Into Africa: Hiking in the High Atlas Mountains

Things I didn't particularly expect to encounter in Africa, even northern Africa, include snow-capped mountains. But encounter them you will. You can even see them walking down the street in Marrakech if you look to the south. And if you head about an hour and a half south you can wind your way up through the surprisingly lush foothills and arrive in the mountain town of Imlil in the middle of Toubkal National Park.

Check it out.

Keeping with the theme running through the past few posts, everyone in the town was incredibly friendly. We met some adorable little kids on the road who insisted upon holding our hands and walking with us for a ways. However, after we offered them a couple chips from the bag we were snacking out of, they preferred to commandeer it and scamper off.

Actually, there were little kids everywhere. This little dude happened to be herding some sheep. Or maybe just playing with them.

There were some bewildering street signs. Apparently there's a chance your tires may abruptly switch sides.

Fun fact: north Africa's highest mountain, Mt. Toubkal is located in this very creatively named Toubkal National Park. It's 4,167m high, which isn't particularly high. But the ascent involves quite a long approach, making the climb more than a one day activity, so unfortunately we didn't get to bag that particular peak. Actually if we get technical, we didn't summit a mountain, only making it up to a yoke on a ridge. But the views were still amazing, so none of us were particularly upset by this.

Looking down on the villages in the high valley.

There were quite a few trees.

Oh, more mountains.

Finally made it to the top. Discovered a small cafe run by Berbers. They served whiskey berbere. It was great.

About whiskey berbere...

It's not whiskey. It's a joking nickname for mint tea, and not just plain old mint tea like I would have expected, but really sweet yet slightly bitter. And delicious- I love it. It's pretty much the official drink of Morocco, consumed constantly there. Breakfast? Whiskey berbere. Meet a stranger on the street and get into a conversation? Whiskey berbere. Hike up a mountain? Whiskey berbere. This is a tradition I can get on board with.

This was the view we got to enjoy during our whiskey break.

Wouldn't you enjoy having the view these people get to enjoy every day?

Farming plateaus.

Rugs drying on the banks of the stream.

And now, some pictures of the animals that you find in the area. They include flocks of sheep, roving herds of goats, and of course many, many mules. They're used for transportation between villages and for hauling gear and food up through the mountains.

Behold, a mule, casually grazing. They all sport very colorful rugs. Very snazzy.

Some very cute and frolicsome kid goats.

Last but not least, a lamb and its mother.