Trekking Through The High Atlas Mountains

We knew that the High Atlas Mountains is a hot tourist spot for hikers and trekkers crossing Mount Toubkal, but we only found ourselves in the area as a detour from a surf contest, so we were obviously not prepared for a real backpacking adventure. However, we organized a short day hike with a local guide through our hotel. We had a memorable and wonderful experience, even ending with a surprise souvenir purchase!

We met our local guide, Omar, at the hotel front desk around 7AM. The sun had not yet risen above the mountains to the east, so we started our walk essentially in the dark – and the cold! This was in February so temperatures had dropped to the 40s at night! Nonetheless, we bundled up with layers, packed snacks and water for the day, and started to walk through the Imlil Valley with Omar.

At first, we were winding through side roads and trails through the surrounding towns but we started to climb and transitioned from paved roads to trails just 15-20 minutes later. The agriculture systems and fields from above were amazing to see the transcending layer of crop from above.  

Even as the sun began to peek through, we were walking along snow! Some sections of the trail were a little tricky and slippery over ice. But our sweet and quiet guide Omar was very patient and even held my hand up and over these slick sections!

We asked Omar about his life: he was born and raised in the Imlil Valley. He said being a local trek guide is a super popular and sought after job in the area, since the region is most known to and attracts adventurous backpackers and outdoorsy types. In fact, he had worked on projects with the team at National Geographic, who highlights the hotel we stayed at as one of their Unique Lodges of the World.  

After an hour or so of climbing, we reached the epic viewpoint showcasing the snowcapped Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa! We took a break to enjoy the surroundings, eat snacks, and take a lot of pictures...  

We started our descent back down (on a loop trail– not back the same way we came up), and we came across this beautiful rural village – I believe it was called Tamatert. The vibrant green grass, along the creek that split down the center of the village, with the peachy pink buildings, and Mount Toubkal in the background was such a lovely sight to be seen!!  

As we approached the village, Omar began to tell us about the local women who created handmade woven rugs here. He told us about the fraudulent claims made in the bigger cities like Marrakesh– the merchants often sell manufactured rugs as "handmade", or they will substitute cheaper materials than those traditionally used and advertise as authentic.

In fact, the buying/selling dynamic in Morocco had stressed me out from the beginning. I had read online that the merchants will totally over-price an item at first because haggling is completely expected from both sides of the party. OK– I've dealt with honest haggling in other places like Mexico or Bali, but what I read about Morocco was that prices were often started at 5x or 6x over the "actual" price. How the heck are you supposed to get from $60 to $10 without sounding like a jerk?

We had done a bit of window-shopping at our first location in Taghazout, and (unsuccessfully) tried our hand at the haggling game. It feels awkward, you don't know if you're actually offending the merchant or if it's part of the game, and I read that it's rude to walk away after a certain point of back and forth offers. So while in Taghazout, we would ask for a price here and there, throw out a counteroffer, usually get laughed at, and then we'd call it a day.I thought we may spend a day in Marrakesh at the end of the trip, so I postponed my want for a souvenir until we hit the big city. That is, until Omar brought us to this rural village. 

Omar offered to take us to a local rug shop, in a very low-pressure and "only if you want to" way, so we agreed and thought – if we're going to buy a Moroccan rug, what better place to get one than in a rural village of the High Atlas Mountains with a trusted local guide?  Let's do it!

We met the store owner, and he immediately began with his spiel. Every merchant begins with a never ending story of his family, who makes the rugs, what the traditional patterns mean... As he describes each kind of rug and the woven differences, we begin to pick out certain colors and patterns that catch our eye.We started to narrow in on a fluffier woven rug (some are very short knit and tight, some more plush and fluffy), and I was drawn to a white rug with some sort of accent colors. As Shaun and I debated size and pattern differences, I also asked to see any pillowcases. I want a smaller size and more manageable souvenir in case the rug purchase didn't work out.

Finally, we found the one. A plush white rug with neon bright polka dots, about 6' x 5'. Perfect for our living room. Let the haggling begin! The owner started with a beginning price and after literally 10+ counter offers back and forth coupled with countless stories of how he never ever sells this cheap and how great of a deal we're getting.... Shaun got him down to about 40% of the original price. Deal! 

Two smiling faces of proud owners of a beautiful Moroccan rug!

The owner organized for our rug to be taken by mule to his brother's rug shop, which was near our hotel, so we wouldn't have to carry it back down ourselves. So we (surprisingly) paid by credit card, watched him package it up tightly and away we went back down through the village to the end of our hike back to the Kasbah...

After all of the nervous energy around shopping in Morocco, we were elated to have a done deal!  

Once we arrived to the Kasbah, we bid Omar goodbye and left him a tip for the wonderful time. (The hotel organized the guided tour for us, I believe it was $40 for half day). We skipped down the 1 mile cobblestone hike to the town shop (of the owner's brother) to pick up our package and lug it back up the hill to the Kasbah.I knew I wanted to (hopefully) buy a rug, so I packed an extra, empty duffle bag in my backpack for the special occasion. I was convinced the rug would fit perfectly and snugly in the duffle bag, so Shaun carried the pretty damn heavy packaged rug back up hill to the Kasbah. (The hike between the town shops and our room was fairly steep uphill– I would break a sweat and be slightly winded each time we'd walk back up.)

Lo and behold, the rug did not fit in the duffle bag. It wasn't even close to fitting. So... back down the trail we go back to the brother's shop, package in hand. Sorry Shaun! I was bummed it wouldn't fit in our duffle bag, but at least the local shop would coordinate shipping for us. Shipping was another $100 and I felt pretty anxious about leaving our rug there with nothing but trust that it would somehow, someday arrive at our home in Santa Cruz, California. We had no other option at this point! Fingers crossed and hundreds of dollars later...  

The rug and pillowcases arrived about 2 weeks later, in perfect condition! :)