Trekking in the Atlas Mountains - Toubkal, Mgoun and Jebel Sahro

This guidebook concentrates on treks and summits in the Toubkal, Mgoun Massif and Jebal Sahro parts of Morocco's Atlas mountain range.The Atlas mountains are over 1000km long, high and wild. Describes treks and routes on all main summits in these areas, plus has all planning information to get the best from a trip to Morocco’s mountains.

The Appeal of The Atlas

For European visitors, traversing the 15 miles or so of the Gibraltar straits affords one of the most dramatic contrasts imaginable. The difference is not merely between the Christian and Islamic world, but a more fundamental contrast between European and African traditions. In short, Morocco and the Atlas mountains is probably the most accessible ‘exotic’ destination for western Europeans, a fact which ensures its continuing popularity.

Pliny, the great Roman geographer, on seeing the Atlas peaks, described them as ‘the most fabulous mountains in all of Africa’. Stretching southwards from the Mediterranean coast in an arc for a thousand miles, they are certainly the highest and most extensive range in North Africa. For the walker and mountaineer they offer an incredible variety of scenery, climate and terrain. Within the valleys one can observe a way of life that has changed little during the last thousand years; the word unique can be used with justification. While the wild scenery may be reminiscent of parts of Central Asia, a closer look at the way of life here dispels any such notion. The native inhabitants of this region, the Berbers, possess a distinctive culture. Their villages of kasbahs, surrounded by steep terraces, are of a special beauty and leave a lasting impression on the visitor.

Exploration of these mountains by Europeans began in earnest with the arrival of French colonists, and their 40-year protectorate means that most summits have been ascended. Nowadays, the area around Jebel Toubkal and its approaches has established itself as a popular destination for walkers from all over Europe. Journey beyond these narrow confines, however, and you are unlikely to meet anyone other than the native Berber inhabitants.

While opportunities for rock-climbing do exist (and there are some very good opportunities), this book is primarily aimed at the walker and scrambler. Whatever your age or level of fitness the Atlas mountains are a rewarding and exciting destination, easily reached from Europe.

This book covers the Toubkal region, which contains the highest and most spectacular peaks, and also describes circuits in the less well-known but equally impressive Mgoun massif area, Jebel Sahro range and Jebel Sirwa. Other areas of interest are described briefly.

The Geography and Geology of The Atlas

Geography
The Atlas mountains form several ranges. The High (or Grand) Atlas runs roughly east-north-east from the Atlantic coast near Agadir as far as northern Algeria, where they diminish and curve eastwards, forming the Saharan Atlas. In the central High Atlas, another range strikes north-eastward. This is the Middle Atlas, the main watershed of the country. At the southern end of the High Atlas, a separate range runs parallel to the south and east. This is the Anti-Atlas. Jebel Sahro forms the eastern end of this range, and is separated from both the main Atlas chain and the Anti-Atlas by the Dades valley, which runs into the main Draa valley. Further west, the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas are separated by a broad, fertile valley known as the Souss. The Sirwa area lies between the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas. Finally, there are the Rif mountains, parallel to the Mediterranean coast in the north.

The High Atlas range holds the most interest for the walker, and forms the bulk of this book. West and east of Marrakech two motor roads cross the High Atlas via passes: the Tizi-n’Test to the west and the Tizi-n’Tichka to the east, and they form the boundaries of the Toubkal Atlas. Immediately to the east lies the Central High Atlas, a large area which extends as far as the Plateau des Lacs and Imilchil. This region contains the M’goun massif and the fertile Ait Bougoumez valley.

Beyond the Tizi-n’Test one enters the Western High Atlas. This remote area has much to offer the walker. There are many interesting summits over 3000m from Igdat (3616m) to Jbel Tinergwet (3551m).

Geology
The first phase of Atlas development took place during the Carboniferous era, when marine Palaeozoic sediments were affected by severe pressure, resulting in intense folding and mountain building (this Hercynean orogeny was also responsible for much European mountain formation). This land was then eroded to a flat or gently undulating peneplain. The second phase of development resulted in further wearing down and the deposition of sediments. The third phase, beginning in the middle of the Tertiary period, started with renewed folding, resulting in the mountains as we know them today. The folding was accompanied by down-sinking, leading to the formation of basins such as the Souss, and by volcanic eruptions. Jebel Sirwa is an example of the latter. The fourth phase added little to what previously existed. Torrential erosion has thrown thick alluvial deposits over the basins at the foot of the Atlas.

In the Toubkal area the rock consists of volcanic green andesites, rhyolites and tuffs. These are ancient rocks laid bare, forming the area’s characteristic jagged peaks and steep-sided valleys. Detritus suggests that small glaciers may have existed in the higher cirques, but otherwise the area was not glaciated (as can be deduced from the numerous spurs which project into the valleys). In places what appears to be moraine is usually debris from landslips. The village of Aroumd is built on such debris, from what must have been an enormous landslip.

The Central High Atlas are characterised by extensive outcrops of fairly soft Permian–Triassic strata. They are simply folded rock structures, with broad open synclines and sharp anticlines (such as Jebel Ghat). In places rivers have cut down through the soft rock to produce deep gorges, another characteristic feature in the Mgoun area. The Jebel Sahro and Anti-Atlas are of a totally different origin and structure. They are part of the great elevated mass of the African plateau, and are formed of old schists and hard quartzites. Additionally, there are substantial masses of overlying conglomerate in the Jebel Sahro area, and this provides the characteristic scenery of spectacular towers and eroded plateaux.