Day Summary
1Drive Marrakesh to Imi Oughlad, trek to Tinzert
2Trek Tinzert to Tizian
3Trek Tizian to Tizgui
4Trek Tizgui to Tizi Oussem
5Trek Tizi Oussem to Imlil
6Day in Imlil
7Drive Imlil to MarrakeshDETAILED ITINERARY
DayElevationTravel TimeInfo
1 1.5hrs Drive + 6hrs TrekAfter around a 1 to 1.5 hour drive up from Marrakech, you will meet your guide, mule and cook at the small village of Imi Oughlad which sits beside the road that climbs up the bottom of the Ait Mizanne Valley. The mules will take your big bags and you will carry just a small day sack. First we have a short steep climb amongst a forest of old but small and gnarled juniper trees. The path then eases off as we follow the valley up and over a pass before dropping gently down the other side to the village of Tinzert where the valley opens out again. In Tinzert we will settle into a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stad-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
2 5 hrsLeaving Tinzert we make our way around to the larger Azzaden Valley and begin to follow it up to the south. The valley is a strip of lush green amongst the more arid hillsides surrounding it. The small river in its base is fed from the snow melting from the higher peaks to the south. We follow this green strip past a few small traditional Berber villages before we arrive at one called Tizian, where we will spend the night. We will stay in a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stand-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
3 7 hrsAs we leave Tizian in a southerly direction we pass through terraces of large walnut trees. We will stop at Tizi Taghrhourt from which we get a great view back down to the North, along the Azzaden Valley. Then it is a long steady climb up to today's highest point of the pass at the head of the valley. The terrain here is more arid than in the valley bottom and we will see reds, yellows and greys in the exposed rocks and soils. Dropping down the other side we wind our way down into the Dkent Valley and around to the large village of Tizgui. Here we will spend the night in a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stand-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
4 7 hrsToday we will leave the Dkent Valley and climb back over to the Azzaden Valley. This morning will start with a sustained uphill trek to the high pass of Tizi Tougdal at 2700m. We start off amongst terraced fields in the valley bottom but then climb up out of the oases and onto the arid mountainside again. Once we pass Tizi Tougdal it is all down hill back into the Azzaden Valley and the village of Tizi Oussem, surrounded by the green of fields and well established groves of trees, terraced on the hillside. In Tizi Oussem we will stay in a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stand-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
5 7 hrsFrom Tizi Oussem we start our last day by following the Azzaden Valley up to the south as it narrows and approaches the mountains that feed its river. High above to the West is the Tazarhart Plateau, a 3900m mountain with a flat top around 2km across. We will see the cliffs rising up to its lip to the right of the valley head. Passing the hamlet and mountain refuge at Tamsoult we will continue to where the valley narrows to a cliffed gorge and a large waterfall crashes down into the bottom. After a rest at the waterfall we will follow the valley back down but this time follow the path up the East side of the valley and work our way around and up to the hig pass at Tizi Mzik. From here we get a superb view down into the Mizane Valley and the handful of villages that are known collectively as Imlil. We make our way down into what may now seem like a bustling metropolis after our days amongst the smaller, more isolated villages. Imlil is the main starting place for treks to north Africa's highest peak and there are lots of guesthouses and shops to cater for the needs of the trekkers. We will spend the night at a small guesthouse which is owned and run by the Amzil family. There are simple ensuite bedrooms with western-style flush toilets, hot showers and a rooftop terrace to enjoy the view back across to Tizi Mzik where we descended from.
6 Today will be a free day for you to explore the villages on Imlil or just relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
7 1.5 hrs DriveThe drive back to Marrakesh is only around an hour and a half so depending on when you need to be back in the city, we can have a relaxed start and walk down into Fimlil, the main centre of the villages, and have a look in the local shops and stalls and generally soak up the atmosphere before driving back down to the bustling city of Marrakesh.
1Drive Marrakesh to Imi Oughlad, trek to Tinzert
2Trek Tinzert to Tizian
3Trek Tizian to Tizgui
4Trek Tizgui to Tizi Oussem
5Trek Tizi Oussem to Imlil
6Day in Imlil
7Drive Imlil to MarrakeshDETAILED ITINERARY
DayElevationTravel TimeInfo
1 1.5hrs Drive + 6hrs TrekAfter around a 1 to 1.5 hour drive up from Marrakech, you will meet your guide, mule and cook at the small village of Imi Oughlad which sits beside the road that climbs up the bottom of the Ait Mizanne Valley. The mules will take your big bags and you will carry just a small day sack. First we have a short steep climb amongst a forest of old but small and gnarled juniper trees. The path then eases off as we follow the valley up and over a pass before dropping gently down the other side to the village of Tinzert where the valley opens out again. In Tinzert we will settle into a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stad-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
2 5 hrsLeaving Tinzert we make our way around to the larger Azzaden Valley and begin to follow it up to the south. The valley is a strip of lush green amongst the more arid hillsides surrounding it. The small river in its base is fed from the snow melting from the higher peaks to the south. We follow this green strip past a few small traditional Berber villages before we arrive at one called Tizian, where we will spend the night. We will stay in a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stand-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
3 7 hrsAs we leave Tizian in a southerly direction we pass through terraces of large walnut trees. We will stop at Tizi Taghrhourt from which we get a great view back down to the North, along the Azzaden Valley. Then it is a long steady climb up to today's highest point of the pass at the head of the valley. The terrain here is more arid than in the valley bottom and we will see reds, yellows and greys in the exposed rocks and soils. Dropping down the other side we wind our way down into the Dkent Valley and around to the large village of Tizgui. Here we will spend the night in a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stand-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
4 7 hrsToday we will leave the Dkent Valley and climb back over to the Azzaden Valley. This morning will start with a sustained uphill trek to the high pass of Tizi Tougdal at 2700m. We start off amongst terraced fields in the valley bottom but then climb up out of the oases and onto the arid mountainside again. Once we pass Tizi Tougdal it is all down hill back into the Azzaden Valley and the village of Tizi Oussem, surrounded by the green of fields and well established groves of trees, terraced on the hillside. In Tizi Oussem we will stay in a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family. The guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take shower or stand-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with you but in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside if you prefer.
5 7 hrsFrom Tizi Oussem we start our last day by following the Azzaden Valley up to the south as it narrows and approaches the mountains that feed its river. High above to the West is the Tazarhart Plateau, a 3900m mountain with a flat top around 2km across. We will see the cliffs rising up to its lip to the right of the valley head. Passing the hamlet and mountain refuge at Tamsoult we will continue to where the valley narrows to a cliffed gorge and a large waterfall crashes down into the bottom. After a rest at the waterfall we will follow the valley back down but this time follow the path up the East side of the valley and work our way around and up to the hig pass at Tizi Mzik. From here we get a superb view down into the Mizane Valley and the handful of villages that are known collectively as Imlil. We make our way down into what may now seem like a bustling metropolis after our days amongst the smaller, more isolated villages. Imlil is the main starting place for treks to north Africa's highest peak and there are lots of guesthouses and shops to cater for the needs of the trekkers. We will spend the night at a small guesthouse which is owned and run by the Amzil family. There are simple ensuite bedrooms with western-style flush toilets, hot showers and a rooftop terrace to enjoy the view back across to Tizi Mzik where we descended from.
6 Today will be a free day for you to explore the villages on Imlil or just relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
7 1.5 hrs DriveThe drive back to Marrakesh is only around an hour and a half so depending on when you need to be back in the city, we can have a relaxed start and walk down into Fimlil, the main centre of the villages, and have a look in the local shops and stalls and generally soak up the atmosphere before driving back down to the bustling city of Marrakesh.