Atlas Mountains Holidays

The High Atlas is North Africa’s tallest mountain range. It’s just one of several sections that make up the wider Atlas Mountain region, but the Berber name – which translates to Mountains of Mountains – says everything you need to know.

The best way to get to grips with the High Atlas is on foot, although your choice of footwear will vary by season. Ski boots and salopettes are the order of the day in the highest reaches from September onwards, when the arrival of snow heralds a six-month ski season. Hit the runs of Oukaimeden, the highest ski resort here, and you’ll peer down from a head-spinning 3,200 metres.

At the same time, lower-lying areas of the country are bathed in sunshine. So you can watch as the sunlight filters through a courtyard in Marrakech in the morning, then peer down from a wind-whipped, snowy precipice the very same day. If serious trekking is on your agenda, the Toubkal Massif – which has the highest peaks – is something of a rite of passage. But even a relatively low-key walk in the High Atlas will leave you in awe of the endless treasures these mountains conceal.