Agoundis Valley

The Agoundis runs north-east from Ijoukak on the Tizi n'Test road up towards the southern side of the Toubkal massif, and it is the least-walked of the approaches to that mountain. The valley is narrow and intensively terraced - barley, maize, walnut and fruit on every ledge, with irrigation channels cut along the contours and villages of packed earth stacked on the slopes above the fields. A track runs some way up and then gives out; beyond that it is mule paths to Aït Youb and eventually over the Tizi n'Ououraine to the Toubkal refuges, which makes it a good quiet last day of a circuit coming down. Facilities are minimal - a gite or two and village hospitality. The 2023 earthquake was centred in this part of the Atlas and caused heavy damage in the valley's villages; rebuilding is ongoing and visitors should ask locally about the state of tracks and accommodation.

What you actually see

• Intensive terracing - barley, maize and walnut on every ledge with cut irrigation channels.
• Stacked earth villages - houses built into the slopes above the fields.
• A quiet Toubkal approach - mule paths over the Tizi n'Ououraine to the refuges.
• Rebuilding - visible reconstruction after the 2023 earthquake.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Two days.

Honest expectations

The 2023 earthquake hit this valley hard - tracks, gites and villages have changed and local information is essential. There are almost no services beyond village hospitality. The track up the valley is rough and ends well short of the head. Winter snow closes the pass.

Nearby

Tinmel and the Tizi n'Test are at the valley mouth; Toubkal is at its head.