Atlas Mountains and Imlil valley day trip
4.8/5
About 4,800 reviews on GetYourGuide
A low-cost day in the High Atlas: pickup from your hotel or riad, a guided walk through the walnut terraces and hamlets below Toubkal, mint tea, a short camel ride, back by evening. From about 10 euros; lunch is 7 more.
- Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, with a full refund
- Reserve now, pay laterHold your place today and pay nothing yet
- Duration: 7 hoursStart times show in the calendar
- Live guideEnglish, French, German, Arabic, Spanish and Italian
- Pickup includedFrom the pickup points listed when you book
Imlil sits at about 1,700 metres at the head of a green valley in the High Atlas, about 65 km south of Marrakech, and is the village walkers start from for Jbel Toubkal, at 4,167 metres the highest peak in North Africa. It lies in Toubkal National Park, created in 1942 as Morocco's first national park. The houses are built of earth and stone, the slopes are terraced for barley, vegetables, walnut and cherry trees, and in winter and spring the ridges above are white.
The day is seven hours. After pickup in Marrakech the minibus climbs through Tahnaout, where the first stop is a women's argan oil cooperative, then Asni, which holds a Berber market on Saturdays, and up the Moulay Brahim gorge. Our routed drive from the city to Imlil is 77 to 80 minutes from most hotels in our edit, with the roads clear. In Imlil there is mint tea, then a guided walk through hamlets such as Ait Mizane, Targa and Imoula, past waterfalls, terraces and orchards, with the guide explaining Berber village life. Lunch is in a Berber guesthouse, and the day ends with a short camel ride before the drive back.
The price, from about 10 euros on GetYourGuide on 31 October 2026, covers the return transport with pickup and drop-off at your hotel or riad, the local guide, the walk, the tea, the cooperative visit and the camel ride. Lunch is 7 euros a head, chosen when you book or paid on the day. The operator calls the walking moderate and asks for a basic level of fitness and good shoes for uneven, rocky paths.
This is a valley walk, not a mountain climb. Toubkal is in view, but the summit is a two-day trek from Imlil. What the day does well is take you out of the city heat into cool, green mountain country and back again by evening.
Why this one
It is the most-reviewed Imlil day trip we found on GetYourGuide: about 4,800 reviews on 31 October 2026, rated 4.8, with guides scored 4.9 out of 5 and transport and value 4.8. It is also the cheapest, from about 10 euros. The near twin, "Atlas Mountains, Camel Ride, Waterfalls, & Lunch" (4.9 from about 1,400 reviews), costs about 24 euros with lunch in the price. "Ourika Valley Atlas Mountains Day Trip with Lunch" (4.7, about 650 reviews, about 15 euros) goes to the Ourika valley instead, without Imlil's view of the Toubkal massif. "Atlas Mountains and 5 Valleys Day Tour with Lunch" (4.9, about 2,300 reviews, about 62 euros) covers more valleys and spends more of the day driving.
If you want water and a boat on the day out, Ouzoud waterfalls: guided hike and boat ride is the one; for a longer camel ride at sunset, Agafay desert at sunset: quad, camel ride and dinner show; for the coast, Essaouira day trip from Marrakech: medina, port and beach. For anyone planning to stand on Toubkal itself, this is a reconnaissance, and the two-day summit treks that start from Imlil are the trip.
Good for
- A first, easy taste of the High Atlas without hiring a car
- Families with children who can walk a few kilometres on rough paths
- Summer visitors who want a day out of the city heat
Not for
- Anyone who wants to climb Toubkal: that takes two days
- Travellers with limited mobility; pregnant women, the operator says
- Anyone who needs a guide in a language other than English or French, which reviews say is not always kept
When to go
How warm, clear and wet it is in Imlil at 13:00, around the time of the walk, month by month over the five years 2021 to 2025, at about 1,700 metres.
| Month | Afternoon high | Clear sky | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13°C / 18°C | 65% | 11% |
| Feb | 14°C / 17°C | 50% | 28% |
| Mar | 14°C / 22°C | 44% | 29% |
| Apr | 17°C / 25°C | 42% | 30% |
| May | 21°C / 27°C | 41% | 21% |
| Jun | 24°C / 31°C | 47% | 18% |
| Jul | 31°C / 34°C | 47% | 7% |
| Aug | 30°C / 34°C | 47% | 8% |
| Sept | 24°C / 29°C | 48% | 17% |
| Oct | 22°C / 26°C | 47% | 14% |
| Nov | 18°C / 22°C | 57% | 12% |
| Dec | 14°C / 18°C | 52% | 19% |
Modelled from historical weather (Open-Meteo, ERA5) for Imlil at 1,723 m, at 13:00 Moroccan time (UTC+0). The afternoon figure is the median, with the hottest day in ten after it. Clear sky is the share of days with little cloud at 13:00; rain, the share of days with 1 mm or more.
Seven degrees cooler than the city
In July, the median at 13:00 in the five years we looked at was 38.0°C at Jemaa el-Fna and 30.7°C in Imlil, and the hottest day in ten reached 44.1°C in the city against 34.0°C in the valley. From December to March it runs the other way: Imlil is cool, around 13°C to 14°C at midday, and the peaks above it are usually white.
From our Marrakech hotels
Drive times are routed on OpenStreetMap from each hotel in our edit to Imlil, with the roads clear; the day includes stops on the way. The operator collects from hotels and riads in Marrakech; for the Medina, where cars cannot reach most riad doors, the pickup list names nearby gates and landmarks such as Bab Doukkala, Bab Ghmat, Bab Aylan and Tinsmiths Square, and the confirmation says which. The list also names hotels in the Palmeraie. The Fairmont Royal Palm on the Route d'Amizmiz and Inara Camp in the Agafay are outside the city: ask the operator before you book.
- La Villa des OrangersMedina77 min by carHotel or riad pickup
- La MamouniaMedina78 min by carHotel or riad pickup
- Royal Mansour MarrakechMedina78 min by carHotel or riad pickup
- Nobu Hotel MarrakechHivernage78 min by carHotel or riad pickup
- Dar RhizlaneHivernage78 min by carHotel or riad pickup
- El FennMedina79 min by carHotel or riad pickup
- Dar KandiMedina79 min by carHotel or riad pickup
- Fairmont Royal Palm MarrakechRoute d'Amizmiz80 min by carAsk the operator
- Palais NamaskarPalmeraie97 min by carAsk the operator
- Inara CampAgafay103 min by carAsk the operator
The facts
- Duration
- 7 hours, pickup to drop-off
- Language
- Live guide; English, French, German, Arabic, Spanish and Italian among the languages listed
- Included
- Return transport with hotel or riad pickup and drop-off, local guide, guided walk through Imlil valley villages, mint tea, argan oil cooperative visit, camel ride
- Not included
- Lunch (7 euros per person), personal expenses
- The day
- Tahnaout argan cooperative, Asni (market on Saturdays), Imlil tea and village walk, lunch in a guesthouse, camel ride, return
- Walking
- Moderate, on uneven and rocky paths; basic fitness needed
- Not suitable for
- Pregnant women; travellers with limited mobility
- Bring
- Walking shoes, warm layers, sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
- Price
- From about 10 euros on GetYourGuide on 31 October 2026; the calendar shows today's price
- Run by
- Marrakech Day Trips - Tours, Marrakech
What guests keep saying
Recurring themes in the tour’s reviews, in our words, never quoted.
Praised
- Friendly local guides who know the valley and its villages
- Smooth pickup and a comfortable minibus for the mountain road
- The lunch at the guesthouse, and the value of the day for the price
Complaints
- The language you book is not always the language you get
The catch
Imlil, not Ourika
Many Atlas day trips from Marrakech go to the Ourika valley. This one goes to Imlil, under Toubkal, through Tahnaout and Asni, which is the point of choosing it.
What to do. Check the word Imlil in the title before you pay, and on a Saturday look out for the market at Asni.
Add lunch, it is 7 euros
The base price does not include lunch. The guesthouse meal is 7 euros per person, and reviewers rate the food.
What to do. Add lunch when you book so the guesthouse expects you.
Book in English or French
The listing shows many languages, but several recent reviews say an Italian-speaking guide or driver they had booked did not appear, and one says English and Spanish groups were mixed.
What to do. If you need another language, message the operator to confirm before the day, or book in English or French.
Weather changes the walk
The operator says the itinerary may change for safety or weather, and reviews describe walks cut short by rain. In the five years we looked at, about three days in ten had rain from February to April, and the ridges carry snow in winter.
What to do. Bring a warm layer and a waterproof from November to April, and keep a spare day in your plans if the walk matters most.
A short camel ride
The operator describes the camel ride as a short scenic experience, adjusted for weather or the animals' welfare. The camels walk on a lead.
What to do. For a longer ride, add Agafay desert at sunset: quad, camel ride and dinner show.
Questions people ask
Good questions about Atlas Mountains and Imlil valley day trip
How far is Imlil from Marrakech?
About 65 km by road. Our routed drive from central Marrakech is about 77 to 80 minutes with the roads clear; with stops at the argan cooperative and Asni, a day trip takes longer.
Can you climb Mount Toubkal on a day trip?
No. Toubkal is 4,167 metres and the summit is usually done as a two-day trek from Imlil. This day trip walks the valley below it, with the mountain in view.
Is the Imlil walk hard?
The operator calls it moderate and asks for basic fitness and good shoes for uneven, rocky paths. It is a village and valley walk, not a climb, and the itinerary can change for weather.
Is lunch included on the Imlil day trip?
Not in the base price. Lunch in a Berber guesthouse costs 7 euros per person on GetYourGuide on 31 October 2026.
Imlil or the Ourika valley?
Imlil is higher, under Toubkal, with terraced hamlets and walnut orchards; Ourika is a different valley to the east. For the view of Toubkal, choose Imlil.
What is the weather like in Imlil?
In the five years we looked at, the median at 13:00 was 30.7°C in July and 12.8°C in January, against 38.0°C in Marrakech in July. Bring layers in any season: the operator says the mountain weather changes quickly.
Do they pick up from riads in the Medina?
Yes. The listing includes hotel and riad pickup; cars cannot reach most riad doors, so the pickup list uses nearby gates and squares such as Bab Doukkala and Bab Ghmat.
The Atlas, Imlil
A low-cost day in the High Atlas: pickup from your hotel or riad, a guided walk through the walnut terraces and hamlets below Toubkal, mint tea, a short camel ride, back by evening. From about 10 euros; lunch is 7 more.
If you book through our links we may earn a commission from GetYourGuide. It never affects which experiences we include. Operators cannot pay to be here. · Last checked: October 2026
The best things to do in Marrakech, hand-picked
All ten things to do
The Medina and its palacesBahia Palace, Saadian Tombs and the souks with a guide
From €15.104.7(8,000)
The blue gardenJardin Majorelle, with a timed entry ticket
From €26.904.5(13,900)
The night tastingsStreet food tour of the Medina by night
From €434.7(3,300)
The cooking classMoroccan cooking class with a local chef
From €36.345(2,000)
The hammamHammam scrub and massage, with pickup
From €55.694.6(3,700)
The Agafay desert eveningAgafay desert at sunset: quad, camel ride and dinner show
From €20.584.8(46,700)
The sunrise balloonSunrise hot-air balloon flight from Marrakech, with breakfast
From €604.8(3,000)
The Atlantic day outEssaouira day trip from Marrakech: medina, port and beach
From €13.314.9(13,900)
The waterfallsOuzoud waterfalls: guided hike and boat ride
From €12.934.8(14,500)
Image credits: GetYourGuide