Trekking In High Atlas Mountains

Trekking in the Ighil Mgoun exploring the ancient world of the Berbers

The Ighil Mgoun, in Berber “Crest of the winds”, is a great mountain massif in the heart of the central High Atlas, whose summit at 4068 meters of altitude, crowns this great crest ridge that for almost 20 kilometers touches 4000 meters. The summits and valleys of this region spend the winter covered with snow. Summer is the ideal time to cross its beautiful hills and cross its high pastures where nomads raise their herds of goats, sheep, donkeys and dromedaries, evolving this trekking between 2000 and 4000 meters altitude. As we pass, the Berber families are busy with their work in the fields and the orchards are full of fruits of the season. We will see some of the most important rock engravings in Morocco. If you wish you can climb to the summit of Mgoun by a beautiful ridge at 4000 meters altitude, we walk through the imposing gorges of Achabou walking along the course of the Mgoun River to the Valley of the Roses, refreshing experience with which we end this trekking. We will visit the charming city of Marrakech with its splendid Medina and the famous Jamaa el Fena square.

                                     PLANNED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival in Marrakech

We pick you up at Marrakech airport and transfer to the typical hotel/ Riad inside the Medina. Depending on your arrival time you can have the first contact with the Moroccan culture in the famous Jamaa el Fena square and its surroundings

Day 2: Marrakech – Demnat – Ait Ali N Itto

Departure from Marrakech in the morning and transfer to the beginning of the trekking of the central High Atlas of the Mgoun in the Berber village Ait Ali n Itto. We leave with all-terrain vehicles in search of the valley of Tassaout, one of the most spectacular valleys of the Atlas. We pass through the city of Demnat and ascend through Ait Tamlil and climb up to the village of Ait Ali n Itto at 1850 meters altitude, surrounded by crops and irrigation ditches on the banks of the Tassaout River. In the afternoon we will make about two hours round trip to visit the authentic Berber village Magdaz with its ancient castles of adobe and stone.

Day 3: Ait Ali N Itto – Imi N Ikkis (2200 m)

We begin our trekking of the Mgoun between large limestone walls that descend from the summit of Tignousti of 3815 meters altitude. We pass through one of the most spectacular villages of the Atlas: ICHBBAKEN, which perched high in the valley shows all the beauty of the popular Berber architecture, with its large adobe towers and houses perfectly adapted to the landscape. We continue up the valley to reach Imi N Ikkis, a small agricultural valley where we spend the night in camp.

Day 4: Imi N Ikkis – Wandras Canyon – Igourramen (2750m)

In front of us unfolds the immense slope of the Mgoun Massif. We pass through villages such as Amezri, capital of the valley of Tassaout and Tasguiwalte. If time and weather permit (always under the guidance of the official guide of the Moroccan mountain), you can make an incursion to the door of the gorges of Tassaout reaching the waterfall of Tamda, spectacular geographical feature. After leaving the gorges we go back to the bivouac of Igourramen, a real balcony over the valley of Tassaout where we spend the night by the source.

Day 5: Igourramen – Tarkeddite Plains (2900 m)

Spectacular day in which we go up to the Tarkeddite Heights. We ride between the Tarkeddite mountain of 3527 meters and the great mountain range of the Ighil Mgoun, in Berber “Ighil Oumsoud” (Crest of the Winds), an immense mountain range that runs at 4000 meters of altitude, shaped by the great foldings of the quaternary and the dominant winds of the Atlantic. Along the way we meet the nomadic Ait Atta. One of the great Berber tribes that dominate the southeastern part of Morocco, they spend the summer in the coolness of these pastures with their herds. We spend the night in the meadows of Tarkeddite next to the sources of the Tassaout valley.

Day 6: Tarkeddite plateau – Summit of Mgoun (Optional) – Oulilimt (2600 m)

We can ascend to the summit of Ighil Mgoun, for which we leave early to climb this mythical summit of the Atlas, 4068 meters high. The final ridge, formed by fossils, shows us the magnificence of the Great Central Atlas, surrounded by peaks bordering 4000 meters of altitude. A long descent leads to the valley of Oulilimt where the nomads live in shelters in the rock and surprising the presence of herds of camels in what is still high mountain. Those who do not wish to climb to the summit of Mgoun, take a beautiful route that passes through the Arous Gorges and the high Oulilimt Valley to the camp.

Day 7: Oulilimt – Talaat Sergma (2150 m)

We take the riverbed of the Mgoun River and go out to one of the most altitude inhabited areas of the Atlas. We walk all day through orchards, crops and numerous villages that welcome us with the dense shade of ancient walnut trees. The Kasbahs (fortresses) and houses are of great beauty, combining adobe, wood and stone. To our left takes prominence the great cut slope of Wagoulzat, 3800 meters.

Day 8: Talaat Sergma – Tagreft – Tarzout (1800 m)

Little by little the valley narrows and turns into a gorge. The road forces us to walk along the riverbed and we go in and out of the water, without worrying about our shoes getting wet, just like the inhabitants of the valley who have used this means of communication since ancient times.

Day 9: Tarzout – Aguerzaka (1740 m)

One of the most beautiful trekking days that can be covered. We enter the Achabou Gorges, which the Mgoun River has sculpted. The narrow strip of sky and the great red limestone walls accompany us during this aquatic journey in which we walk with water up to our knees. From time to time, a small village emerges from among the oleanders and willows, while the muleteers use the canyon as an amplifier for their folk songs. Finally we reach the village of Aguerzaka, already in the Valley of Las Rosas, where we end our good trekking experience.

Day 10: Aguerzaka – Kalaa Mgouna – Ouarzazate – Kasbah Ait ben haddou – Marrakech

We return to Marrakech visiting on the way the famous Kasbah of Ait ben Haddou, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987, a fortified enclosure within a walled town that you will surely recognize, as this citadel has been the scene of such famous films as Gladiator, Sahara, Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Game of Thrones and many others. You will continue your journey towards Marrakech crossing the High Atlas from a pass at 2260 high altitude arriving in Marrakech in the afternoon.

*Note: It may be necessary to make two hours of track in Berber van to the point where a minibus awaits to take us to Marrakech.

Day 11: Marrakech – Marrakech (optional)

In the early hours of the day, we leave accompanied with an official guide of the city for a visit of the most important historical monuments of Marrakech. We will see the Jemaa El Fna Square, the old medina, the minaret of the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the famous Ben Youssef Koranic School. Rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Day 12: Marrakech – Airport

At a convenient time we will take you to the airport, end of our services.