Atlas Mountains

Saw-toothed and (occasionally) snow-topped, the Atlas Mountains are the great dividing range of the Moroccan Maghreb. They run for hundreds of kilometers across the very heart of the country, carving the land, from the rollers of the Atlantic to the cedar-peppered plains around the Oum Er-Rbia River. Along the way, such diversity abounds. In the west, it's possible to surf the rollers in the shadow of the icy peaks. In the east, visitors can taste fresh oranges from the orchards. In the south, the Sahara begins to seize the land; the craggy peaks convert to shifting sand dunes and camels replace the Barbary stag. However, it's in the heartlands of the High Atlas where the real jewels await. Here, the verdant reaches of Ourika and Zat valleys are veritable trekking meccas, the most imposing challenge being the summit of Toubkal, rising to 4,167 meters above this mystical province of the Berber nomads. Atlas Mountain tour guides are an asset on these off beaten paths, offering options from mountaineering and skiing (yep, skiing in Africa!) to mountain biking over peaks and crests.