Imlil

Imlil sits at 1,740 metres in the High Atlas, an hour and a half south of Marrakech by road. The village is the starting point for the ascent of Jbel Toubkal — at 4,167 metres, the highest peak in North Africa. Most climbers spend a night here before the two-day trek to the summit.

But Imlil is not only for climbers. The valley is terraced with walnut groves and irrigated fields. Amazigh villages cling to the slopes above and below. The air is clean and cold, even in summer, and the light at altitude has a clarity that Marrakech — an hour away and a thousand metres below — never offers.

The mule path from Imlil to the Toubkal refuge passes through Sidi Chamharouch, a pilgrimage site where a painted rock beside a waterfall draws visitors from across Morocco. The walk takes three to four hours. From the refuge, the summit is a further five hours over loose scree.

In winter, the peaks carry snow from November to April. In spring, the valley blooms. In autumn, the walnut harvest turns the terraces gold. The village has a handful of guesthouses and a weekly souk on Saturdays.