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High Tea in the High Atlas

Thirsty? Hot? Cold? Carpetless? In Morocco, mint tea is the solution to every critical
condition. In Berber villages hewn from High Atlas mountainsides, vertiginous valley views
and wild mountain herbs add extra thrills to Morocco’s hallowed teatime traditions. Trekkers
bound for North Africa’s highest peak, Jebel Toubkal, should factor in time to accept friendly
offers of tea starting at Armoud. This hilltop village is a couple of hours from Marrakesh and a
30-minute hike from Imlil, but all that seems centuries away inside a traditional ighrem (stone
and earth house), sipping tea with wild absinthe while the family goat bleats in the courtyard.