tizi n'Techt , 2200m, 3 hours on road and track. Picnic lunch . Meet muleteers. Down to Ait Boulli valley near Abachkou. Camp near Abachkou 2 hours 30 minutes walking: down 400m
Day 2
To N'Rougoult village and then climbing a small path to the small village Ifri n'Ait Kherfella Camp near Ifri bergeries up to the village ( 2500m), 7 hours walking: up 900m
Day 3
Through a pass around 3000m high and down to the Arous valley. Camp near Ikkis summer shelters, 2200m. In the afternoon visit the Arous gorges. 5 hours walking : up 600m , down 800m
Day 4
Back to Ait Bougmez valley, meet the 4x4 near Tirouza village and back to Marrakech after picnic . Arrival around 6.30 pm 3 hours walking: down 400m
Number of people
Price per person £ 2 3 4 5 6
01 Nov 2009 - 31 Oct 2010 565 410 340 355 325
5 days trek in the Jbel Mgoun area. Grade ** (HAC5)

Day 1
08.00am, transfer east from Marrakech with 4x4 into the Atlas Mountains to Demnate, Imi n'Ifri, Ait Blal and Tizi n'Techt , 2200m. Down to Abachkou. 3H30 on road and track. Picnic lunch . Meet muleteers. Begin trek to N'Rougoult village, Camp near N'Rougoult. 1850m 2 hours 30 minutes: up 300m
Day 2
Toward Tizi n'Rougoult pass , 2900m, following a small mountain stream . Camp near Pass 6 hours walking : up 1100m
Day 3
Through a pass ' 3100m, reach a large plateau with a lot of summer shepherd hut. Reach Tessaout river and springs. 2800m high under Mgoun summit range Camp near Tessaout stream 7 hours walking: up 400m, down 400m
Day 4
Through a pass around 3000m high and down to the Arous valley, camp near Ikkis summer shelters, 2200m. In the afternoon visit the Arous gorges. 6 hours walking: up 600m , down 800m
Day 5
back to Ait Bougmez valley, meet the minibus near Tirouza village and back to Marrakech after picnic . Arrival around 6.30 pm 3 hours walking: down 400m
Number of people
Price per person £ 2 3 4 5 6
01 Nov 2009 - 31 Oct 2010 655 475 400 405 370
5 days trek in the Jbel Mgoun area. Grade ** (HAC6)

Day 1
Transfer east from Marrakech by taxi or minibus into the Atlas Mountains to the Ait Bougmez Valley, 4 hours 30 minutes on roads. Picnic lunch en route. Overnight in Maison d'H�te near Tabant (1800m) or g�te.
Day 2
Cross the Ait Bougmez Valley , and climb the tizi n'Ait Imi pass ( 2900m) camp overnight near Tighremt n'Ait Ahmed 6 hours 30 minutes walking
Day 3
Along the Mgoun river, through the Ouzirimt valley, camp near Igherm Izdern, 6 hours walking
Day 4
Entering the narrow gorges. In May and June if the water level is too high there are alternative routes through Tizi n'Ait Ahmed pass (2900 m) ). Camp at Tiranimine 2020m 6 hours walking
Day 5
To Aguerzeka and Issoumar. Camp near Bou Trarar. 6 hours walking
Day 6
Along the river to Timtiguit and A�t Said, 2 hours 30 minutes walking. End of trek, we meet up with minibus which take us the short distance south to El Kelaa M'Gouna, and journey down the Dades Valley, to Ouarzazate and Marrakech through tizi n'Tichka, arriving in Marrakech around 06.00 pm. 2 hours 30 minutes walking



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Summit and the Ait Imi {morocco} Spring

Summit and the Ait Imi Spring


A Flowing Spring
Have you recently said: “…part of my next holiday abroad will include a trek.”? Travelers with a sense of adventure find Trekking M’Goun to be a must, an escape from the Toubkal throngs. M’Goun is in the Ait Bougmez valley within the High Atlas mountains. The region is largely unmapped and unknown to outsiders, so a trek here uncovers some of the “real” morocco.
Hidden throughout the Ait Bougmez valley are Berber villages, Barbary Monkeys, and other wildlife to make the experience even more captivating. An Ait Bougmez trek is limited to the summer months between May to October, when the snow has melted at the summits. The weather in this area is less than ideal at the other times of the year, and trekking here can become hazardous.  

Morocco tours to M’Goun vary widely in the number of days. There are some treks which take three days while others can last for over seven. One in particular that you might enjoy takes you from Agouti to M’Goun before ending at the Ait Imi Spring. The particular trip takes six days and five nights. There are four to six hours of trekking a day, with a 10 hour car ride. The car ride takes you from Marrakesh to Agouti and back on the sixth day.

Day one begins with the drive to Agouti where you will begin trekking High Atlas Mountains towards the M’Goun Valley. You will reach Azibnikis on the first day.  This is 2200 meters above sea level. Day two is filled with trekking to Targdit Col where you will have lunch. As you trek on day two you will be hiking up in the morning to 3450 meters.  After lunch you descend to 2900 meters as you reach the Targdit Plateau for your evening gite or campsite stay.

The plateau is close to a village, where you may relax for the evening before the trek the next day.  Day three brings you to the 4068 meter peak of M’Goun.  To hike to the summit you will need five hours following zigzag paths behind the mules.  If you wish to hike to Oulilimit Springs which is at 2600 meters you will need to hike for eight hours. If set up as a Morocco eco tour, your family will be closer and tired, but build memories of a superb journey.
The Oulilimit Springs are a wonderful respite for the evening if you have the energy to hike farther.  If not you will have to wait until morning.  From Oulilimit you will trek to Tighremet Nait Ahmed, which is located at 2300 meters.  You will travel through the Afelfal springs. The evening will be spent at an old lodge.  You can take cover in the lodge which is no longer in use or camp under a tent.

Tighremet Nait Ahmed will lead you to Tizi Mait Imi at 2900 meters before you reach the Ait Imi Spring at 1900 meters.  There is a reservoir in the area allowing you to cool down, relax and visit the Sidi Moussa Shrine as you make Timit for the evening.  The last day will take you back to Marrakesh, but if you wish for a custom Morocco holiday you may stop at the Ouzoud Waterfall on your way back.



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Morocco Spring

It has been nearly two years since the "Arab Spring" and, while we hoped for a peaceful resolution, the summer we envisioned never came. Instead, the Middle East has erupted in new turmoil, oppression and aggression so intense it feels like winter again.

It's hard to remember the joy I felt in 2011 as I watched people pour into the city squares in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria to protest against their governments and rally for freedoms we Americans consider our birthright. Like so many others, I naively hoped their protests would signal the birth of democracy in a region not known for granting freedoms to its citizens.

But, instead of celebrating free will, I've watched chaos and killings in Syria as civil war tears that nation apart. Most recently, I've feared for the world's safety as Israel and Gaza again engage in their dangerous, biblical battle.


The fate of Israel drives home the Arab Spring because we are politically, philosophically and ethically committed to its survival as a country, a democracy and witness to history. As we have seen in Syria, in addition to the awful loss of life, entire chapters of humankind are erased when treasured archaeological sites are sacrificed to war.

These warring nations make the promise of democracy in the Middle East and North Africa seem like an impossible dream. Yet, like Don Quixote, I still have hope. I was fortunate earlier this year to be one of 200 women leaders from 30 nations to visit Morocco for the International Women's Forum conference. The meeting, which focused on the aftermath of the Arab uprisings, gave us a rare opportunity to learn how Arab women leaders, some of whom are raising future leadership, view those events and their future.

Sadly, experts from around the region, including ambassadors, professors, politicians, journalists, human-rights activists, business leaders and representatives of faith predicted many of the grim events that, a few months later, made headlines in our newspapers.

What I didn't expect was how their insights would lead me to contemplate the perilous state of our own democracy. Over the past six months, I've often thought how men and women in the Arab world are willing to die for the right to speak out loud and true. In contrast, our right to free speech has spiraled into spin, where hyperbole tramples truth and facts are measured in Pinocchio noses.

We heard stories of ordinary people who performed extraordinary deeds while creating shout-outs for democracy. Yet we also saw how failure to plan effectively ensured what has transpired. Almost two years after the Arab uprisings, the ruling party in Tunisia still cannot agree on how to incorporate the role of Islam into its new constitution, and although Egyptians won the right to hold free elections, moderates could not support either candidate.

The one exception is Morocco, which is well-served by a tradition of tolerance and an enlightened monarch. During the spring of 2011, 48-year-old Mohammed VI seized the moment to institute a new constitution that values and protects human rights. Because of his decisions, divorce is legal, girls are encouraged to attend school and women are becoming an economic force in this country.

It's tempting to suggest that Morocco be the model for all Arab nations. But this is a complex region where no one-size caftan fits all. Multicultural and monarchy-led Morocco is Arabic; it's not Islamic. Turks understand this well since their country tilted toward democracy for years but now has morphed into a more traditional Muslim mind-set, with all the attendant challenges to freedoms.

Those Arab leaders who addressed us readily acknowledged that their individual paths to freedom will not be smooth or quick. But they were equally convinced that freedom is their destination.

Freedom inspired two young Libyan women to courageously publish a weekly newsletter, "From Tripoli," to alert the world to events inside their country. It compelled a young Tunisian woman to organize a group of female lawyers and activists who are successfully defending women's rights and freedoms. It inspired Mohammed Al Abdallah, a Syrian human-rights activist and television journalist, to risk his life as the media face who is challenging his government.

The promise of freedom motivates Egyptian activist Ahmed Naguib, who mobilized more than 30,000 people to congregate in Tahrir Square in 2011. "I am not as optimistic and hopeful as I was," he admitted, but then vowed, "We will never go backwards."

It's easy to forget, awash in our angry, 24/7 news cycle, that our democracy was also born from strong, clear and inclusive words that were coupled with brave actions As Ceren Kenar, a young Turkish graduate student who is leading a movement to promote democracy by bringing Turks and Arabs together, declared, "I believe in the power of words. I believe in the power of actions."

It's no surprise that the leaders of the Arab Spring are so well-educated. Thomas Jefferson observed, "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."

Of course, the question remains: Can Ceren Kenar and other Arab leaders succeed in building new democracies? Anything is possible if obstacles can be turned into stepping-stones, but I believe it will take centuries to grow the grass-roots systems needed to sustain substantive change.

Just look at us. Our own brand of freedom is messy, and we've been at it for more than 200 years. We are a beacon for the world, yet we still don't have it entirely right. We pledge allegiance and fly our flag, but we allow words like freedom, democracy and patriot to be co-opted by political agendas. We say we care about living in a democracy, yet many of us don't bother to vote.

While we wait for the Arab Summer, we can honor the spirit of that Arab Spring by launching an American Autumn.

This movement, timed to coincide with our election cycle, would nurture an informed citizenry that values democracy by encouraging people to learn and listen more than they talk or tweet or shriek. Given time, the American Autumn campaign could develop a core of educated, thoughtful voters who would make decisions based on truth and fact.

Imagine the discussions! Smart. Civil. Passionate. True, it might take several seasons to build this conversation because our overpackaged, sound-bite driven, billionaire-sponsored political campaigns do not encourage investigation or introspection. But if we do it right, we'll make Thomas Jefferson proud.

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