Overland region

The Atlas Mountains by 4x4 and motorbike: local guides and trips

Snow-covered peaks of the High Atlas
Photo: Ralf Steinberger, CC BY 2.0

The Atlas runs across Morocco from the south-west to the north-east: the High Atlas with Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa (4,167 m), the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas and the Anti-Atlas towards the Sahara. For anyone travelling with their own vehicle it means passes like the Tizi n'Tichka, mountain tracks, gorges like the Dades and the Todra, and Berber villages far from the tarmac. Here are the local guides who work in the area and the trips that cross it.

24 local guides and 19 trips in the Atlas on GuideMeet.

On the map

  1. Toubkal Toubkal — Peak. North Africa's highest peak, 4,167 m, in Toubkal National Park. The climb starts on foot from Imlil. 31.0596, -7.9151 · Google Maps
  2. Imlil Imlil — Village. The village where the road ends and the Toubkal climb begins: from here you go on foot or with mules. 31.1264, -7.9178 · Google Maps
  3. Tizi n'Tichka Tizi n'Tichka — Mountain pass. North Africa's highest major road pass, about 2,200 m, on the N9 between Marrakech and Ouarzazate. Snow is possible from November to March. 31.2858, -7.3808 · Google Maps
  4. Tizi n'Test Tizi n'Test — Mountain pass. Pass on the R203 between Marrakech and Taroudant: tight hairpins, slower and quieter than the Tichka. 30.8681, -8.3792 · Google Maps
  5. Télouet Télouet — Kasbah. The El Glaoui family's kasbah on the old caravan route: mostly in ruins, with a few restored rooms open to visitors. 31.2883, -7.2411 · Google Maps
  6. Aït Benhaddou Aït Benhaddou — Ksar. Earthen ksar on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. 31.0472, -7.1289 · Google Maps
  7. Ouarzazate Ouarzazate — Town. Provincial capital and starting point for the Draa Valley and the desert. Pictured: the Taourirt kasbah. 30.9167, -6.9167 · Google Maps
  8. Dadès Dadès — Gorge. Gorges carved by the Dadès river, with one of the most photographed hairpin roads in Morocco. 31.4820, -5.9560 · Google Maps
  9. Todra Todra — Gorge. Limestone canyon: in its last 600 m the gorge narrows to 10 m, between walls up to 160 m high. 31.5900, -5.5900 · Google Maps
  10. Imilchil Imilchil — Village. Village at 2,119 m, home of the Ayt Hdiddu, known for its betrothal festival and the Isli and Tislit lakes (pictured: Tislit). 32.1550, -5.6347 · Google Maps
  11. Aït Bouguemez Aït Bouguemez — Valley. The 'happy valley': 25 km of fields and earthen villages between 1,800 and 2,000 m, on a paved road from Azilal. 31.6611, -6.4437 · Google Maps
  12. Ouzoud Ouzoud — Waterfall. A series of waterfalls dropping into the El-Abid river gorge, 36 km from Azilal and 150 km from Marrakech. 32.0152, -6.7189 · Google Maps
  13. Midelt Midelt — Town. Town on the plateau between the Middle and High Atlas, on the Fez–Errachidia road; known for apples and mines. 32.6800, -4.7300 · Google Maps
  14. Ifrane Ifrane — Town. The Middle Atlas's 'little Switzerland': a town above 1,650 m, with winter snow and skiing at Michlifen. 33.5333, -5.1167 · Google Maps
  15. Azrou Azrou — Town. Town at 1,250 m among holm oaks and cedars; Barbary macaques live in the Cèdre Gouraud forest. 33.4417, -5.2247 · Google Maps
  16. Tafraout Tafraout — Village. Anti-Atlas village at the foot of Djebel Lekest, a pink granite mountain shaped by erosion. 29.7167, -8.9667 · Google Maps

Local guides in the Atlas

More local guides (12)

Overland trips in the Atlas

Trips already run here

When to go

Spring and autumn are the best seasons. In winter the highest passes can close for snow; in summer the valleys on the southern side get very hot.

Before you go

Photo credits

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, under the licences shown.

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