Tubkal National Park

• Location: High Atlas, Morocco (70 km from Marrakech)
• Mountains: Atlas
• Height above sea level: 4167 meters
• Area: 380 square meters. km.
• Foundation date: 1942

The state of Morocco differs from other countries in North Africa in that the Sahara desert is not dominant here, and Atlas mountains occupy most of the territory. They stretched for about fifteen hundred kilometers and left a certain imprint on the flora and fauna. The highest point among travelers is the highest point - Mount Tubkal , its height is 4167 meters above sea level.

Here in 1970, the National Park was opened, which has an area of ​​sixty-five thousand hectares and is named after the Tubkal mountain range. It is located seventy kilometers from the historic city of Marrakech , which has preserved to this day a formidable citadel with strong mighty towers. You can only walk on the territory of the reserve. If you have tourist equipment, then you can use the services of pack animals (donkeys and horses) for an additional fee. Payment is made at the tourist office or at a local guide in the nearest settlement of Imlil.

Flora and fauna of Tubkal National Park

The biological diversity of the national park is truly unique. From the mountain range you can see green plains, juniper thickets, thuja and oak, grottoes, caves and rocky gorges, along which mountain rivers with absolutely pure water flow. In a fragrant and picturesque forest, there are porcupines, deer, gazelles, mangy sheep, small rodents, mouflons, jackals, and also mountain lynx and wild cat. A huge number of different kinds of butterflies fly in the mountain meadows and in shrubbery, some of them very rare. For example, sailors, who with their fluttering flights strongly resemble miniature birds of the hummingbird. From reptiles live lizard-thistles, chameleons and numerous snakes, for example, cobra and horned vipers.

In the National Park Tubkal are protected natural complexes of thickets of tamarix, junipers, mountain meadows and forests from stone and cork oak, as well as Lebanese cedar. Unfortunately, the nature of this reserve has been heavily damaged by the hands of a man who at different times hunted cloven-hoofed animals and predators, exterminated forests, drained lakes. As a result of this vandalism, the mountainous part of Morocco lost many fauna. In the twentieth century, the last antelopes and lions were destroyed here, and giraffes, elephants and buffaloes became extinct in the nineteenth century. In the most inaccessible places of the Atlas, it is very rare to meet cheerful flocks of monkeys, a graceful black panther and an agile genetta - this is a relative of a mongoose from India.

Accommodation in the Atlas Mountains

In the village of Imlil there is a wide selection of local hotels (their level is one star), riads and guest houses. Prices are relatively low. Moroccans - very hospitable people and invite to live and eat from them, give out traditional dressing gowns, however, is also not free. Having settled in one of the Aboriginal houses, each traveler can feel the national local flavor.

There are other accommodation options for the night. Ten kilometers from the city is the so-called FAA Hut. Accommodation here is only sixty dirhams, a hot shower is another ten rubles. There are also sleeping bags, bed linen, guide services, maps and full board. Owners of the guidebook Lonely Planet receive a discount of up to thirty percent. The cheapest way to live in the lap of nature is a camping. You can come with your tents or rent them. Products, stove and other essentials are purchased on site.

Nuances when climbing Toubkal

For an experienced mountaineer, the ascent to the National Park will not be difficult, but for ordinary travelers, the path will not be easy. The greens of olives and palms will replace forests from a protected cork tree, and behind them you can see thickets of cedar and stone oak, only junipers and thujas grow further. After ten kilometers the tourist will be struck by an unusual contrast: in the south one can see lifeless slopes with bare stones, and in the north - picturesque green valleys.

Thirty kilometers from the foot of the mountains a winding road will lead the travelers to the village of Imlil, hence the hard way to the reserve begins. There is a motorway to the town, so you can get here by car or other transport . At the peak of the mountain you can see the most unusual fascinating landscapes of North Africa, and in the spring, when the snow comes down, the most far-sighted will be able to see the desert sands of the Sahara. The weather in the National Park Tubkal, as elsewhere in the Atlas, is very changeable and windy, so take warm things with you, even in the summer, you must. On the mountain massif snow can lie up to six months, so Tubkal has become a favorite center of alpine skiing .

Routes for ascent to the reserve, both for experienced travelers, and for an ordinary tourist, at the tour desk are developed by guides in advance. Usually the journey takes from a couple of hours to two days, with an overnight stay in one of the hotels. The flow of those wishing to conquer the summit and visit the National Park is constantly increasing, so the services and infrastructure provided are not standing still. Nightclubs, restaurants here, naturally, no. But there is pure crystal air, picturesque mountain landscapes, beautiful birds singing and a mysterious starry sky.

How to get to the Tubkal National Park?

The nearest settlement is Imlil village, which is located only three kilometers from the reserve. The starting point will still be the city of Marrakech . The Grand Taxi will cost about two thousand dirham per car - if you eat alone, then take along fellow travelers to save. There are also scheduled bus services from the suburban bus station Baber Rob to Asni, the cost is only twenty dirhams (about thirty minutes on the road), and from there you still have to take a taxi, the price will be ten or thirty dirhams from one passenger. In Morocco, people like to bargain, remember this.