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CULTURAL & VILLAGE TREKKING
CENTRAL ATLAS TREKKING
& ASCENT
OF MGOUN 4068m
3000m SUMMITS & RIDGES
BIRD WATCHING
FAMILY ADVENTURES
DRIVING TOURS (DESERT)
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TREKKING VILLAGE TO
VILLAGE
Spring to Autumn is a great
time for trekking in these mountains. Green terraced fields at village level whilst some
remaining snow remains on the very high peaks. Visually it is a
stunning time. Every month brings something different it seems.
Harvest & threshing time in the villages in May; butterflies in
June and the first cherries being picked; almonds in July; ripening
walnuts in August with entire villages turning out for their picking
in September. The return of the shepherds and nomadic camel trains
from the high summer grazing areas (azibs) beckons the first snow
flurries in October.
The
variety of treks that the region offers is huge - ranging from
straightforward 1 week cultural type village to village treks
to 3 week wilderness treks where you would do well to meet anyone
other than semi-nomadic goat farmers!
No one photo can
"say it all" - so to get a better idea of what you can
expect to see and experience on your trek - click
on this photo album (should open in a new window).
We
have a number of standard itinerary "off
the peg" trips and will run these with a minimum of 2
persons as either private (closed) or public trips. If you opt to
make your trip open for others to join you, then we will advertise
it as a public trip which attracts a price discount.
If you are interested in a Customised
/ Private Trip for you / your group, please have a read
of this page first and then email us with your ideas /
requests.
Some general information on
trekking routes in the High Atlas.
(If you aren't overly familiar
with the geography of the Atlas range - just
click on this link and our outline map of the area will open in
a new window.)
In the Moroccan Atlas there are
"end to end" treks as well as "circular
treks". Some people have a preference for one type - others
don't mind! Here is a brief summary of the "end to end"
treks we often run:-
- Tichka to Tin Mal Mosque.
Dubbed the "Wonder Trek" by Hamish Brown, this is a
trek starting from the Tichka Plateau in the Western Atlas and
following the Oued (river) nFis eastwards as it wends its way
through gorges and steep valleys to the ancient 11th century Tin
Mal Mosque on the Tizi-n-Test road. Takes about 7-10 days
depending on how energetic you want to be! Stunning trek.
- Tin Mal to Toubkal. This
can be a separate trek or an extension to the one above. Is a
good introduction to the western side of the Toubkal range and
covers a mixture of valley / village trekking as well as passing
over high cols to finish at the base of Toubkal. Takes about 5
days.
- Toubkal to Mgoun. Some
companies market this as a "traverse of the High
Atlas". Whilst it certainly is a traverse, it is not in any
way a traverse of the entire range! It does have appeal however
in linking up these 2 famous peaks much as the Haute Route in
the Alps links Mt Blanc and the Matterhorn. Passes through some
stunning countryside and gorges. Takes 10 days to 2 weeks again
depending on how many rest days you want!
Circuit Treks.
- Village to Village trekking.
This type of trekking can be done pretty much in any part of the
High Atlas. We tend to locate our scheduled Village Treks in the
Western
Atlas north of Taroudant simply because that is where we are
based! However if you are flying into Marrakech e.g. we would
organise the trek to be located on the north side of the
mountains. Duration on our scheduled treks is one week but
customised / private treks can be as long or short as you like.
- Tour of Tichka. A week
long circuit of the Tichka plateau in the Western Atlas. Great
combination of village trekking, high mountain scenery and
crossing over high passes.
- Tour of Mgoun. Generally
10 days is the time spent doing a complete circuit of this 4000m
peak. Great gorges, high plateau where nomadic shepherds bring
their camels to graze in the summer and a very different feel to
other areas of the High Atlas. Marrakech is the nearest airport
for this trip. Quite a busy / popular area with French in the
summer.
- Jebel Siroua and Jebel Sahro.
These are two separate little "ranges" in their own
right to the south and south-east respectively of the High
Atlas. The Sahro have become the classic winter trekking region
(particularly with the larger UK companies) as there is seldom
snow on the tops - but it does get cold at night in the winter!
The Siroua reach over 3300m and are a good place for
"getting away from it all" trekking. Agadir is the
best airport for the Siroua and Ouarzazate for the Sahro but
there are no direct flights at the moment to Ouarzazate from the
UK - only Paris.
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