High Atlas
Morocco
Walnut terraces, mule tracks and North Africa’s highest summit, ninety minutes from Marrakech
Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash
Photos by Hans-Jürgen Weinhardt and Austin Curtis on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Morocco
June to October, when the summit path is clear of snow — in winter it is a mountaineering ascent with crampons, an ice axe and short days
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 70mm in Mar
Where it is
31.14°N, 7.92°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Weeks of it- Climb Toubkal over two days with a licensed guide, sleeping at the refuge at 3,200m
- Spend a day acclimatising on the walk up to Aroumd before the summit, rather than driving in and going straight up
- Walk a valley day to the Tizi n’Mzik pass, which needs no summit and has the better views
- Hire crampons and an ice axe in Imlil if there is any snow on the mountain, and take the guide’s word on whether there is
- Let a mule carry the bags from the road to a guesthouse above the village
- Come down to Ouirgane for a night by the river on the way back to Marrakech
High Atlas travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Morocco
Mid-rangeBring all the cash you need from Marrakech. The guide, the mule, the refuge and the gîte are paid in dirhams, and so is the tip, which is expected and part of the guide’s living.
ATMs & cards
Do not count on a machine in Imlil. Asni, twenty-five minutes down the valley, has a bank; Marrakech is the safe place to draw everything before you leave.
Avoid these
- arriving without enough cash — the valley runs on it
Use these instead
- Attijariwafa Bank
- BMCE
- Banque Populaire — in Marrakech, before you leave
Guides, mules, refuge nights and gîtes are all cash, and a guide is compulsory for Toubkal. Bring enough for the tip as well.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Morocco
SafeA licensed guide has been compulsory for Toubkal since 2019, after two Scandinavian walkers were murdered near Imlil in 2018, and the gendarmerie checks passports and guides on the way up; carry your passport. The mountain is the real risk. Toubkal is a long walk in summer but a mountaineering ascent from late autumn into spring, with ice on the upper slopes that has killed walkers who went up without crampons. Turn round when the guide says so. The valley was badly damaged in the 2023 earthquake and rebuilding is part of what you see. Stay two nights for Toubkal — up to the refuge, summit at dawn, down — and four or five for the valley walks that most visitors skip.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Worth more attention
- Jebel Toubkal — ice on the upper slopes from late autumn into spring; crampons, an ice axe and a guide, or turn back at the refuge
- Altitude — the summit is over 4,100m, and headaches above the refuge are common in people who came straight from the coast
- River beds after a summer storm, which flood within minutes in the narrow valleys
- Police checkpoints on the Toubkal path, which turn back anyone without a passport and a licensed guide
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Morocco visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Other passports
e-Visa required~€50
Morocco operates an e-visa for a growing list of nationalities.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Morocco
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
- Rabies for longer stays — stray dogs and cats are everywhere
Getting treated
Private clinics in Marrakesh and Casablanca are reasonable and inexpensive, and expect cash or an insurance guarantee up front. Public hospitals are basic. Pharmacies are excellent, widespread and can dispense a lot without a prescription.
Do not drink the tap water. Stomach upsets are the most common complaint by a distance.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodGîte food: tagine, couscous on Friday, Berber omelette, and bread from the house oven, with walnuts and apples from the valley in autumn. Eat what is put in front of you at the refuge and more than you want to — summit day starts in the dark and burns all of it.
Travel tipsGetting around
Limited- CareemWorks here
- YangoWorks here
- HeetchWorks here
- UberNot here
- BoltNot here
Careem Casablanca and Rabat · Heetch Casablanca
- Against a taxi
- The petits taxis are metered by law and frequently are not in practice. Insist on the meter or agree the fare first.
Uber left Morocco in 2018. In the tourist cities the apps barely operate and the petit taxi is the system.
Time zone and your working day
Africa/Casablanca — 4 hours ahead of you
4 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–13:00 your time, 13:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 05:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 05:00–13:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Morocco, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Arabic
- Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
- Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
- Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
- Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la
4 more phrases
- Excuse meعفوا — AfwanAF-wan
- How much is it?بكم — Bikam?bi-KAM
- The bill, pleaseالحساب — Al-hisabal-hi-SAB
- Welcomeأهلا وسهلا — Ahlan wa sahlanAH-lan wa SAH-lan
Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.
Travel tipsReligion
Sunni Muslim
Islam is the state religion and the king holds religious authority. Non-Muslims may not enter most mosques — the Hassan II in Casablanca is the main exception. Ramadan changes opening hours everywhere.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Haggle in the souks — the first price is an opening, and good humour is part of it
- Dress modestly, particularly women and particularly away from tourist areas
- Use the right hand for eating and giving
- Accept mint tea; it is the standard gesture of welcome
Don't
- Do not follow unofficial guides who offer to show you the way in the medina; the help ends in a demand
- Do not photograph people, market stalls or performers without asking — payment will be expected
- Do not enter mosques unless you are Muslim; almost all are closed to visitors
- Do not show public affection, and avoid discussing the monarchy critically
Where to stay in High Atlas
No Holistay rentals in High Atlas yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is High Atlas on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Marrakech Menara RAK
1h 30mfrom the airport· 53 km as the crow flies
1h 30 by road to Imlil.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
