The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in North Africa that separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. They stretch around 1,600 miles through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and are the primary home of the Amazigh (Berber) people. They are about 60km southwest of Marrakech.
We are staying at a fantastic resort in the mountains called Olinto. We arrived here yesterday, about 90 minutes after our driver picked us up at the Marrakech train station.
From our home base at Olinto we arranged for two days of excursions into the mountains. The first is our destination today, the mountain town of Imlil. It is located at an elevation of about 5,900 feet in the High Atlas Mountains. From here you have a straight shot hiking up to Mount Toubkal, which is the highest peak in Morocco and North Africa and home of one of a handful of Africa’s operating ski resorts.
Before the advent of mountain tourism, the area was well known for its walnuts, apples and cherry production. All of those are out of season right now but you can certainly spot the trees.
This part of Morocco is experiencing its wettest winter in memory and the heaviest snow in years just fell in the Atlas Mountains. Our driver picked us up at Olinto and as we climbed higher and higher into the mountains we saw more and more snow.
Imlil is less than an hour away and about 3,000 feet higher that Olinto. The streets had snow piled left and right, but it was warm enough that the rain was turning the pavement into a soupy, muddy mess.
That limited our ability to really explore because it would have just been too muddy and we really had not brought the right gear to hike.
Imlil itself is at the center of a number of villages that are in this valley. The purpose of Imlil itself is to serve the mountain hikers, while the small villages around Imlil are where everyone lives.
We spent a little time walking the town and then returned to the car for our drive home to Olinto.
Fortunately it was clear enough today to get some great photos.
