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Beneath Djebel Toubkal Like all our other holidays, this walk is for individuals, not groups, but we do provide you with a local guide who will meet you at Douar Samra each morning armed with a picnic. Smiling and courteous, these guides know the trails intimately and can read the skies to predict the weather and tailor the walks accordingly. Theirs is a discreet form of guiding, letting you appreciate the landscapes for yourselves as they lead the way. Nights: 7 Starting point: Riad Daria, Marrakesh. High ceilings, ornate decoration and light colours create a feeling of space and elegance. There are just seven spacious rooms and suites, plus a terrace with views of the Atlas Mountains and two courtyards, one of which has a small splash pool. Located in the medina close to the Royal Palace, this is a great base for exploring. Other riads are available. Breakfast only is included, leaving you free to take your pick of the eateries in the city, which range from street vendors selling local specialities to top-class restaurants. Hotel staff will be happy to make recommendations. Days 1 & 2: take your time to experience the unique atmosphere of Marrakesh, which is surrounded by ochre-coloured ramparts. To help you get your bearings, we include a half-day orientation tour which introduces you to the souks (markets) and finishes at Djemaa El Fna, the large open square that forms the heart of the city. It is here that dozens of acrobats, musicians, dancers and storytellers gather to amuse the crowds. Accommodation: Riad Daria, as above.
Accommodation: Douar Samra, Tamatert. Your base for your last four nights offers as authentic a taste of Berber life as you will ever get. Owned by Jacqueline Brandt, it was built by the villagers who have adopted this impassioned and pioneering Swiss émigré as one of their own. There are just four simple but comfortable bedrooms (each with its own small shower room), and two lounges. Like the other village houses, it has no electricity - the rooms are warmed by open fires and lit by candles which create a cosy glow - yet the cuisine, prepared by one of the village women, is some of the best we have sampled in Morocco. For relaxation, you can use the hammam (steam bath - pay locally) and admire the sweeping views from the roof terrace. For your own small lounge and balcony, upgrade to a suite. Days 4, 5 & 6: your guide will meet you at Douar Samra each morning armed with a picnic. There are four possible walks from here, of which your guide will choose three depending on local conditions. The durations given for the walks are an indication of how many hours you will be away from your base for in total, and include time for lunch and plenty of stops to admire the views and to take photographs. Walk 2: you head east along the Tamatert valley, then rise over the Tamatert Pass (2,272 metres) to enter the Oued Imenane valley, where mule trails wind through almond, walnut and apple orchards, passing traditional Berber villages that clamber up the slopes. After lunch at a panoramic spot surrounded by high peaks, you follow more mule trails past bare escarpments then ascend to the Aguerssiouâl Pass (1,767 metres) and pass through a corridor of grey and ochre rocks. There is plenty of time to appreciate the views towards towering Djebel Toubkal as you return to your base. (18km, 6hrs) Walk 3: this walk leads through groves of almond, walnut and apple trees to a viewpoint overlooking the Imlil valley, which is peppered with Berber villages that cling to the slopes. You walk through a corridor of red and bluish rocks to the M’Zik Pass (2,664 metres), where you can pause to admire the mountain views. From the pass, you descend through woods of juniper and pines to the Tamsoult Waterfall, where you enjoy your picnic by the water’s edge before returning to Douar Samra along more or less the same route. (15km, 7hrs) Prices & Travel 2008
Room upgrade: Douar Samra suite £6pppn > Practical information Options for extending your holiday: we offer a 14-night Moroccan Experience which combines this holiday with an excursion into the sub-Sahara and our other walking holiday, Through the Foothills. > Any queries? Let us call you back |
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To explore the valleys that nestle far below Djebel Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak, is to discover far-reaching views and surprisingly fertile landscapes coated with orchards, almond groves and wheat fields, and dotted with hamlets built of adobe that clamber up the slopes. The village of Tamatert, your base for the four nights you spend in the mountains, is so close to Djebel Toubkal (4,167 metres) that it seems like you could reach out and touch it, and the views as you walk are breathtaking.
Day 3: today you are transferred to your second base, the Douar Samra. The huge contrast between Marrakesh and the High Atlas Mountains will become increasingly apparent during the transfer, the last part of which may be by mule.
Walk 1: your first target is the Tamatert Pass (2,272 metres), which you reach after ascending past wheat fields, then walnut, apple and cherry orchards, and finally woodland of pines and juniper bushes. After pausing to admire the sweeping views, you walk along the Tamatert valley, surrounded by the high peaks of the Djebel Toubkal Massif. As you return to Douar Samra along the other side of the valley after your picnic lunch, there are great views towards peaks over 3,600 metres. (12km, 4hrs)
Walk 4: the route starts by skirting the Berber town of Imlil and then follows an undulating trail that crosses the stark slopes, passing several Berber hamlets and affording excellent views of the Djebel Toubkal Massif. At the village of Aroumd, which is surrounded by ancient terraced fields of barley, corn and vegetables, there is time to explore and to marvel at how the houses are seemingly built one on top of the other before continuing to Sidi Chamharouch, another interesting village with a jumble of traditional houses. It is also an important centre of pilgrimage – the shrine (forbidden to non-Muslims) is thought to be a relic of a pre-Islamic religious cult. After lunch, you return to Douar Samra along the other side of the valley. (16km, 7hrs)