Imlil

We’ve decided four days is our minimum stay in any one location. Any fewer and we’re bound to go crazy from moving too much. After four days in Marrakech, we were ready to head out of the city into the Atlas Mountains. The recommended transportation: grands taxis. Grands taxis are crème colored Mercedes from the 1970’s that carry 6 extremely cramped passengers. Two in the front seat, four in the back. This seems a bit unsafe, but in comparison to the people riding mopeds without helmets (we saw not a single person wearing a helmet), it is one of the most common and safe ways to travel medium distances in Morocco.

Village above Imlil

Imlil is where the paved road South of Marrakech ends. And is one of the more popular Berber villages for beginning treks into the Atlas Mountains.


From one village to another

Jebel Toubkal (4167m) is the tallest mountain in Northern Africa, and many a tourist ventures to Imlil with a summit in mind.

Jebel Toubkal; center

We stayed at a wonderful spot called Dar Adrar. It is run by a well known guide in the area, and consists of three rooms on top of a lower level inhabited by the family (the guide Mohamed Aztat, his wife, his two brothers, his sister, his three children, a cow, a donkey, a chicken, a cat and her two kittens). It’s a bit up the hill from the town center, which makes for a brutal walk with big bags but incredible views of the Ourika Valley. Our fare included breakfast and dinner, and we eagerly anticipated dinner every day because it was a feast! Not only was it plentiful, but incredibly delicious and local. Fresh khoobz baked daily (we could smell the smoke every morning around six or so when they started the fire going), soups, tajines, and couscous dishes. Probably our favorite was a pile of couscous with carrots, summer squash, potatoes, chicken, prunes and golden raisins on top. Accompanied with a dish of the sweet sauce that the entire mix had simmered in, we ate until our bellies couldn’t take another bite.

Post supper moonrise

We spent a number of days doing day hikes, which took us through cherry orchards, terraces of wheat fields, corn and potatoes, walnut trees and pine forests at higher elevations. We visited during harvest time, so most locals are hard at work harvesting crops. Particularly striking was the grass harvest. Women of all ages spend their days collecting tall grass by hand, then loading the enormous bundles on their backs and hauling them to various places to dry.

Wheat harvest by hand

The most popular location for drying is rooftops, and we think the grass is used for feeding animals in the winter. We also climbed Jebel Toubkal, and spent a few days being plain old lazy. There is nothing like doing laundry, reading, nibbling fresh cherries and drinking mint tea to settle the soul.