I love Morocco – the buzz of Marrakech, the vibrant souks, the beautiful beaches of the south and the peaceful raids. But I rarely think of mountains. And yet the spectacular Atlas Mountains, and the adorable village of Imlil, are only a few hours from Marrakech.
If you haven’t heard of Imlil, don’t worry, few people have! It is a small village in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, and has a completely different feel to the rest of Morocco. It is the main base for ascents of Morocco’s highest peak – Jebel Toubkal. This was the reason for our visit, but The Husband broke his elbow a few days before we travelled…
As it turns out, Imlil is a lovely destination in its own right and much more than just as a base for Toubkal climbers. I really hope this guide will encourage you to take a few days away from the city to see a calmer side of this wonderful country.
Don’t Miss
Hike! – climb Morocco’s highest peak Jebel Toubkal, or take day hikes high above the village. Expert guides are available, but many day hikes are easily done solo. Just be sure to let someone know where you are going and take plenty of water.
Stay in a traditional guesthouse – mountain hospitality is rightly famous. Stay in a cosy guesthouse and experience it for yourself. We stayed at Douar Samra, which was magical. Amazing food, roaring fires and candlelit bedrooms!
Relax – away from the fabulous chaos of Marrakech, life is slower paced. Read a book, sit on a sunny terrace with a glass of steaming mint tea, or just enjoy the sounds of village life.
Need to Know
Language Arabic
Currency Dirham
Nearest Airport Marrakech (RAK)
Getting Around Hike! Most hotels have mules to carry luggage if needed.
Weather Cold in the winter with snow on the slopes and peaks, but desert hot in the summer. Evenings are cool year round.
Dress – Imlil is more conservative than the more touristy destinations of Marrakech and the coastal resorts. Be respectful and dress modestly by covering knees and shoulders.
GETTING THERE
Imlil is 60km south of Marrakech, in the Toubkal National Park, and takes around a hour and a half to reach by car. Be warned, some of the mountain roads can be a little nerve wracking! Many hotels in Imlil offer free shuttle services, but if not you can hire a private driver through your hotel in Marrakech, or ask your hotel in Imlil to do so for around 1,000 MAD (£75 or $90).
You can also take a shared taxi or a grand taxi from Marrakech – they go from the other side of the street to the Jemaa el-Fnaa. Hire the whole vehicle for around 300 MAD (£25 or $30), or pay for a single seat for about 50 MAD (£4 or $5).
Words Matter – Amazigh not Berber
The indigenous inhabitants of North Africa are widely known as the Berbers. However, many view Berber as a derogatory term intimately tied up with the region’s colonial past. The word derives from the Greek for “barbarian”, whilst in Arabic, barbari, means gibberish, or nonsense. Indigenous groups identify themselves as Amazigh (or Imazighen in the plural), meaning “free people”. You will likely still see the term “Berber” – it remains a convenient marketing term for the many tour companies offering a chance to see a more traditional way of life.
Language is often embedded in complicated history, and as travellers we should be open to learning from the communities we encounter. Given how much the world adores the beautiful and colourful crafts of North Africa – and especially how profitable fashion and home decor brands find their designs – it only seems right that their peoples should be afforded the respect and self identity that they deserve.
WHAT TO DO
There are a number of short day walks you can do from Imlil that provide fantastic views out over the valley and give you a chance to see some of the traditional villages. Whilst we found the trails easy to navigate, I would recommend picking up a map from your hotel or ensuring that you have access to a map on your phone to be safe.
Top tip – Imlil sits at 1,800 metres. Take it easy on yourself when out and about – above 2,000 metres you might start to feel the altitude.
The radio tower – from the centre of Imlil is it very easy to walk up to the radio tower – you can see if from most places in town, so just walk towards it! From the top of the hill you can see Imlil, as well as the villages of Myzyk and Aroumd, and the surrounding valley.
Tizi n’ tamatert pass – walking east out of Imlil, walk thorugh forested hills up to the Tizi n’Tamatert Pass (2279m). The views from the pass are amazing! This walk was very easy to follow, and was roughly a 10km round trip from our guesthouse. At the top of the pass there is a lovely little café which makes a great lunch spot.
Cascade Imlil – there is a small street just before Riad Imlil that takes you to a small trail that follows the river and leads towards the village of Aroumd. It takes about one and half hours to walk to the summit of Outousse (2200 metres), and about an hour to descend into the village. From the village it is a short fifteen minute walk to the Cascade Imlil – the perfect spot for a picnic before your walk back to Imlil. This walk is relatively flat and not difficult, but we chose to hire a guide via our guesthouse as we wanted to learn more about Amazigh culture. I would really recommend this – our guide Hassan was very friendly, and answered our endless questions very patiently!
Jebel Toubkal – Jebel Toubkal is Morocco’s highest peak at 4,167 metres – the 22km ascent is not technical, but requires crampons in the winter. It does require a reasonable level of fitness – not least due to altitude. Although we weren’t able to make our ascent, I still wanted to share some of our planning, and very much hope to return sometime soon to complete our plans!
It takes a minimum of two days to climb, but ideally you will might want to spend a bit longer to really enjoy it and to acclimatise to the altitude. Hikers mostly follow the same route out of Imlil, along the Mizane Valley to the village of Aroumd and on to the pilgrimage site of Sidi Chamarouch. You then have around four to five hours of walking to reach the Toubkal Refuges at 3208 metres (92 MAD per night). Most guides recommend getting to refuge in the early afternoon for the best views, and to have time to acclimatise. After a night in the refuge, you set off at first light for the summit. The Ikhibi Sud is the most popular trail – the Ikhibi Nord is best left for more experienced climbers – and takes around three hours.
It is mandatory to hire a local guide to climb Toubkal for safety reasons – there are check points along the way to ensure that you do. You can also organise a guide in Imlil, through the excellent Bureau des Guides, or email them ahead of your trip. Guides cost between 400-700 MAD (£33-£75 or $40-$90). Alternatively, almost all of the tour companies in Marrakech can organise a guide and accommodation for you – although the prices vary significantly so make sure you do your research.
WHERE TO STAY
Douar Samra – this guesthouse is where we stayed, and it really was like something from a fairy tale! There is no electricity, so bedrooms and communal areas are candlelit in the evening and we came back each night to find a roaring fire in our bedroom. The staff were incredibly friendly, and the food was undoubtedly some of the best I have eaten anywhere in the world!
Kasbah du Toubkal – when we come back and climb Toubkal, I have made The Husband promise that we will stay here. The setting is really beautiful – perched on a hill above the village, the views over the valley are break taking.
WHERE TO EAT
We stayed at Douar Samra half board, which I would really recommend as the food was sensational. Every night we had the most delicious selection of stews and vegetable dishes. We still dream about the tomatoes with honey!
We tried the places below for lunch whilst out hiking.
Atlas Prestige Restaurant – Be warned, you will want to buy all of the rugs after eating here! It seems they might only serve breakfast and dinner now, but we had a lovely vegetable couscous here for lunch.
Chez les Berbères – food here is simple but tasty, and very reasonably priced – a great spot to try tagine. The terrace is lovely.
The café on Tizi n’Tamatert – I have no idea what this little café was called but if was a perfect lunch spot – we had warm bread and an omelette washed down with Moroccan tea – overlooking the most amazing valley views!
Imlil really was a wonderful surprise for us, so I really hope this will make you consider a visit. If you are looking for more adventure inspiration, have a look at my other hiking guides.
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