Thursday's Child: Atlas Mountains, Morocco

One of the most beautiful walks we’ve ever taken was a hike in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.  We were treated to three of the loveliest aspects of this area: the cool, clean air; the stunning views; and the gentle hospitality of the Berber natives.

We took one of the moderate-level walks to a region northeast of where we were staying.  The destination was the Tizi n’Tamatert pass, and it was roughly a five hour trek.  We hired a guide and two mules to make the walk, and each of the mules came with its own minder.  Although the girls did most of the riding, Andrew and I took turns too.  I actually preferred walking, as the mules walk close to the edge of the path and I hated looking down!

After a long glorious hike, we arrived at the summit and looked for miles in every direction.  We had a clear view of two valleys, Ait Mizane and Imane.  Although you can’t see it in these pictures, we were amazed that most of the tiny homes we saw in this remote area had a satellite dish.

There was a snack bar at the top where we relaxed and gathered strangth for the walk back down.  Apparently, in the Atlas Mountains you can order Pepsi in at least two languages.

We headed down, full of energy now that we had refueled and were descending.

And near the end of our walk, we stopped in the small village of Tamatert to share mint tea at the home of one of the villagers.  The simplicity of his home was overwhelmed by the effusiveness of his welcome, and we were honoured to be his guest.