1 Day Trip from Marrakech to the Atlas Mountains and Imlil
Less than 90 minutes from the Jemaa el-Fna square, the High Atlas feels like another country: walnut terraces, red-earth villages clinging to the slopes and the 4,167 m summit of Jbel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, on the skyline. This private day trip takes you to Imlil, the trailhead village at the foot of Toubkal, for an easy guided walk and lunch in a Berber house.
- Duration: 1 day (about 8 hours)
- Starts and ends: your riad or hotel in Marrakech
- Distance: about 65 km each way, roughly 1 hour 30 minutes' drive
- Walking: 2 to 3 hours at an easy pace, with a local mountain guide
- Price: on request, depends on group size
Highlights
- The Asni weekly market on Saturdays, where villagers trade mules, spices and mountain produce
- Moulay Brahim gorge and the first views of the snow-capped High Atlas
- A guided walk through apple and walnut orchards to the village of Aroumd at 1,900 m
- Mint tea and lunch with a Berber family, with tagine cooked over a wood fire
- Views of Jbel Toubkal and the Kasbah du Toubkal, perched above Imlil
- Argan, saffron and rose products at a mountain cooperative on the way back
Day by Day
Day 1: Marrakech → Asni → Imlil → Marrakech
Your driver collects you at 9:00. Leaving the city, the road crosses the olive groves of the Haouz plain and climbs through the Moulay Brahim gorge to Asni; on Saturdays you can stop at its busy country souk.
In Imlil you meet your local mountain guide, who was born in the valley. Together you walk up through terraced orchards and along irrigation channels to Aroumd, one of the highest villages in the area, with views up the valley towards Toubkal. The path is a mule track rather than a mountain trail, and the pace is set by you.
Lunch is served in a village house: salads, a slow-cooked tagine, seasonal fruit and plenty of mint tea. After lunch you walk back down to Imlil, where your driver is waiting. On the way back you can stop at a women's cooperative or at a viewpoint over the valley. You are back in Marrakech at about 17:00.
Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver
- Pick-up and drop-off at your riad or hotel in Marrakech
- Local mountain guide in Imlil
- Lunch with a Berber family
- Fuel, tolls and bottled water
Not included: drinks other than water and tea, tips, mule hire if you prefer to ride part of the way.
Good to Know
- What to wear: comfortable walking shoes and layers; the mountains are 10 to 15 °C cooler than Marrakech, and snow is common from December to March.
- Fitness: suitable for most people who can walk for two hours. We can shorten the walk or arrange mules for children and older travellers.
- Make it longer: stay overnight in a mountain lodge, or combine Imlil with a hike to the Toubkal refuge on a two-day trek.
- Other day trips: compare with our Essaouira day trip, or see all our private Morocco tours.