1. Marrakech - Imi Oughlad (1,400m) - Ouirgane National Park - Tinzert (Easing In: Juniper Woods and the First Peaks)
At 9:00 AM your driver collects you at your hotel in Marrakech and heads south for Imi Oughlad (1,400m), where the plain runs out and the High Atlas begins. Waiting there are the Berber muleteers and your licensed mountain guide. What follows is a soft 4-hour walk into Ouirgane National Park, in among tall juniper trees, with green mountain country on all sides and a first sight of the High Atlas peaks; the path is broad and undemanding. If you would rather start in the saddle, take the mule for any part of it. The day ends at the Berber village of Tinzert, in simple, warm guesthouse rooms, with dinner cooked by the family who hosts you. Difficulty: gentle. Trekking time 4 hours. Accommodation: guesthouse.
2. Tinzert - Azzaden Valley - Ait Aissa (The Azzaden: Walnut Groves and a Distant Toubkal)
Breakfast, then the trail turns into the Azzaden, which is spoken of as one of the loveliest valleys in the Atlas Mountains. You walk through walnut groves with Toubkal's snow-covered top visible a long way off. The valley is green, quiet and has been largely left alone by tourism. Around 6 hours of walking makes this the longest of the three days, and the mule stays available the whole way. Night 2 is a snug village guesthouse (gite) in Ait Aissa, well up the Azzaden Valley, where the village family cooks dinner. Difficulty: moderate. Trekking time 6 hours. Accommodation: guesthouse.
3. Ait Aissa - Tizi N'Mzik (2,489m) - Imlil (1,740m) - Marrakech (Over the Pass and Down to Imlil)
The last morning holds the only proper climb of the trek: away from the Azzaden and up to Tizi N'Mzik, a pass at 2,489m and the highest ground of the three days. The view from the top runs over the whole High Atlas range, back down the Azzaden behind you and forward into the Imlil Valley below. Ride the mule to the top if you prefer to save your legs. From there it is downhill into Imlil (1,740m), the trekking village, where lunch is taken in a local restaurant before your driver returns you to Marrakech. You get back with your evening still your own, and the medina is there if you want it. Trekking time 5 hours. Riding the mule stays an option.