The High Atlas Morocco

Our outfit changed, we put on warm jackets and shirts, the temperature fell, rain, night, 4:00 o’clock AM, we are waking up in a cave at 3400 meters altitude. It’s dry inside the cave, the only thing you can hear is the cold night breeze and our chattering teeth. The light but cold fresh breeze pulls all the warm air from our sleeping bags. We started to get ready, packing things, with horrible headaches and fatigue. The walk to the top is the prize itself, because the landscape is beautiful. At this point we do not feel that. As we changed our sleeping positions during the night, we were surprised when we woke up at a place where goats made themselves comfortable before us. Our backpacks, especially the sleeping bags and our clothes  have been covered in goat shit. We ate a few dates we had and headed out on the top.

The place I am writing about is the High Atlas Mountain Range, and the situation is the climb to the highest peak in Morocco, Jebel Toubkal (4167m). We started our trip from a small mountain village called Imlil, about two hours drive from Marrakesh. We had a pleasant ride and the company of a simple and nice taxi driver who shared the last three dates that he had on the three of us.
Imlil is located 1740 meters above sea level. It is close to the mountain Jebel Toubkal, the highest peak in Morocco and Northern Africa. It is a good base for attempting to the summit, located 63 km south of the city of Marrakesh, in the Toubkal National Park. There are loads of local guides that can be hired, as well as mules and porters, to carry equipment and food supplies higher into the mountains. The truth is that there are good and qualified guides, but also fake ones. The best way is to contact the tourist info desk in the village. For experienced mountaineers but also for weekend hikers, guides are not required for the normal route, as it is an easy hike and orientation is not a problem. Basically, there is only one root going to the top. My personal experience is that it is the best to carry your bags alone, because the usage of the mules is questionable, as they are often overloaded and mistreated (see picture below), and there is no need to carry food or tents if staying in the Refuge Camp.
We went on foot, alone, with our backpacks, sleeping bags, and as they wanted 9 euros for the sleeping in the refuge camp, we went sleeping in a cave.

Imlil - people live from trade, tourism, they work as guides or rent mules to carry luggage and groceries.

The ritual of the locals became also our little ritual, Mint Tea everyday. 

It is possible to climb the mountain in two days - first day up to the refuge (around seven hours without mules), second day to the summit (around five hours) and back to Imlil (up to five hours). The path is simple and in summer no extra equipment is needed.

Imlil from the mountain path.

Who wants can pay and get a mule. To someone apparently harmless, but when you see the same mule crammed with food and drinks, and on top of that sits another fat old lady, you start to hate how these people treat these poor animals.

Open wounds on the back of mules and blood remind of several hours with extreme load on their backs. The reason for this is that tourists can buy Coca Cola at the Refuge Camp.

Refuge de Toubkal, a large complex that provides food, shelter and rest for the climbers, before the final climb to the top. They wanted 9 euros for a bed. In Imlil we paid 3.5 euros for a room with shower and toilets. So we left to find another place...

And we finally found it..

"Home is were you make it.."

At the top, Jebel Toubkal (4167m)

Except mountains, the area of the High Atlas offers also beautiful gorges, river valleys, waterfalls, natural master works. We found a little paradise in the whole offer. A place called Cascades d'Ouzoud is one of the main tourist sites and attractions in Morocco. It is also known as the Moroccan Jamaica. We stayed there a few days to recharge our batteries. We just used to lay around, cooled ourselves in water, in this relaxing atmosphere and slow pace we used to just stare at one point doing absolutely nothing for couple of hours.

The waterfalls of  Cascades d'Ouzoud (110m)

Again, Cascade d'Ouzoud

Everything is full of wonderful small pools, cascades, where you can swim and few pools provide an opportunity for a good jump. It takes little effort and about 20 minutes walk from the waterfalls to escape from the crowds of tourists and Moroccans at vacation.

If you have a surplus of food you can share it with these little fellows. They are mostly in the trees, but they also come close to people.

Rastaman, at least everyone knows him by this name. His real name is Azis, and he lives in this small bamboo hut. Located about 40 minutes walk downstream of the waterfalls, right after a guy who lives between fig trees and produces his own fig brandy. Every second word he says is "relax" as the peace pipe is constantly circling around. Rastaman sleeps in this tiny cottage, his refrigerator is the river, he has a little garden with tomatoes and some other stuff, benefits of this country. He lives a simple and peaceful life. If you are a traveler it’s always nice to give him some papers as the nearest shop is an hour and a half away. In the evening we drank some drinks, listened to his music and enjoyed the peaceful rhythms. A friend of him and himself played the instrument Guembri with some other percussion instruments.

Sleeping on mattresses under some bamboo canopy.

Abdul on the Djembe drums and myself on some mouth harp. Berber rhythms in the evening.

For more about Morocco check out all the other posts...