Mule trekking in the High Atlas is an adventure

Magnificent landscapes, authentic culture: The High Atlas in Morocco is one of the most exciting travel destinations on earth. The highest range of the Atlas Mountains extends east from the Atlantic to the Algerian border, forming a climate divide between the Mediterranean north and the Saharan heat in the south.

It is the roof of North Africa - many peaks rise above 3500 meters, such as Jbel Toubkal, North Africa's highest mountain (4165 meters). In Greek mythology, the mountains embody the Titan Atlas, who forever supports the sky.

Morocco's first national park is located around Jbel Toubkal. Here you can see Atlas squirrels, Barbary sheep, Barbary macaques, striped hyenas and desert hawks. With its gorges, peaks, rivers and waterfalls, the impassable High Atlas became the retreat of the Berbers, Morocco's indigenous people, whose culture was able to survive here, undisturbed by the Arab conquerors.

They call themselves Amazigh, “the free”. Berber music and dances are performed in Berber villages. The Berber carpets, the silver jewelery and the hospitality are famous. The fortified city of Aït-Ben-Haddou is a Unesco heritage site and has been the setting for films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.

Tours in the High Atlas usually start in Marrakech. You should definitely plan extra time for the royal city with its UNESCO-crowned medina.

North Africa get on the roof: trekking in the High Atlas is a wonderful adventure. A sporty tour crossing the entire mountain range from east to west starts in the Aït Bougoumez valley. Because of its ideal climate and the green fields between the Berber villages, it is called the "Valley of the Happy".

With mules and companions, it goes through the mountains in several stages, including over the Jbel Toubkal. You spend the night in a tent or as a guest in Berber houses. You hike over passes with a magnificent panorama, through forests and valleys, enjoy stops in villages and gorges, at springs and mud castles. The end point is the Berber village of Imlil. Depending on the organizer, short trekking tours can be booked, but also two-week ones.

It can cost 100 euros per liter: argan oil is one of Morocco's most important treasures. It is given away at weddings, enhances dishes and is considered a miracle cure for beautiful skin, which is why it is also the crowning glory of a bath in the hammam.

It comes from the seeds of the rare argan tree, which only grows in south-west Morocco. The argan areas between the slopes of the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas were declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 1998. Berber women have been painstakingly extracting the oil by hand for centuries, and the process takes two days.

After argan oil, which was extracted mechanically or with chemical solvents, came onto the market, the "argan women", who have passed on their craft and knowledge to their daughters for generations, joined together in cooperatives. They were supported by the Moroccan royal family. Their knowledge and practices were recognized as part of Berber culture in 2014 as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

There are seven ski lifts in Oukaïmeden. Only 80 kilometers from Marrakech, you can practice winter sports here in the High Atlas. Located at over 2600 meters it is known as the highest ski resort in Africa and offers the highest ski lift; it leads to almost 3300 meters.

The season lasts from the end of December to March, there are ten kilometers of pistes, ski instructors, a rental and even après-ski - although here you drink sweet peppermint tea instead of high-proof schnapps. The locals call it “Berber whisky”. If you want, you can also be taken to the slopes on a donkey.

A good 160 million years ago, he roamed the region in search of prehistoric vegetables: the Atlasaurus was a 15 meter long Titan.

Soon after its discovery in the High Atlas, rich in fossils, another giant vegetarian was excavated there: Tazoudasaurus, named after the Tazouda site where it was found, was not quite as big at “only” nine meters in length, but it was still spectacular. Because he already lived around 180 million years ago. He beat the previous record holder Atlasaurus as Morocco's oldest dinosaur and is one of the oldest in the world.

“I know that I have opened up a previously forbidden universe to women”

Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008) is considered a revolutionary in the fashion world; his creation of the women's Le Smoking suit in 1967 was a symbol of emancipation. The Parisian fashion designer found his private favorite universe in Marrakesh at the foot of the High Atlas.

In 1980 he and his partner bought the Jardin Majorelle, one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Also worth a visit is the adjacent Musée Yves Saint Laurent. It features YSL designs such as Le Smoking, as well as Berber art, and houses a research facility and library on their culture.

Bizarre, record-breaking, typical: You can find more parts of our regional geography series here.