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We would like to do a two/three day hike with our kids in the middle Atlas in Morocco. Our kids are eight and four years old . We thought of renting an extra mule for the small one. Does anyone have experience with trekking with kids in Morocco or can anyone recommend a guide for the middle Atlas region to arrange this? Any clues about costs?

Michiel

I would suggest getting a mule and a really good guide. The guides are usually about 350 DH a day and the mule is similar but Im not totally sure. Most hotels in the region will be able to hook you up with some sort of service there but make sure you ask around and compare before settling on one in particular.
Another thing is that Moroccans love children. They will go out of their way for you to make you and your kids comfertable and usually ooooh and ahhh for quite some time. Just forewarn your children...and yourselves...that Moroccan woman and men will come up and touch your kids. Not in a bad way of course, but stroke their cheek or tussle their hair..some woman may kiss their cheeks. Dont be off put by this. Its mearly a show of "your kid is really cute and Im letting you know that". So you might want to tell your kids not to be frightened or if they are shy warn them how friendly the people are.
Also you can do treks where you stop at gites everynight. Or guesthouses. Usually run by local Berbers or expats. They are cheap and most have good accomodation. But some places are rather unsanitary so make sure you take water purification tablest with you and medicine incase of upset stomachs...and plenty of toilet paper.
I dont have any guide names but let me know if you need any other info.
Cheers.

Hi Michiel,

I think you will really enjoy trekking in Morocco with your kids. The High Atlas around Imlil and Toubkal is very well set up for trekking. There are guides, mules, and places to stay everywhere. The Central High Atlas, the M'Goun region near Azilal and Tabant, is also fairly well organized.

The Middle Atlas itself, from Midelt to Taza, isn't as popular with trekkers and isn't set up for overnight hikes with guides and mules. But, I'll look into it and get back to you. Since it isn't as touristy as the other areas, it's a great area to hike. And there are tons of beautiful areas. Guides and mules shouldn't be hard to get, either. You'd just have to decide where in the Middle Atlas you want to go. Some people say the M'goun region is part of the Middle Atlas, while others say it's part of the High. It just depends on how you look at it; the beginning of one range or the end of the other!

I do have the names of good and reliable guides in the High Atlas and M'goun region.

The High Atlas is a bit more expensive since most trekkers go there. The price for a guide per day is about 300-400 dirhams. The price for a mule and muleteer is around 150-200 dirhams per day. Some people like to tip the guide and muleteer upon completion of the trek. For a 3-day/2-night hike, usually 1 mule per 2 people. The mules carry no more than 100 kilos. But, since you have small kids, you probably only need 1 mule. Since water weighs so much, something you could consider is getting water purification tablets or drops. There's a great product that is iodine free called 'Pristine'. This would lighten the mule's load considerably. There is water almost everywhere: in the villages, streams, and waterfalls. You would still need to buy all your food beforehand. The guide will help you do this. If you are staying in Gites, they usually run between 50-100 dirhams a night. If you're coming in the summer, you could bring tents, etc. and tent camp.

Hope this helps,
Fazia

Dear Fazia and Prisa,

thanks for your answers to my posting. One of the reasons why we chose the Middle Atlas instead of the High Atlas is because we thought it would have more vegetation and thus be cooler than the High Atlas. We were thinking of starting our Journey from Fez. Fazia, so you have any recommendations on what trip to make? As I understand from you, there are not as many places to sleep as in the High Atlas. Would you recommend to forget the Middle Atlas as it would be too much hassle to organise this, or is it feasible.

Obrigado pela ajuda ate agora,

Michiel

Ola Michiel,

Voce fala portugues? Let me know when you plan on coming to Morocco. I live an hour away from Fez so I could meet you in Fez or wherever if I'm around. The Middle Atlas is beautiful but not like the High Atlas. There really aren't many opportunities for mule treks in the Middle Atlas unless you go to the M'goun region near Azilal and Tabant. I have some contacts there who could arrange a 2-day or even 7-day trek for you. The best day to be there would be on Sunday so you can buy all the provisions for your trek from the weekly open-air market. The High Atlas is also beautiful and still cool. No matter where you are, if you are coming in August, it will be HOT! If you prefer the High Atlas, the trek would be a bit more demanding, but at least you would have all your stuff on the mule. The Middle Atlas region around Fez is better to stay put somewhere and just go off on day hikes.

Hope this helps.

Fazia

Hi Michiel,

Here is a great comparison of trekking in the M'goun and the High Atlas that my friend Brian sent to me.

M'goun are: more scenic

Wider U shaped valleys offers good tent camping areas.Gites and Refuges are non existent. Trails tend to be less rocky and the scenery is definitely better with lots of vegetation. This trekking requires all food to be carried(purchased at the Sunday market in Tabant)and the muleteers must do the cooking. Saturday night arrival, Sunday Tabant market for supplies, Monday start the trek.

Toubkal area: more rugged (rocky).

Narrow, river cut, steep sided mountains. Tent camping very poor (only a few helicopter like pads on dirt and gravel established in each valley, otherwise any flat land has been taken for terraced agriculture). This area is much better for Refuge/Gite travel. Very few vegtables in the remote villages so all supplies must be picked up in Imlil. Muleteers must cook in kitchens of Refuges/Gites.Trails are rugged and rocky here tending more to mountaineering (a lack of vegetation anywhere except in the immediate narrow river bottoms). Some of the trails are well constructed cliff hangers.

Fazia

I just happened to see the latest Travel magazine and they have some interesting info ( and pics) about Morocco that you might want to check out.It caught my eye as we will do some traveling in Morocco ( with a young child) during our slow trip around the world (probably from our Spain winter rentals).

Also the book "exotic travel destinations for families has some info on Morocco and children that you might want to look at ( but not specific to trekking).

Thanks for all the advice guys. This really is helpful. I found a website on the Middle Atlas region just sout of Fez: http://www.atlas-ecotourisme.fr.fm/ From the pics it seems like a nice area. Amazing that so few people explore this. Fazia, I understand from your posting that this region south of Fez isn't quite the place to do a multiple day walking tour, but it is better to do day trips. Do you know any of the gites on the website and can you recommend any? We might consider doing daytrips instead and see if we can arrange anything else localy. The M'goun area seems a little bit out of our way for this time, but it surely sounds interesting.
WT thanks for the tip on the Travel magazine (is it the national geographic travel magazine?).

P.S. Fazia, eu falo Portugues porque cresci no Brasil

Hi Michiel,

I looked at that website and they give a list of some pretty good gites in this region. One of them is about 30 minutes away from Fez. It's the one called 'Gite Dayet Aoua'. It's in the countryside next to a small village and a lake. The area is very scenic with other villages and lakes not too far away, but you would have to get transportation out there.

Getting transportation(buses, trains, shared taxis)to and from towns and cities isn't a problem, but getting transportation to small villages could be a challenge. You might have to rent a big taxi for the day.

The other gites on the website are a few hours away from Fez. They are also nice, but I like the Dayet Aoua area because it's easy to get to. We were actually fishing about 30 minutes away from that gite at another lake. Very calm but no bites!

Fazia

Thanks Fazia,

we will try to book the Gite Dayet Aoua. We'll probably stay a few days in Fez before going there.

Thanks for all the help

Michiel

Hi Michiel,

Glad to help. If you need any names of good and resonably priced places to stay in Fez, or guides I have a couple contacts. I also have the contact info for the Gite at Dayet Aoua if you need.

Fazia