Cathy's Hiking Trip in Morocco's High Altas Mountains

The wide, smoothly tarmacked road leads to the town of Asni where we branch off towards the Imlil valley with our excitement building as the tarmac deteriorates. As we head a little more off the beaten track, our driver Rashid, points out the three houses built in Asni by ‘Education For All’, our charity partner for this trip.

Rashid, was born in Imlil himself and went to school there but left early as, at the time, the government-supplied boarding houses were underfunded and he was frequently hungry. Not a great foundation on which to build an education. He was lucky though in that, as a boy, his education was prioritised. He explained that girls rarely continued into secondary education at the time. ‘Education for all’ has turned that around, offering safe and funded boarding houses for village girls to continue their studies.

We are greeted by a warm welcome and a delicious glass of Moroccan tea. We accept an invitation for a gentle guided introductory walk in the valley. Our guide Abdil, who was born, and still lives in a neighbouring village, tells us that 60% of the Imlil families work in tourism. The last two years, during the pandemic, have been extraordinarily tough and it is only due to the community pulling together that most have been able to continue to survive with the essentials of life only. Thankfully, the kasbah is starting to see a slow stream of travellers again… Both Moroccan day-trippers from Marrakesh, who visit to lunch and bask in the sunshine, drinking in the astounding views from the rooftop terrace, and trackers, who come to explore the Imlil and Azzaden valleys and to summit Mount Toubkal.

Abdil first climbed the 4,167m peak aged 15, with some friends, and since then, in his work as a guide at the kasbah, has climbed it perhaps another 200 or so times. Knowing that the kasbah has attracted some well-known visitors, I asked if he had guided anyone famous. Yes, he admitted, Daniel Craig was filming ‘Spectre’ near Ouarzazate and came to the kasbah for a few days trekking. A photo of 007 now hangs on the kasbah walls.

We have lucked out with the weather and we wake to clear blue skies.

Our hearty breakfast is as colourful as the kasbah's tapestries & cushions; boiled eggs, creamy pancakes, crusty bread rolls, cereals and a selection of fresh and dried fruits. A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice tops it off, and the dates are the best I have ever had. 

We pack a soft bag each with enough for two nights and two days walking and leave the rest of our things in a bag at the Kasbah. Soft luggage is essential as the bags will be transported by mule to the trekking lodge in the Azzaden Valley.

Joyously, we have to only carry the essentials with us; camera, water, sunscreen and layers suitable for the weather. I choose to wear walking trousers in spite of the sun; the Azzaden valley is more traditional than Imlil, so appropriate dress is an important consideration. I take a scarf to wear over my head when we walk through the villages and a T-shirt with short sleeves rather than a vest top.

Our guide for the next 3 days is Abdou, who has worked extensively in the high Atlas Mountains as well as the Rift Mountains and Sahara desert.

Around 40, I’m guessing, he was born in the Imlil valley and still lives there with his parents, as is the custom, his wife and 3 of his 4 children (his eldest daughter is married and lives in Casablanca).

As well being passionate about the area, he is so knowledgeable; about the geography, the culture and traditions as well as the flora and fauna around us.

His English is excellent, though we also have French as a back up, which he is very comfortable with, and which we speak after both living in France in another life!

Abdou sets the perfect pace as Graham and I head off the road and on to a stony path winding around the scattered juniper trees.

Refreshed after lunch, we start down into the Azzaden valley and before long before the first Berber village comes into view.

Abdoul reports that nearly 9000 people live in the valley though the villages are so dispersed, you would never believe it.

Settlements of one form or another have occupied key places in the valley for centuries and the neatly tilled, verdant terraces hint at the heritage of each village; the moss between the dry stone walls and the breadth of the gnarled walnut trees indicting the oldest areas.

Circling around the first village, we pass directly through the second one, Tizi Oussem, on narrow ancient stone paths that weave around the traditionally constructed mud and wood houses whose old wooden doors are ornate with hefty Berber locks.

Keen to explore today, there are plenty of options from heading to the high peaks and water fall back at the head of the valley, up past the snow line, to peering around the valley bottom, depending on aspiration. We opt for an extended valley walk taking in a number of the surrounding villages, for more of an insight into life here.

We walk from village to village, treated to a host of sights that represent life here: children tending goats, men diligently digging terraces into the hillside, a village delivery of gas bottles, or villagers striding purposefully towards the mosque for prayer.

One gets the impression that life is both physically hard and enviably simple; no one wears a watch-they tell the time by the sun, stars and calls to prayer, no one has a bank account or even a postal address. ‘Shopping’ for wheat or barley for example (if not produced in the village), is done by one village representative who is responsible for sharing it out fairly among all the families. Though most of the villages have electricity, only some houses have TV.

There are no cafes, no restaurants, no Coca Cola adverts and we see only one other European couple in the valley. Keith & Jo are also staying at the lodge and have come to Morocco for the hiking and are equally enchanted by the valley.

After a late lunch of Mohammed's delicious Berber omelette, the afternoon passed by in a wonderful state of sun drenched relaxation; reclined reading on a selection of colourful Moroccan rugs and cushions laid out on the terrace.

I admit we succumbed to a quiet, cool mug of lager, purchased in Marrakesh and packed in our luggage (so slightly 'mule' shaken!). Our room has a mini fridge and although neither the kasbah nor lodge have a bar or alcohol license, they are happy with guests subtly enjoying a quiet glass of ‘bring your own’. 

Not to change a favourite theme of food & drink, dinner was a delectable dish of chicken, slow cooked with ginger, cumin, onion, pale green olives and sultanas. I want the recipe for this one...

Dessert was a Moroccan night sky jam packed with stars. 

Our final hours at the kasbah du toubkal were no less wonderful than our first; reading on the terrace, a rejuvenating hammam and our last night watching the stars suspended above the Imlil Valley. 

Working for YellowWood Adventures, I know only too well that there are many incredible places to travel and stay in the world, but what Mike and Chris McHugo have created, with their Moroccan business partner, Haji 'Maurice', is exceptional. It is a unique, striking and memorable hotel with an economy that has been built around it that proves the positive forces of tourism and keeps the negative aspects at bay.

As for the Azzaden valley, well, I feel honoured and privileged to have stayed in a place so unspoilt, so beautiful, so very much off the beaten track in spite of being just a 90 minute drive and a day's walk from Marrakesh.

In short, it is so YellowWood. I’d love to return one day.

Inshallah. 

Hiking Moroccos's High Atlas Mountains is a small group holiday running at various times of year, with the option to summit Mt Toubkal or to visit the Azzaden valley.