Atlas Mountains: Hiking, Berber Villages, and Mint Tea on a Cliff

Into the High Peaks

Marrakech is hot and crazy. The High Atlas Mountains are cool, quiet, and absolutely stunning. You can literally see the snow-capped peaks from the city, and getting there takes only about 60 to 90 minutes. You don't have to be a hardcore mountaineer to enjoy it either.

Imlil

This small village is the base camp for the mountains. It's surrounded by walnut trees and apple orchards. From here, you can hire a local guide and do a simple two-hour hike to a waterfall, or you can commit to a brutal two-day trek up Mount Toubkal (the highest peak in North Africa).

Berber Hospitality

The indigenous Berber people (Amazigh) live in these mountains. The villages are built right into the sides of the cliffs, made of red clay that blends into the rocks. If you hike with a guide, there's a 99% chance they will invite you into a local family's home for tea. Take off your shoes, sit on the cushions, and drink the extremely sweet mint tea. It's a hospitality you just don't see in the West anymore.

The Food Tastes Better Up Here

Any tagine you eat in the mountains will taste better than the ones in the city. The vegetables are grown locally, the meat is fresh, and they cook it over real wood fires. Sit on a rooftop terrace in Imlil, eat a chicken and lemon tagine while looking at the snowy peaks, and thank me later.