7-day Mgoun Ascent Gorges hike

Departure from Marrakech at 8am. We will head towards Azilal and take a mountainous road leading to the pass Tizi N’Tirghist before reaching the happy valley of Ait Bougmez. Our hike begins by crossing the fields, we take the time to see the villagers in their daily activities, then we will go up the small Arous valley to the pasture of Ikkis N’Arous. We will climb a drop of 500 meters before spending the night in tents. The drive takes about 5 hours, followed by a 2.5-hour walk.

We start our day by climbing to Tarkedit Pass, located at an altitude of 3400 meters. Along the way, we will make a few stops to enjoy the magnificent view of the M’goun range and the summit of M’goun itself, culminating at 4068 meters. After a descent of 500 meters, we will reach the plateau of Tarkedit, frequented by nomads. We will spend the night in tents. The duration of this day is approximately 6 hours of walking, with a climb of 1000 meters followed by a descent of 500 meters.

Today will be long, with around 9 hours of walking. We will continue our ascent towards Mgoun ridge, offering panoramic views to the summit of M’goun, the highest point of the central Atlas, from where the view of the M’goun Massif and its distant valleys is splendid. Then, a long descent through beautiful landscapes to our camp. We will spend the night in tents. 9-hour walk, with an ascent of 1200 meters and a descent of 1500 meters. 

We are in the Oulilimt Valley, where Ait Atta transhumant settled temporarily from the Rose Valley and the Saghro mountains to lead their nomadic life. We will descend the superb wadi, which turns into the Mgoun River. While following the course of the river, we will arrive at the source of Aflafel after 5 hours of walking, where we will set up our camp.

We follow a path along the river, descending the Mgoun valley and passing through many Berber villages bordered by fields of corn, wheat, apple trees, and walnut trees. We stop near the village of Taghreft in the center of this beautiful valley for a lunch prepared by our team. After 2 hours walk, we reach our camp in the village of Imi N’Irkt, meaning the door of the gorge in Berber. 6-hour walk.

This day is devoted to a walk through the Mgoun Gorges, with several passages through the water. In some places where the gorges narrow, we still walk in the water, which is often cold and refreshing in summer. We take a break to enjoy hot tea and lunch near the source of Ifasfas. We will spend the night in tents near Aguerzegua village. 6 hours walk, with a negative elevation of 500 meters.

We go by local transport for a short distance of about 8 km to reach the asphalt road, where we will find our vehicle for the transfer to Marrakech. Along the way, we will stop in the town of Kelaa M’Gouna, world-famous for its roses, where a big rose festival takes place every first week of May. We will arrive in Marrakech at the end of the day. This marks the end of the Mgoun ascent Gorges hike. 6 hours drive.