6 Day Trekking in the Atlas Mountains: Ouarzazate and Tizi ‘n’Tichka

You will be picked up from your hotel in Marrakech at 0800h (8am). Accompanied by an English-speaking guide travel across the Haouz Plain passing through the Berber villages of Aït Barqa and Taddert. Travel along the spectacular Tizi n’Tichka, the highest mountain pass in Morocco. Then gently down alongside the Assif Imini, through the ‘Beau Geste’ city of Ouarzazate and a stop for our lunch in a small restaurant just outside of the city.

In the afternoon continue east towards the Dadès Valley. Travel through the valley to come face to face with an imposing set of kasbahs. 20km further on we enter the valley full of rose bush plantations and palmeraies, magnificent Berber villages and more Kasbahs.

We shall spend the night in a Berber House and dine midst the bare brown and purple surrounds of the Kasbah n’Aït Youl.

After a Berber breakfast amidst the cliffs we start our hike south across the Ouaouchene Plateau to the Assif Imi n’Ouaouchene. After around 3 hours we shall arrive at a small well in the semi-desert where we shall stop after our steady 3 hour hike for our field picnic. From here we continue south-wards near strangely-shaped, colourful cliffs until we come to the middle of nowhere region known as Aqqa Agoulzi n’Oughioul and the surprise of small fields of Ano Ighdad where we shall stop for our overnight dinner and camp.

After breakfast we set off on today’s hike up to the sand-blasted Tizi n’Elmersse and along the desolate Elmersse Plateau to Ano n’Elmersse. Passing by the copper mines at Tagmout to the Tagmout Plateau where we shall stop for our field picnic.

In the afternoon continue east through the increasingly desolate area alongside the escarpments of Adrar Amgroud to the Berber hamlet of Assaka n’Aït Ouazzine, where we stop for the night for our welcome dinner and set up camp near fields of corn, barley and stands of Barbary fig and almond trees.

After breakfast, we set out up along the dry river bed between glass-like rocks and boulders. Our path will take us through the remote hamlets of Akerkour, Berqiq and Tigniza. Continue through pastureland, dotted with the rock huts nomadic shepherds until you reach the town of Tajalajt for our field picnic.

In the afternoon you will trek along the dry river bed to pass near Maghabout Moulay Houssine and up the Tassghdelte n’Ssi El Haj Plateau to the isolated hamlet of Tifdoussine for our dinner and overnight camp.

After breakfast set off for 2 hours down the Tifdoussine Valley to picnic en-route at the crossroads of this valley and that of Hamdour in a small palmeraie. On now through the Tizi n’Hamdour offering yet another awesome view of the surrounds and down to the village of Hamdour. Further south brings us to the N’Koob River, to arrive in the late afternoon at our camp site for this final night in the Valley of N’Koob next to the oasis and fields of henna. Whilst our evening meal is being prepared, we may go to visit the nearby old kasbah of N’Koob.

This morning, after breakfast, we start our journey by vehicle at 0730h (7.30am) to take us west alongside the Oued Ousraï to the village of Tansikht. Here we join the Drâa Valley, which we will travel through to reach Ouarzazate.

Leave Ouarzazate and travel over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, to stop for a light lunch at Taddert before our run down to Marrakech, arriving there in the late afternoon.