High Atlas Mountains

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Morocco

$28.99

Shop Book

Getty Images

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in High Atlas Mountains

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

Welcome to North Africa’s highest mountain range, known by local Berbers as ‘Idraren Draren’ (Mountains of Mountains), and a trekker’s paradise from spring through to autumn. The High Atlas runs diagonally across Morocco for almost 1000km, encircling Marrakesh to the south and east from the Atlantic Coast just north of Agadir to Khenifra in the northeast. Its saw-toothed Jurassic peaks act as a weather barrier between the mild, Mediterranean climate to the north and the encroaching Sahara to the south.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Anima Garden

Ourika Valley

Nestled in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, Anima Garden is a space designed by multimedia artist André Heller. Surprising sculptures…

Ecomusée Berbère

Ourika Valley

Four kilometres past Tnine, a discreet sign points up a dirt path into the Amazigh (Berber) village of Tafza, where the three-storey mud-brick ksar …

Ait Sidi Moulay Igherm

High Atlas Mountains

The largest building in Zaouiat Ahansal dominates the surrounding village. Still home to the saint's descendants, the village's oldest building also…

Tizi n'Tichka

High Atlas Mountains

Higher than Tizi n’Test to the west but an easier drive along the N9, the Tizi n’Tichka (2260m) connects Marrakesh with the southern oases. It was built…

Bin El Ouidane

High Atlas Mountains

The dam at Bin El Ouidane provides the majority of the electricity in the region, but more importantly it's the location for the increasingly popular 11…

Tizi n'Test

High Atlas Mountains

Blasted through the mountains by the French in the late 1920s, the awe-inspiring road over the Tizi n'Test pass (2100m) was the first modern route linking…

Safranerie de l'Ourika

Ourika Valley

Almost anything thrives in Ourika’s rich soil, including saffron, organically grown here from bulbs that are cultivated near Talouine. Saffron is a high…

Cascades d'Ouzoud

High Atlas Mountains

The many-tiered Cascades d’Ouzoud are stunningly beautiful, with several distinct falls, the largest a massive 100m drop. The area is also one of the most…

View more attractions