The High Atlas Mountains have more than their fair share of beauty and cultural intrigue ;  a place where villages cling perilously to hillsides, and where men in traditional hooded cloaks shuffle out of tiny remote mountain mosques, all framed by jaw-dropping snow-capped mountains and where the smell of wood smoke lingers in the air. The mountains are every bit as appealing for their way of life as for their beauty, a visit is a must. Don't miss out. 

Imlil is a bustling trailhead village that sits at the foot of the highest mountain in North Africa. It's a crossroads of hiking trails that head in all directions, home to some excellent characteristic accommodation, and a perfect place to spend anything from a day to a few nights. From a summer refuge from the heat of Marrakech, to a winter wonderland of snowcapped peaks, Imlil makes an attractive and convenient base from which to explore the Toubkal National Park.  

When we first discovered the Ait Bougmez valley in the Central High Atlas we were smitten. Mountain enthusiasts dub it "Little Nepal", on account of its drama, and "The Happy Valley", a reference to the friendliness of its inhabitants. The valley is a broad and flat Garden of Eden that has an almost fairytale quality to it. Accommodation is basic and rustic but the luxury lies outside the walls of your room, in the landscapes and in the welcome of the local people. It's also the trailhead for treks up the country's third highest (and most interesting) peak.... the brooding ridge of M'Goun. 

One of our lesser-explored mountain gems is the Tessaout Valley, whose relative inaccessibility keeps it largely off the tourist trail. Stone houses are perched perilously to the mountainsides and the valley remains largely undeveloped and free from modern building methods and materials. Magdaz, one of the villages in the region, is widely regarded as one of the High Atlas Mountains' prettiest and most typical settlements, offering rewards to those intrepid enough to venture this deep into the mountains.

The Cathedral (La Catedrale) gets its name from the piped rock formations on the side of this Atlas monolith. Tucked away on the banks of the Ahansal river in the Central High Atlas, this scalable rock is the gateway to one of the most dramatic regions of highland Morocco. Here accommodation options are thin on the ground and limited to basic local village houses, but the possibilities for adventure and discovery are exceptional. The nearby Taghia Gorges offer canyoning, the Ahansal River has sufficient flow for rafting, and there are some epic mountain biking routes throughout the region.