5-Day Atlas Mountains Trek in Imlil Valley with Berber Village Stays

• Early in the morning, depart from Marrakech for a pleasant drive south, winding through the Moulay Brahim Gorge and upper valleys to reach the higher foothills of the western High Atlas Mountains and the trailhead of Imi Oughlad (1450 m). From here, Jebel Toubkal, at 4167 m the highest peak in North Africa, along with Aglzim 3650 m and Aksoual 38847 m, loom before us.
• Here, we will leave our vehicle and meet the Berber muleteer crew.
• We then set off in a north-westerly direction for a 2-hour acclimatisation hike up switchback mule tracks, passing cornfields, woods, pine, and juniper to Tizi N'tachete (2000 m). Here, we stop to look back down on the Imlil and Ait Oussaden valleys before continuing for another half hour to Imi N'ifri for our field picnic.
• Afterwards, enjoy a slow hike of about 2 and a half hours south-west down along a dirt track to Assif n'Ait Oussaden and the red clay terraced village of Tiziane (1750 m), where we stay in our bivouac or gite.

• After breakfast, we begin our hike up along the Assif n'Ait Oussaden Valley, passing through walnut groves to Tizi N'taghrhourte (1995 m), then across a rare, almost flat stretch to reach Assaka Spring.
• Here, after around 2 and a half hours of relatively easy walking, we stop for our field picnic amidst an awesome silence.
• In the afternoon, we hike down along the edges of the forest until we reach the Berber village of D'knt (1870 m), or Agouns n Assoul, where we have dinner and spend the night in a bivouac or gite.

• We set off for a 3-hour morning hike up through groves of walnut trees and fields of corn and barley, greeting sheep and goatherders, as well as women and children bent under 20 kg loads of faggots and dried herbs.
• We traverse Tizi N'tagdalte, then descend among the juniper trees until we come to a small spring set among the trees, where we stop for our picnic.
• Once refreshed, we continue down winding tracks on the upper slopes for around 3 hours until we reach a small river at the beginning of the valley of Assif n'Ait Oussaden.
• From here, we enter the village of Tizi Oussem (1850 m) and then head up to the summer village of Tamsoult for our camp or gite.

• Trek to a small waterfall at Azib Tamsoulte and return to cross the Tizi 'n Mzik pass (2,500 m).
• We then join the main Toubkal Valley at Imlil (1,900 m), where we have lunch and spend the night in our guesthouse Dar Adrar or similar.

• Enjoy a 6 to 7-hour trek past Berber hamlets and 2 mountain passes, with Jbel Oukaïmeden in sight. The route is circular, taking in as much scenery and natural beauty as possible. Today's walk begins by heading east from Imlil (1,740 m) along the Tamatert Valley before turning north through the pass named Tizi n'Tamatert (2,279 m) and descending via the Berber village of Tinerhourhine into the Imenane Valley. This valley is then followed north along winding mule trails through almond, walnut, and apple groves and terraced Berber hamlets to the villages of Ikiss and up to Amssakrou.
• Here, a picnic lunch is normally taken, offering a superb view of the peak of Jbel Oukaïmeden (3,268 m) and the 2 passes, Tizi n'Ou Arg (2,258 m) and Tizi n'Tiratene (2,268 m).
• Then, we return in a westerly direction via the pass Tizi n'Aguerssiouâl, through the Assif n' Aït Mizane Valley, and back to Imlil. Later, the driver takes us back to Marrakech.

Trip ends.