M'Goun Traverse hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The M'Goun traverse crosses the central High Atlas of Morocco from north to south: from the green Aït Bouguemez valley, the "Happy Valley", over the Tizi n'Aït Imi pass (2,905 m) and down the long Assif M'Goun valley and its gorges to Bou Thaghrar, at the top of the Valley of Roses near Kelaat M'Gouna. It is not a waymarked trail but a classic trekking route on mule paths and riverbeds, walked from village to village with nights in simple gîtes (village guesthouses) and camps. Ighil M'Goun (4,071 m), the massif's highest summit, rises to the west; the traverse passes below it.

The route

This guide walks the traverse north to south, as most operators do. Stage 1 climbs from Tabant past Aït Imi to the Tizi n'Aït Imi and drops into the upper M'Goun valley at Tighremt n'Aït Ahmed. Stage 2 follows the river east past Taghreft and Ouaouchki to Imi n'Irkt, the usual camp before the gorges. Stage 3 is the highlight: the Achabou gorges of the M'Goun, walked in the river between walls up to 200 m high, then on past Tighanimine to Aguerzaka. Stage 4 goes down through walnut and fig orchards and rose hedges to Tisguine and through the lower M'Goun gorge to Bou Thaghrar.

There is no official route line, so this guide uses a line built from OpenStreetMap paths through the villages, passes and gîtes that the trekking itineraries name: about 71 km in 4 stages, about 17.9 km each. The total climb is about 2,300 m and the descent about 2,600 m; most of the climbing is on the first day. The highest point is the Tizi n'Aït Imi at 2,905 m and the lowest is Bou Thaghrar at about 1,600 m.

Highlights

• Aït Bouguemez: terraced fields, poplars and mud-brick villages at 1,850 m, with the granary of Sidi Moussa on its hill
• Tizi n'Aït Imi: the view south across the M'Goun massif and north over the Happy Valley
• The upper M'Goun valley: summer pastures, stone villages and shepherd families at 2,000-2,250 m
• The Achabou gorges: hours of wading in a narrow limestone canyon, the reason most people come
• The Valley of Roses: rose hedges, kasbahs and orchards around Bou Thaghrar; the roses flower in late April and May

When to go

The best months are May to June and September to October. Snow usually covers the Tizi n'Aït Imi in winter and early spring. In April and May the river is high with snowmelt and the gorges can be impassable: in April 2025 a group had to turn back and take the Amejgag gorge instead. July and August are hot in the lower valleys, with short afternoon storms. Nights at the high camps can drop to between 0 and -5 °C even in summer.

Never enter the gorges after heavy rain or when a storm is building upstream. Flash floods rise fast and there is no way out of the narrow sections.

How many days do you need?

Most hikers take 4 walking days, as in this guide, plus a day to reach Aït Bouguemez and one to get away from Bou Thaghrar. Stage 3 is long; you can split it at the gîte at the entrance to the gorges or at Tighanimine. Many groups add the M'Goun summit: from Agouti they go up the Arous valley to the Tarkeddit plateau (refuge at 2,900 m), climb the peak and rejoin this route in the Oulilimt valley above Tighremt n'Aït Ahmed. That adds two to three days and a long day above 3,500 m.

Getting there and away

Start: Tabant is 74 km from Azilal and about 240 km from Marrakech, a drive of 5 to 6 hours. You can also take a bus to Azilal and a shared taxi or minibus up to the valley. Many gîtes arrange transfers.

Finish: Bou Thaghrar is about 40 minutes by road from Kelaat M'Gouna, on the main road between Ouarzazate and Boumalne Dadès. From there buses and grand taxis continue to Ouarzazate and Marrakech; your gîte can arrange a transfer. The nearest airports are Marrakech and Ouarzazate.

Guides, mules and booking

No permit or fee is needed, and a guide is not required by law (unlike on Toubkal). But the route is not waymarked, the paths in the gorges change after every flood, and hikers who have done it say you really need a guide for the gorges. Most people hire a local mountain guide and a muleteer through their gîte in Aït Bouguemez or Bou Thaghrar; expect roughly 400-600 MAD a day for a guide and 200-300 MAD for a muleteer and mule. The gîtes on the way are simple village houses with mattresses, blankets and cooked meals; few have websites or phones that answer, so a guide usually books them by word of mouth. On popular dates in spring and autumn, book the gîtes at both ends in advance.

Money and phone signal

Morocco uses the dirham (MAD). There are no ATMs in Tabant or anywhere on the trail, so bring all the cash you need for gîtes, guides, mules and tips from Azilal or Marrakech. The gîtes rarely take cards. Mobile signal is patchy in the villages and absent in the gorges and on long stretches of the valley.

Difficulty

The traverse is moderate to hard. The first day climbs about 1,100 m to almost 2,900 m, and the altitude can be felt. The rest is downhill overall, but the gorge stages mean hours of walking in cold water over slippery stones, often knee-deep, which is tiring and slow. Paths are rough and unmarked, and help is far: the nearest hospitals are in Azilal on the north side and Kelaat M'Gouna, Boumalne Dadès and Ouarzazate on the south side, all hours away.

What to pack

• Shoes or sandals you can wade in all day, with good grip, plus dry shoes for the evening
• A dry bag or liner for your pack, and a walking pole for the river
• A warm sleeping bag (comfort 0 °C) for gîtes and camps, a warm layer and a waterproof
• Sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses
• Water filter or tablets: drink only treated water
• First-aid kit, blister care and your own medicines; there are no pharmacies between Azilal and Kelaat M'Gouna
• Cash in dirhams for the whole trek, and a headlamp

Safety

In an emergency call 15 for an ambulance or 177 for the Royal Gendarmerie, which covers the mountains; 112 also works from mobiles. There is no organised mountain rescue service and a rescue can take many hours, so carry travel insurance that covers trekking and evacuation. Tell your gîte where you are going, do not walk the gorges alone, check the weather and the river level each morning, and turn back if the water is rising or brown. The M'Goun area on the Aït Bouguemez side is a UNESCO Global Geopark, known for dinosaur tracks: leave fossils where you find them, and ask before you photograph people.