Hiking in the Atlas Mountains

If you look at images of the Atlas Mountains range taken from space, they sit like a ruby red tiara on top of a continent that is glistening with natural gems. Scaling Morocco from north to south, their geographic dominance creates a soothing shadow over the seaside-and-souk tourism that the country is known for. And rightly so, for the trekkers of the world, because these are some of the most dramatic, eclectic and culturally rich mountain areas within easy reach of Europe. There are valleys for gentle hikes, ridges and cols for those in search of a bit more of a challenge and prolific peaks for summit seekers. Jebel Toubkal is the highest peak in North Africa and a tough climb up to its snow covered summit at 4,167m.

Hiking in the Atlas Mountains takes you into an elevated wilderness that is influenced by the heat of the desert as well as the big freeze associated with big peaks, proffering luscious valleys with juniper forests, almond or argan groves, and fast flowing rivers and waterfalls. Your hiking vacation will probably dip in and out of each exquisite landscape where, unlike the Alps, you won’t find cable cars, congestion or commercialism. You can base yourself at a luxury kasbah in the Azzaden Valley, and take daily hikes up to the likes of Tizi n’Tzikert col at 2,930m or Tizi n’Tougdalt at 2,700m. Or visit less arid spots such as the Aourwiz Waterfall. Hiking can be done on all budgets here, so another option is to stay at a more moderately priced mountain gite and hike from Tijhza village through Tizi'n'Ourghsan pass.

For peak seekers, one of the most popular summits aside from Toubkal is Morocco’s second highest, Jebel Ouanoukrim, at the southern end of the High Atlas. Valleys and ravines drop down to the desert plains below and the Anti-Atlas rise out of them in the distance. Do this in the winter months to get that sand-and-snow photographer’s dream. Another hiker’s highpoint is Tizi n’Tacht Pass, which rises from the plains of Marrakech and takes you up to elevations of 2,000m with views over sun-kissed mountains in many directions. When you are hiking in the Atlas Mountains, the routes are myriad and the views are miraculous. For more details, see our Atlas Mountains travel guide.

The Atlas Mountains are home to the indigenous Berber people who have inhabited them for at least 5,000 years. Living in small clusters of adobe houses clinging to mountainsides or tucked into shady valleys, surrounded by almond or walnut groves, goat farms and ancient shepherd trails, their homes are often only accessible by mule or on foot. Many of your guides or porters will be Atlas Berber people, and there are no better people to guide you through these magnificent mountains that they know so well and have instinctively protected for generations.

On our Atlas Mountains hiking vacations you will stop for traditional mint tea or meals at Berber homes en route. The Berber people understand the mountains in the same way that the Quechua people do the Andes. They still shepherd here, maintain subsistence farms even when shut off from the world in winter, and their muleteering skills go back generations. A dignified and welcoming people, it is an honour to hike with them in their ancient, unspoiled homelands.