The Atlas are the most northerly of Africa's mountains, extending in a broken chain for over 1000 miles across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The High Atlas, home of the highest peaks in North Africa, is the western part of the range. Here the peaks, a dozen of them over 13,000 feet, form a complex of jagged ridges and deep narrow valleys running 250 miles across Morocco.
The Atlas Mountains separate the northern moist Mediterranean climate from the arid south. Northward the mountains drop steeply, while southward they slope gradually into the hot, dry Sahara, which stretches for over a thousand miles.
From the ancient city of Marrakech, the Atlas skyline stretches across the horizon, creating a backdrop of inspiring beauty. Mount Toubkal or Jebel Toubkal as it is known locally, at 13,665 ft., North Africa's highest mountain, is only 50 miles south of Marrakech.
Despite a scarcity of roads, most of the major mountains are easily accessible. The approach to the mountains is short, and there are mountain huts, plenty of guides, good trails, and mules to carry gear.
The High Atlas has been inhabited for thousands of years by a pastoral people known by Westerners as the Berbers, but who call themselves Shleuh. They live in small villages of flat-roofed sun-baked mud houses, usually situated atop steep mountain slopes. Speaking Berber, Arabic, and French, they are as interesting and welcoming, as they are knowledgeable of the mountains.
The Atlas Mountain summers are hot and harsh, while winter snows are very heavy. The high peaks maintain their snowcaps for much of the year, but there are no glaciers. The two best climbing seasons are in the winter/spring period, from February to May, when snow is still present but temperatures are comfortable; and in early Autumn (September), when the mountains are dry and the weather is cool again before winter storms return.
Reaching the summit of Mount Toubkal requires a reasonable degree of fitness but the altitude is high rather than extreme and altitude sickness is unlikely to be a problem. One of the good things about the summit day is that you start from relatively near the top of the mountain and it only takes about 3 hours to reach the summit. This meant that we were more able to enjoy our time up there without being particularly exhausted. Early in the week we climbed a fairly high mountain as an aid to acclimatisation and this may well have helped considerably.
All in all this was a very laid back trip with lots of time for relaxation and not too physically demanding, except perhaps the summit day. Even that involved going downhill for the majority of the time. It certainly turned out to be a fascinating experience and proved to be very memorable.