Imlil

Reaching 4167 metres fills two days with a stop at the refuge between them. Near the top the ground is loose stone that keeps shifting underfoot.

Above the village no vehicle passes, so loads ride on the backs of mules. Meeting one on a narrow path means stepping to the hill side to let it by.

Built of stone and earth, the walls run thick and the windows small. Grain dries on the roof and the mountains are seen from there.

An earth walled building holds the spot overlooking the village. It serves as lodging now, with mules bringing the bags.

Seven falls run up the valley and the first takes 30 minutes. A few sections want a hand against the rock.

Walnut trees grow tall between the terraced fields and throw a heavy shade. In autumn they are beaten with poles and children gather what falls.

Thirty minutes up from Imlil reaches a village ringed by terraced fields. The lanes are narrow enough that one mule barely passes.

Crossing a pass at 2489 metres opens the valley on the far side. It can be done in a day, so anyone not going for the summit takes this instead.

On a fixed day of the week the villages of the valley gather for a market. Vegetables and livestock are sold together and trading ends by noon.

In spring the snow starts around 2000 metres above the village. Half a day of climbing reaches that line, and walkers turn back after standing on it.

A huge boulder painted white in a valley partway up the Toubkal trail, a shrine said to honour a king of the mountain spirits. Pilgrims come and go, but only Muslims cross the stream to the shrine itself. Trailside stalls press orange juice for resting hikers.

An earth-walled village perched where the valley east of Imlil tops out, counted among the highest in the area. Mule paths wind between terraced fields and walnut trees. Many hike over the pass from Imlil and stay overnight at a village guesthouse.

The pass leading over from Imlil into the Tacheddirt valley; from the top the Toubkal peaks and the villages below lie open. A dirt road crosses it too, but most climb by the mule path. A teahouse on the crest is where people catch their breath.

A valley village in the Atlas foothills west of Imlil, where a dammed reservoir, pine woods and red earth hills meet. It lies on the mountain road from Marrakech to Taroudant. Lodges are plentiful, and those not climbing the high peaks come to rest quietly.