Exotic Travel Series – Exploring the High Atlas mountains

Exploring the Moroccan high Atlas Mountains has been a lifelong dream and one which I’ve now finally fulfilled all thanks to a friend who I met online via LinkedIn. Strange how some things were just meant to be…

Several years ago, Jalil Benlabhili reached out to me and invited me to join his network and given that I’m engaged in the travel journalism industry thought it would be beneficial to us both to connect.

Jalil runs Morocco Unplugged Tours and as you can imagine I was intrigued at the thought of exploring Morocco as it was high on my list!   After our initial connection we exchanged messages and soon began following each other on various social media channels.

Jalil is based in Marrakech and so I had arranged for him to meet me at the airport in Marrakech when I arrived so we could discuss some of the places to see and visit during my visit.  I had arranged for private tour of the High Atlas Mountains and beyond which was a great place to begin.

As with most mornings, the air is cool and so he picked me up from our Riad (local guesthouse) in the Kasbah in his 4×4 and headed east out of Marrakech toward the distant mountain range he began providing a detailed itinerary of the day ahead.  As well, he also explained the topography of this important mountain range and its part in the cultural heritage of Morocco.

Through his entertaining and rich stories, he was able to create the tapestry that makes Morocco what it is today.

For starters, who knew that Morocco is the oldest monarchy in the world today?  Nor would I have known that Marrakech was formed by an army who ate dates and discarded the pits as they waited for a river to recede.  These dates eventually sprouted and formed an oasis which is now commonly regarded as the birth of Marrakech.

As we made our way into the High Atlas the roads became both narrower and less travelled, eventually taking us on some ancient trade routes where Berber villages have sprouted over the centuries.

That being said, the ancient lifestyle which many of these families follow to this day are reminiscent of a bygone era.  The kids are still shoeless, and dressed in little more than rags, but like kids anywhere make their own fun.  What struck me most was that they are always smiling and incredibly happy.  Jalil would stop at chat amiably with a shepherd boy tending his goats, or in a village when the gaggle of kids would race up the road toward the car to chat excitedly with us.

His ability to relate to every person he met along our journey told me a lot about his as a person, whether they were a shepherd boy, a souk seller or a person in the street he had the ability to relate and communicate on a human level that was both respectful and friendly.  It seemed as though he could relate every person he met, irrespective of village, tribe, or location.

He stopped often for me to take photos and had a great eye for the perfect shot.

Our first stop was to visit a traditional Souk in the town of Asni.  Not the type of sanitized Souk that you see in Marrakech or larger city, but a Souk that hasn’t changed for thousands of years…

It was eye opening as he explained how the Souks travelled around between villages, and that you would have every type of business, or artisan represented.  I must admit to our western sensibilities the Souk was a shock!   The sights and smells were overwhelming to say the least…but clearly authentic!

Prior to lunch he stopped in the village of Imlil.  This village is the jumping off point to climb into the High Atlas Mountains and starting point to ascent Toubkal which is the second highest peak in Africa after Kilimanjaro.

The vistas around Imlil are reminiscent of what I would expect to see in Tibet or Bhutan, with soaring peaks rising well above village which was already quite high up in the range.  The village was festooned with places to buy all of your climbing gear, as well there were lots of guides willing to take us up onto the mountain, but alas time was not on my side…

Jalil dropped me off just outside Imlil so I could at least stretch my legs and walk for a bit.  As I walked, I noticed that I was surrounded by wild fig and walnut trees including incredible mountainous scenery that would blow your mind.

We lunched at a local establishment on the main road in Asni, eating a delicious camel and vegetable Tagine. Another authentic Moroccan experience that is a must when visiting!

As we began our journey back toward Marrakech Jalil decided to drive down onto the eastern side of the Atlas Mountains to the edge of the Sahara, which was incredibly beautiful.  We passed through a number of villages along the unpaved roads through a semi-arid landscape which was, in some ways reminiscent of the Australian desert.

Ideally, I would have had an opportunity to spend time in the Sahara, but alas my timing wasn’t great as it was the late summer and the heat extreme.  I’ll have to add that to my return visit.

Until next week.

Ciao.