3 Day Berber Villages Trek: Imnane and Imlil Valleys

This is a walking trek for people who want the High Atlas as it is lived in, not as a summit target. Over three days and two nights you cross two passes, link the Imnane and Imlil valleys, walk through Berber villages where daily life keeps its own pace and sleep in village guest houses. It is a moderate trek, with about five to six hours of walking a day and a high point of 2,340 metres, so it needs good boots and steady legs but no mountaineering. For the first two days you are on trails away from the busiest Toubkal routes, which gives the trek a noticeably quieter feel.

The route in brief

You are collected from your accommodation in Marrakech and driven to Agersioual, at 1,480 metres, where you meet your mountain team over a glass of Moroccan tea. Day one climbs gradually to the pass of Tizi n’Agersioual (2,000 metres), with views over the Matat and Imnane valleys, then drops to the river for lunch and continues to the village of Amssakrou (1,550 metres) for the night. Day two follows the valley through the villages of Ikis and Tinghrine and climbs to Tizi n’Tamatert (2,340 metres), one of the best viewpoints on the route, looking over both the Imlil and Imnane valleys. You lunch in the Tamatert forest and walk through the Imlil valley to Aroumd (2,000 metres), the last big village before the Toubkal trail. Day three goes up the valley to Chamharouch, or, for a gentler day, around the villages and waterfalls near Aroumd, before the transfer back to Marrakech.

An optional climb and a hammam

On day two, if you feel strong and the weather and conditions allow, your guide may offer an extra ascent toward Taoudja, at around 2,700 metres one of the higher peaks in the area. It is an option, not part of the standard day. In the evening in Aroumd you can try a traditional Berber hammam, where one is available.

How hard is it?

The trek is graded moderate. Expect around five to six hours of walking each day, with steady climbs to passes between 2,000 and 2,340 metres. None of the passes is high enough to bring serious altitude problems for most people, but the days are long enough that you should be used to walking all day in boots. The first two days are on quieter trails, and the path on day three can be changed to a lower route if the weather or your legs suggest it.

Food and sleeping

A private mountain cook prepares fresh meals on the trail, so lunches are cooked by the river or in the forest and dinners are served in the guest houses. The trek is full board: lunch and dinner on day one, breakfast, lunch and dinner on day two, and breakfast and lunch on day three. You sleep in traditional Berber guest houses on both nights, in Amssakrou and in Aroumd.

What to bring

Bring comfortable, worn-in walking boots with good grip, warm layers such as a fleece or an insulated jacket because the evenings in the mountains can be cool, a waterproof jacket, a sun hat, sunglasses and sun cream, a refillable water bottle, a small daypack, a head torch, your own toiletries and any medication, and some cash for personal extras and tips.

What is included

The price covers pick-up from your accommodation in Marrakech and the return transfer at the end, an experienced local mountain guide and team, a private cook, full board during the trek, two nights in traditional Berber guest houses and a traditional Moroccan tea on arrival in Agersioual. Travel insurance, personal expenses and tips for your mountain team are not included, and neither is getting to and from Marrakech itself.

Other treks and mountain days

If you want a summit, see our Mount Toubkal trekking page, which starts with the 2 day trek. For one day in the valley without a night out, try the Imlil day trip. You can also ask us to build your own route.