Circuit Ballade: The Big Crossing of the Moroccan Atlas

Program: The Big Crossing of the Moroccan Atlas (BCMA)

A strong wrinkle zebrating the country from the South-West to the North-East and separating two opposed worlds, the Atlantic and the Sahara.
The high Atlas is the biggest mountain in the world, the main piece of Moroccan pedestrian tourism, called DEREN, or Mountain of mountains by the antique tribes Autochtones, the Mediterranean mythology tells that the Atlas was a revolted Titan, condemned by Zeus to support the celestial stone … so large (between 40 to 120 km) and two times more long (800 km !) than the French Alps and the Italian gathered, this chain contain 12 peaks going beyond 4000 m and about 400 more than 3000 m of altitude. On some 50 000 km2 of his backbone that runs the famous GTAM or big crossing of the  Moroccan Atlas, live more than a million and a half of coutrysiders under the name of Berbers,   divided on large irrigated valleys (traditional villages) or some combs taken till 2 400 m (houses made up of stones).

Day 1 Arrival Marrakech.
Night Hotel.

Day 2 Transfer to the departure point at the road Agouti.
Night in lodge.

Day 3 Road towards the valley of Aarous.
Night at the entrance of the gorges under tent.

Day 4 A climb of 1000m of the Aghouri 3500m of altitude descending towards the plateau of Tarkiddite.
Night Under tents at 3000m of altitude.

Day 5 Ascension of the mountain M'goun at 4068 m of altitude.
Night Under tent at Tasgayoulte long day of 10 hours of walk with stops.

Day 6 Descending along the Valley Tassaoute night at Ait Ali n'Etau lodge of the authority.

Day 7 After Magdaz we will descend the direction of Tamda lake after a little climb
Night in a beautiful plateau.

Day 8 After a climb of 1000m of difference in altitude.
Night at the lake Tamda.

Day 9 We will continue the valley arrival to the village of Tighza night in the lodge of the authorities.

Day 10 Transfer in local transport local to the Tizi n'Tichka meeting with the new muleteers of the Massif of Toubkal.
Night at Imi n'Aourzgue under tent.

Day 11 Descent to the plateau of Yagour rocky gravures.
Night Under tent.

Day 12 Descent towards the valley of Ourika.
Night at Sitti Fatma under tent.

Day 13 We will continue along the valley of Ourika night at Timichi under tent.
After a climb of 1300m with a difference in altitude, (col of Tachddirte) we will descend to the village of Tachddirte.
Night Under tent...

Day 14 Descent towards the valley of Imlil.
Night at Aremed under tent.

Day 15 Climb to the direction of the mountain Toubkal.
Night at a refuge of Neltner camping under tent.

Day 16 Climb of the mountain Toubkal and descent by the same path.
Night at the foot of the col Ouanoums.

Day 17 We will pass by the col and descend towards the lake of Ifni after a swim we will continue until the camping of Amsouzarte.

Day 18 We will continue our walk towards the massif of Siroua.
Night Under tent at Ifnouane (risk of heat).

Day 19 A walk towards the beautiful circus of Aziouane in the massif of Siroua.
Night Under tent.

Day 20 Half day towards the shepherding of Iriri.
Night Under tent.

Day 21 Ascension of the mountain Siroua and descent in the valley and meeting of the 4x4 that will bring you back to Marrakech.
Night hotel.

Day 22 and 23 Two days of free visit in Marrakech.

Day 24 Fly France.

Supported Ballade, varied, and meeting with the population with a great knowledge about the Moroccan High Atlas.
Strong points: Passage of the high mountain in the Massif Pre-Saharian, two different voyages in the same country.
Ideal Period the end of Mai till the end of September.