High Atlas
Tackle North Africa’s highest
peak, Jebel Toubkal, and meet
the Berbers on the longer Toubkal
Circuit ( Click here ).
Escape the crowds and be
inspired by the remote M’Goun
Massif’s spectacular valleys and
beautiful villages ( Click here ).Jebel Sarhro
Head southeast to some of
Morocco’s most rugged and
stunning scenery, perfect for
winter walking ( Click here ).The Rif
Take a gentler path through little-
visited cedar forests in the
Talassemtane National Park, near
Chefchaouen ( Click here ).Anti Atlas
Visit a few of the Ameln Valley’s
26 villages, en route to an ascent
of the ‘amethyst mountain’, Jebel
L’Kest ( Click here ).
Enjoy serious trekking and stark
beauty among the remote villages
and tremendous gorges beneath
volcanic Jebel Siroua ( Click here
).Trekking in Morocco was once the preserve of
dedicated climbers, and a few intrepid amateurs, en
route to the top of North Africa’s highest peak, Jebel
Toubkal (4167m). Things have changed: there are
now treks for all times of year and levels of fitness;
treks to test the fittest athletes and those where you
can have your bags carried, arrive to find your lunch
laid out for you and sleep in luxury.
Morocco is blessed with some of the world’s most
dramatic and beautiful mountains, many of which see
few travellers while others remain unexplored by
foreigners. The broad range of climates is also a
blessing for trekkers. When December snows make
Jebel Toubkal impossible to trek, Jebel Sarhro, closer
to the Sahara on the southern side of the Atlas, is
passable. When the summer sun makes the Rif too
hot to trek, it also melts the snow off Toubkal, enticing
crowds to the summit.
As trekking in Morocco has grown in popularity, so
have the options available. You could buy a package,
including flights and transfers, guides and food; or turn
up at the trailhead, hire a guide and mules, and head
off into the Berber heartland. Whichever you choose,
trekking is often the highlight of visits to Morocco.GETTING STARTED
Maps
Morocco is covered by a 1:100,000 and also a
1:50,000 topographical map series.
Some of the 1:50,000 series are unavailable to the
public; travellers exploring wide areas are advised to
stick to the 1:100,000 series.
Although marked in Cyrillic script, 1:100,000 maps
of Morocco made by the Soviet military are as topographically accurate as any available.
The best place in Morocco to buy maps is Direction de la Cartographie in Rabat (see the
boxed text on Click here ), which lists the maps it sells online.
Maps and photocopies are also available at other bookshops around Morocco, listed in the
destination chapters, as well as at stalls around the Djemaa el-Fna in Marrakesh and, as a last
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