M'Goun Trekking: Aït Bouguemez Valley, Gorges & Summit
Gorges, the Happy Valley and long high-altitude crossings.
- Trips
- 10
- Length
- 3 to 10 days
- Highest point
- 4,048 m
- Ideal
- Jun–Sept
The M'Goun, month by month
The full guide: when to go- Ideal
- Good
- Possible with care
- We would tell you to wait
We would tell you to wait
M'Goun in January
Passes and plateaus under snow, hard access to the Happy Valley villages and extreme cold at night.
We would tell you to wait
M'Goun in February
Peak snow cover across the massif and high routes closed. We would tell you to wait for spring.
Possible with care
M'Goun in March
Snowmelt begins: high, cold river crossings and muddy trails. Beautiful but demanding.
Possible with care
M'Goun in April
Snowmelt at its peak: the M’Goun gorges can be impassable. Confirm with the agency the day before.
Good
M'Goun in May
Crossings become passable again and the Happy Valley is green and in flower. Still snow above 3,500 m.
Ideal
M'Goun in June
The main season opens: clear plateaus, shepherds at summer pasture and passable gorges.
Ideal
M'Goun in July
The classic M’Goun month. Hot in the gorges, pleasant on the high plateaus.
Ideal
M'Goun in August
Full traverse possible and mild nights for bivouac. Walk early to dodge the heat in the gorges.
Ideal
M'Goun in September
End of the grazing season, superb light and perfect temperatures. Our favourite month on this massif.
Good
M'Goun in October
Days still fine but nights already cold up high. The shepherds are coming back down.
Possible with care
M'Goun in November
First snows on the passes, severe night cold and villages closing in for winter.
We would tell you to wait
M'Goun in December
The massif is locked in winter and access is uncertain. We would point you to the Anti-Atlas or the desert.
10 treks in the M'Goun
The massif's agency
What to expect.
The M'Goun is the great massif of the central High Atlas, more remote and far less visited than Toubkal. Treks start in the Aït Bouguemez valley, the "Happy Valley": mud-brick villages, terraced fields and fortified granaries, half a day's drive from Marrakech via Azilal.
Treks range from family walks in the valley over a few days to long traverses of more than a week. The most popular combine high summer pastures, the ascent of M'Goun summit, above 4,000 m, and the descent of the gorges, where the trail follows the riverbed. Other routes cross the High Atlas from north to south or head for the Tassaout valley.
The ideal season is June to September. In spring, snowmelt can make the gorges impassable; in winter, the passes are closed. See July and August for detail, or compare with Toubkal. Nothing fits your dates? Tell us about your trip and a local agency will reply directly.
Asked before every departure.
M'Goun or Toubkal: what's the difference for a trek?
Toubkal is about an hour and a half from Marrakech, busier, and suits short trips. The M'Goun takes half a day to reach, but offers more varied landscapes (a farmed valley, high pastures, gorges) and far fewer people. It's best suited to treks of a week or more.
Is the M'Goun suitable for families?
Yes, as long as you stay in the Aït Bouguemez valley: family walks there follow easy trails between villages, with nights in guesthouses. The summit and the long traverses are for trained walkers only.
How do you get to the Aït Bouguemez valley?
By road from Marrakech, via Azilal: allow half a day, partly on a mountain road. Most travellers use an organised transfer, so ask the agency whether it's included in the price.
Explore another way
Other regions
The M'Goun in season
Themes