Things to do
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Aroumd
Stone houses climb a spur above the valley floor a short walk up from Imlil, and the village serves as the first stop on the Toubkal path. Guesthouse terraces here face the peaks head on. Mule trains pass through the lower lanes, and the walk up takes under an hour on a stony track.
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Asni
Below Imlil on the road from Marrakesh, this market town holds a weekly souk on Saturdays, when farmers bring livestock, produce and household goods down from the surrounding villages. Trade is in animals and vegetables, with little aimed at tourists. Grand taxis change here for the last stretch up the valley.
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Kasbah du Toubkal
Perched on a rocky knoll above Imlil, this restored kasbah runs as a mountain lodge with rooms, a hammam and a roof terrace facing Toubkal. Luggage goes up the final stretch by mule from the village. The lodge also organises treks into the massif, and rooms are booked well ahead in spring and autumn.
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Kasbah Tamadot
Terraced gardens and an infinity pool look across the valley to the High Atlas from this kasbah hotel outside Asni. Rooms and Berber tented suites are furnished with Moroccan and Asian antiques. The hotel arranges guided walks to the surrounding villages, and transfers from Marrakesh take about an hour.
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Lake Ifni
Held behind a rockfall on the southern side of the massif, this high lake sits in a bowl of bare scree at about 2,300 metres, with no village on its shore. Reaching it means crossing a pass from the Toubkal refuge, usually on a multi-day loop with a guide and mules. The water stays cold even in summer.
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Tizi n'Tamatert
East of the village, a pass at around 2,280 metres carries a track over to the Ourika side. The climb through juniper looks back over the whole valley to the summits behind. The walk makes a half-day round trip on a mule path, and cloud often closes in by early afternoon, so an early start keeps the view.
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Toubkal
North Africa's highest peak rises to 4,167 metres at the head of the valley. The standard route climbs to a mountain refuge on the first day and reaches the summit at dawn on the second. A licensed guide is required, and from roughly December to April the upper slopes hold snow that calls for crampons and an ice axe.
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Toubkal National Park
Created in 1942, the park covers the high massif around Toubkal, a country of juniper slopes, terraced barley and stone villages. Mule paths link the valleys over passes, and mules and muleteers are hired in Imlil. Day walks stay below 3,000 metres, while longer treks circle the massif over several days.
