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Into the High Atlas This is not a holiday on which you walk from hotel to hotel, though it does feature three different bases. In common with all our holidays, it is for individuals, not groups, but we do provide you with a city guide who will introduce you to Marrakesh and, in the mountains, a local guide who will meet you at your hotel each morning armed with a picnic. Smiling and courteous, they 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: 11 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 (Old Town) 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. This guesthouse 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 bedrooms (each with its own small shower room), and two lounges. Like the other village houses, the main house has no electricity - the small but comfortable standard bedrooms 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 you will sample 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 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) Day 7: today you are transferred to your third and final base, La Bergerie, leaving you the rest of the day to relax in the pleasant gardens.
Days 8, 9 & 10: your guide will meet you at La Bergerie each morning armed with a picnic. The order in which you do the three walks will vary according to local conditions. The durations given for the walks are an indication of how many hours you will be away from your base in total, and include time for lunch and plenty of stops to admire the views and to take photographs. Walk 1: after a short transfer, you set off along mule tracks to the village of Imareghan Noufla, where ancient presses are still used to extract oil from the olives harvested from the surrounding groves. From here, your path winds through fields of maize and seasonal wild flowers, passing other traditional villages. Salt is mined in the area and you may encounter salt sellers, usually the village women, transporting their goods. You then ascend to the summit of Tizi n' Tarabaza, pausing to admire the splendid views over the Tarabaza Plateau and the Oussertek Desert before descending to the pick-up point for the transfer back to La Bergerie. (10km, 5.5hrs) Prices & travel 2008:
Prices are based on superior rooms at Riad Daria, Marrakesh Extra night prices
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Watered by the snow that caps Djebel Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak, for much of the year, the valleys far below are green and fertile, coated with orchards, almond groves and wheat fields. Largely untouched by the passage of time, these landscapes sustain the hamlets which clamber up the slopes and whose inhabitants work the land by hand, transporting their goods by donkey from village to village. Here, vibrant Marrakesh seems a world away, yet it too is set against the impressive backdrop of the High Atlas.
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 is 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) 
Accommodation: La Bergerie, Ouirgane. With its inspirational views towards the Atlas Mountains, friendly and attentive staff, relaxed atmosphere and excellent restaurant (dinner is included), the small, family-run La Bergerie is a real find. French couple Françoise and Christian have succeeded in combining high levels of comfort with a real sense of cosiness and intimacy that is enhanced by all the personal touches and Moroccan details in the lounge, restaurant and bedrooms. We include the spacious garden suites which, as their name suggests, are dotted about the colourful, well-tended gardens. All have their own sitting room and terrace, as well as a fireplace to warm up cooler evenings. Behind the main hotel building is a (unheated) swimming pool.
Walk 2: this route again starts and ends with a transfer. From the drop-off point, you walk past several Berber villages to reach the kasbah of Agadir n’Gouf, once the stronghold of the Berber Goundafa tribe. Nowadays storks nest in the ramparts, but you can still see examples of the ornate decoration. Setting off once more, you pass another ruined kasbah and head along a riverside path past olive, walnut and almond groves to enter an enchanting hidden valley, where the clear waters of the river are full of trout. Further along the valley is the fortified settlement of Tin-Mal. The mosque here is the only one in Morocco that can be visited by non-Muslims (except on Fridays), and it is a real privilege to see the carefully restored décor, an excellent example of intricate Almohad design. (16km, 5.5hrs, plus transfers) 
Walk 3: heading west, you pass cornfields until you meet the River Oued N’Fis, the 27-metre-deep canyon of which is striped black, white and grey. After pausing for lunch at the village beyond the canyon, you continue along trails that rise beneath pines and holm oaks to the Ouzzla Pass (1,090 metres), from where you can admire the views of stark escarpments, fertile valleys and the Kik Plateau. The path zigzags downhill to an area where you may see foxes, hares and squirrels, and then leads alongside salt flats from which locals have collected salt for centuries. The last leg leads past fields of corn and potatoes back to your base. (11km, 6.5hrs)