On the Toubkal summit route you sleep in a shared mountain hut. On our village treks you sleep in a family's home: dinner cooked by the house, mint tea, and a valley that goes quiet after dark.
On the Toubkal summit route you sleep in the refuge at 3,207 m, a shared mountain hut with dormitories, full of people climbing the same mountain the next morning. On our village treks you sleep somewhere else entirely: in a family's home, in a village, with dinner cooked by the house.
For many of the people who walk with us, that night is the part of the trip they write to us about afterwards.
What a guesthouse night is like
- It is a home, not a hotel. A Berber family lives there and hosts you. Dinner is what they cook, breakfast is in the morning, and all meals on the trek are included.
- The rooms are simple. Mattresses on floor platforms or basic beds, and each room has its own bathroom.
- The evenings are the family's. Mint tea, and often bread baking, as part of the evening rather than a staged demonstration. Once it is dark, the valley goes quiet.
- Your bag is already there. A mule carries the group's luggage between villages, so you arrive with a day pack and nothing to unpack in a hurry.
With small children, take a look round when you arrive: many village houses have flat roofs and open stairwells.
Guesthouse or refuge
| Village guesthouse | Toubkal refuge | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | In a village on the walking route, such as Tizi Oussem (1,850 m) or Tacheddirt (2,300 m) | 3,207 m, above the last village |
| Rooms | Simple rooms, each with its own bathroom | Shared dormitories |
| Who else is there | The family who lives there | Other trekkers on the way to the summit |
| The next morning | You walk on to the next village | A start before dawn for the summit |
| Which treks | The village treks, and some nights on the longer ones | Every Toubkal summit trek |
Our treks with village nights
| Trek | Village nights | Other nights | Grade | Price each, for two |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azzaden Valley, 2 days | 1, in Tizi Oussem | None | Moderate | €161 |
| High Atlas villages, 3 days | 2, in the Azzaden valley and Tacheddirt | None | Moderate | €235 |
| Family trek, 4 days | 3 | None | Easy | €276 each from three people |
| Toubkal summit, 4 days | 1, in Imlil | 2 at the refuge | Challenging | €468 |
| Toubkal circuit and Ifni Lake, 6 days | 2, in Tacheddirt and Amsouzart | 2 camps, 1 refuge | Challenging | €948 |
| M'Goun massif, 7 days | 2 | 4 camps | Expert | €760 |
| High Atlas grand traverse, 15 days | 5 | 7 camps, 2 refuge | Expert | €2,040 |
The first three are built around the villages: no summit, no refuge, no night at altitude. The Azzaden trek crosses the Tizi Mzik pass at 2,489 m to Tizi Oussem; the three-day trek links the Imlil, Azzaden and Ourika valleys with a different village each night; the family trek keeps the days short and the ground easy, with mules that can carry a tired child as well as the bags. What each costs, item by item, is in what a 3-day High Atlas village trek costs.
Who walks with you
Your guide is a licensed mountain guide from our family team, not a freelancer assigned the week you arrive. Our father, Lahsen Aitidar, was among the first licensed Berber mountain guides in the High Atlas. Smail and Mohamed grew up on these trails and built the company on his foundation in 2010, and every guide on the team grew up walking the routes they now lead.
In Imlil, the family's base is Gîte Panorama, which Lahsen built and which has been in the family for more than 30 years.
A muleteer and mule carry the luggage. Tips for the guide and the muleteer are not included; they are customary, never compulsory.
What is included on the village treks
- A licensed mountain guide
- The guesthouse nights
- All meals on the trek
- A mule for the group's luggage
- Transfer from Marrakech and back
Not included: travel insurance (recommended), your own trekking kit, and tips.
For the people whose homes you stay in, their language and their new year, see who are the Berbers?.
👉 See the 3-day High Atlas villages trek: three valleys, two village nights, no summit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Berber village guesthouse like?
Do the guesthouse rooms have a private bathroom?
Which of your treks sleep in village guesthouses?
Do I carry my own luggage between villages?
Who guides the village treks?
Is a guesthouse better than the Toubkal refuge?
Trips that go here
Guided by the team who wrote this guide.
Azzaden Valley from Marrakech — 2-Day Atlas Mountains Trek
- Cross the Tizi Mzik pass (2,489 m) with panoramic High Atlas views
- Overnight in a family-run Berber guesthouse in Tizi Oussem village
- Walk the quiet Azzaden Valley — juniper forest, terraced fields, walnut groves
€116 / person for 6+
High Atlas Villages from Marrakech — 3-Day Trek
- Link three Atlas valleys — Imlil, Azzaden and the Ourika watershed
- Cross several Berber passes with High Atlas panoramas
- Two nights in different village guesthouses, hosted by local families
€169 / person for 6+
Family High Atlas from Marrakech — 4-Day Gentle Trek
- Short, gentle walking days built around a family pace (2–5 hours)
- Village guesthouse nights with Berber families — bread baking, mint tea
- Waterfalls, river pools and walnut groves rather than high passes
€225 / person for 6+
4-Day Toubkal Summit Trek from Marrakech
- Summit Jbel Toubkal at 4,167 m — highest peak in North Africa
- Sleep in traditional Berber mountain refuges at 3,207 m
- Start in the trailhead village of Imlil, deep in the Atlas
€338 / person for 6+