By Prapti
#Rocking the casbahs
in the Hight Atlas Mountains of Morocco |Winston Churchill often painted the
vivid High Atlas landscape from his Marrakech hotel window in the 1930s.
FORTY MILES SOUTH
of cosmopolitan Marrakech, Morocco, the tarmac shrinks to a stony footpath at
Imlil. Tucked into the peaks of Toubkal national Park, named for North Arica’s
highest summit, a crop of modern guesthouses has transformed this village, once
known as a no-frills bas camp, into a comfortable retreat for day hikers.
Berber hospitality takes over where the road ends, amid the fragrance of
community bread over and the sounds of braying pack mules (and their drivers
crying “balak-pay attention”-to pedestrians).
From here villagers escort travelers up a short, steep climb through walnut
groves to a warmer welcome still-woodstoves and crystalline terrace views, a
bowl of milk and dates service with a djellaba
and a smile-at inns such as the Kasbah du Toubkal. When the sun sets, out come
the communal platters of couscous and tagines. As the days lengthen, early
spring makes an ideal time for a stroll to the orchards of Targa Inoula, says adventure guide turned casbah owner Mike McHugo, “The Mountaintops are still snowcapped,
but the valley is in full flower with apple and cherry blossoms, and the rivers
run with snowmelt,” he says. And as cumulus clouds drift through the canyons,
two songs harmonize: the rush of reawakened rivers and the muezzin’s call to
prayer. Christine O’Toole.
Tip: Charter a taxi or take a local bus from Marrakech for
the 90-minute drive to Milil through High Atlas Foothills.