High Atlas, the Berber mountains between Marrakesh and the desert.

What is the High Atlas?

The High Atlas is the highest part of the Atlas mountains and the one you see from Marrakesh: a wall that closes the horizon to the south, snow-capped in winter. It starts on the Atlantic coast, north of Agadir, and runs east to near the Algerian border. It is usually divided into three sections. The western one has Toubkal, at 4,167 m, the highest summit in North Africa, within a national park created in 1942. The central one, wider and less visited, has the Ighil M'Goun, a little over 4,000 m, and farming valleys such as Aït Bouguemez. The eastern one descends towards the Jbel Ayachi and the edge of the Sahara.

It is inhabited mountain. In the valleys live Berber communities who farm in terraces, among walnut and almond trees, with stone and mud-brick villages hanging from the slopes. To the north, the mountain faces the Marrakesh plain; to the south, it drops onto the Drâa valley and the kasbah route, which leads to the desert.

How do you get there and get around?

The gateway is Marrakesh, with direct flights from many Spanish cities. In the south, Ouarzazate has its own airport. From Marrakesh, the Imlil valley is about 65 km away, around an hour and a half with the last kilometres of bends. To cross the range, the N9 road climbs to the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 m, and drops to Ouarzazate: it is about 190 km and about four hours, with many bends and lorries. Another road, the Tizi n'Test, links Marrakesh with Taroudant to the west and is narrower.

You travel by hire car, with a driver or by grand taxi, shared or private. The CTM and Supratours buses link Marrakesh with Ouarzazate, Boumalne and Tinghir, and from there taxis go up to the valleys. On foot, the mountains are covered from village to village along mule tracks, almost always with a local guide and a mule for the luggage.

What to see in the High Atlas

On the north face, Imlil and Toubkal: a village at 1,740 m at the foot of the summit, for walking for a day in the valley or climbing Toubkal in two, with a night at the refuge at about 3,200 m. Near Marrakesh is also the Ourika valley, the most common day excursion from the city. Further east, in the province of Azilal, the Ouzoud waterfalls drop 110 m in three leaps, about 150 km from Marrakesh, and the Aït Bouguemez valley, about four hours away, is the base for the M'Goun.

On the south face, past the Tichka, the road to the Telouet kasbah branches off and, further down, Aït Ben Haddou appears, a mud-brick ksar on a hill, a World Heritage site since 1987, half an hour from Ouarzazate. Continuing east along the N10 are the Todra and Dadès gorges: the Todra, a rock corridor about 300 m high that is walked on foot, and the Dadès, a canyon of bends that is climbed by car. From the Todra it is about four hours to Merzouga and the dunes.

When to go and what changes with the season

April, May, June, September and October are the best months: mild days in the valleys and summits free of snow or with little from May. In July and August the low valleys and the south face are very hot, although at Imlil and higher up it is fine and it is the season for climbing Toubkal. From December to March snow falls on the summits and on the Tichka, which may close for a few hours or days; Toubkal in winter needs crampons, an ice axe and a guide with winter experience. In spring and autumn, storms can cause sudden floods in rivers and ravines, above all in the Atlas, as the Spanish Foreign Ministry warns: do not camp in dry riverbeds.

How many days and how to divide them

For Imlil a day from Marrakesh is enough, or two with a night in the valley, and the Toubkal summit needs two or three. Crossing the range to the desert is done well in three days: the first, Marrakesh, the Tichka and Aït Ben Haddou, with a night there; the second, Ouarzazate and the gorges, with a night in the Dadès or the Todra; the third, Merzouga. Doing it in a day from Marrakesh is eight hours' drive for two of sightseeing. For the central High Atlas and the M'Goun, allow four or five more days.

What to know before you go

The September 2023 earthquake hit above all the provinces of Al Haouz and Taroudant, where Imlil, the Ourika and the Tichka pass are, and reconstruction continues. The Spanish Foreign Ministry advises Spanish travellers against going to those two provinces (advice updated on 9 July 2026): check it before booking. If it is still in force, for the south face consider flying to Ouarzazate. To climb Toubkal you need an accredited mountain guide, and there are checks on the path. The Foreign Ministry also warns that mountain rescue resources may be limited. The currency is the dirham and outside the cities almost everything is paid in cash.