Walking the High Atlas: a first-timer’s guide

I was born in Imlil, a village at the end of the road into the High Atlas, and I have walked up Toubkal more than three hundred times. People still ask me the same five questions before they come. Here are my answers, the way I would give them over a glass of mint tea.

Why the High Atlas

Ninety minutes from the noise of Marrakech, the road climbs into walnut groves and red-earth villages stacked on the hillsides. There are no cable cars and few roads: the paths between villages are the same mule trails my grandfather used to carry apples to market.

It is a place for walking. You can spend a week here without seeing a tour bus, sleep in family guesthouses and stand on the highest point in North Africa at sunrise.

When to go

Spring (April to early June) and autumn (September and October) are best. Days are warm, nights are cool and the summit is usually free of snow by May.

• April–May: almond blossom in the valleys, some snow high up. Beautiful, but bring warm layers.
• June: long days and stable weather. Our favourite month for the summit.
• July–August: hot in the valleys, busy on the summit path. Possible, not ideal.
• September–October: the walnut harvest, clear air and quieter trails.

In winter the mountain needs crampons and an ice axe. We don’t run group trips then. See the Morocco seasonality chart for the whole year.

“The mountain does not care how fit you are. It cares how slowly you walk.”

How hard is it?

Toubkal is a walk, not a climb, but it is a long one. Summit day starts at 3,207 metres at the refuge, gains about 960 metres and comes all the way down again: eight to ten hours on your feet.

If you can walk for six hours with a few hills, two weekends in a row, you can do it. We build two days of village walking into the trip before the summit, so your body has time to adjust to the altitude. Headaches are common on the first night at the refuge; drink more water than you think you need.

A simple training plan

• Eight weeks before: one long walk a week, building from three hours to six.
• Four weeks before: add hills, stairs or a loaded day pack.
• The week before: rest. Arrive fresh, not tired.

What to pack

Mules carry your main bag between villages, so you only carry a day pack. Pack for four seasons in one day:

Being a good guest

The villages are not a museum. People live and farm here, and most are happy to have visitors who are curious and kind. A few things help:

• Ask before you photograph people, especially women and children.
• Cover shoulders and knees in the villages.
• Accept the tea. Refusing the first glass is rude; you may refuse the third.
• Learn two words: salam (hello) and tanmirt (thank you, in Tamazight).

Walk it with us

I lead the High Atlas & Toubkal trip in spring and autumn, and our Atlas to the Sahara trip crosses the mountains on the way to the desert. I hope to pour you a glass of tea in Imlil.