Guided one week treks, Moroccan High Atlas

During our six-day trek in the Zat valley, we will encounter an amazing variety of natural beauty, from lush river valleys to barren rockscapes. We will regularly come across typical Moroccan villages, built from local rock and sometimes hugging steep rock faces, making it seem like they were actually part of the rock itself.

Provisional itinerary
Below is a provisional itinerary for our six-day exploration of the Zat valley. Note that this may be subject to change depending on weather, group ability and other unforseen factors.

Day 1 - Arrival in Marrakech and transfer to Hotel Faouzi near the famous square, Jemaa el Fnaa. Traditional Moroccan meal with the group and your OutBreak Adventure guide.

Day 2 - Breakfast on the terrace with a view of the mountains, before transferring to Tighdouine (1 hour) to rendezvous with our AAZ guide. Short walk to stretch our legs and explore the pottery village of Talatast. Pick-up by 4x4 and transfer (1 hour) to the AAZ gîte in Tizirt. Lunch in the gîte. Afternoon walk to the fantastic village of Annsa, nestled in unbelievable greenery in the middle of an otherwise barren valley. Dinner and night spent at the Tizirt gîte.
(10km, 400m ascent, 350m descent, 5.5hrs walk)

Day 3 - Discovery of the High Zat valley. We start by linking the high villages of Imergen, Asaka, Talouine and perhaps Tiniegen before dropping down to the valley floor, where we will stop to eat our picnic, with our feet in the emerald green waters of the Zat, before following its course back to Tizirt. A magical day! Dinner and night spent in the gîte.
(15km, 900m ascent, 900m descent, 8hrs walk)

Day 4 - After a stretch on the 4x4 track down the valley, we cross the river and walk up to the village of Ikiss. From here, we get to fully appreciate the hardships of local village life as we follow their transhumance path up the mountain to their summer abode in Ouerzatz, 700m higher. Picnic just before the col and the highest point of the day. Mules accompany us to carry all provisions to the Ouerzatz gîte, where we will have dinner and spend the night.
(13km, 1000m ascent, 200m descent, 6hrs walk)

Day 5 - A more relaxed day to allow us to fully appreciate the surroundings of Ouerzatz and the Yagour plateau. Enjoy the views on to the impressive Meltsene ridge (culminating at 3,900m and hopefully snow-capped) and discover the fascinating 4,000-year-old rock carvings on the clay slabs at its foot. Picnic in the green meadows by the rock carvings. Dinner and night spent in the Ouerzatz gîte.
(12km, 300m ascent, 300m descent, 4-5hrs walk)

Day 6 - After breakfast, walk back up on the Yagour plateau and have our picnic by the splendid lake on top of the plateau (not always with water, but always splendid!). In the afternoon, we descend with our mules and the provisions to the third gîte in Aït Ali, for dinner and a good nights sleep.
(19km, 600m ascent, 800m descent, 8-9hrs walk)

Day 7 - We start off crossing fertile arable land where we will see farmers cultivating their fields, before going through a lush gorge and stumbling across the striking perched village of Asloun, finishing up in style by following a dinosaur's-back ridge, dominating Talatast and our starting point, Tighdouine, where we will stop for lunch. Transfer back to Marrakech, where you can relax in the hotel and share the week’s experiences with the group over a delicious traditional Moroccan dinner.
(13km, 700m descent, 4hrs walk)

Day 8 - Either return home or enjoy the fantastic souq and the indescribable Jemaa-el-Fnaa by staying on in Marrakech for a day or two. This is highly recommended and we are more than happy to help you with the arrangements and with tips of what to do and where to go.