Lahsen Aitidar

Lahsen Aitidar began guiding in the 1980s, before the trails to Toubkal had a name in any guidebook. A Berber born in the High Atlas, he was among the first in the region to receive an official guiding licence — a recognition of knowledge he had built by walking every route, in every season, for years.

He led groups of travellers through the Atlas at a time when the logistics were entirely improvised: mules hired from neighbouring villages, food sourced from Berber families along the route, shelter found in stone shepherds' huts. He built trust with every group the only way he knew: by knowing the land completely and treating every guest with the same hospitality he would offer a family member.

He passed that standard — and every route — to his sons Smail and Mohamed. Lahsen is now retired from active guiding, but his knowledge still informs every itinerary the company runs.