Azzaden Valley

The Azzaden runs parallel to the Mizane on the far side of a ridge from Imlil, and the difference in atmosphere between the two is out of proportion to the two-and-a-half-hour walk over the Tizi n'Mzik that separates them. Where Imlil is a trekking village, Azzaden is farming: terraces of barley, walnut and maize worked by hand, villages of Tizi Oussem, Id Issa and Aguersioual built into the slopes, irrigation channels, and mule tracks used by people going about their business rather than by groups. There is a trekking lodge at Tizi Oussem and a few village gites. From the valley, routes continue up to the Tazaghart plateau and the Lepiney refuge under a wall of rock that carries the best climbing in the massif. It is the obvious first or last day of a Toubkal circuit and is skipped by most people, which is the point.

What you actually see

• A farming valley - terraces of barley, walnut and maize worked by hand.
• The Tizi n'Mzik - a two-and-a-half-hour crossing from Imlil over the ridge.
• Village gites - a lodge at Tizi Oussem and a few family houses taking guests.
• Routes to Tazaghart - the plateau and the Lepiney refuge under the climbing walls.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Two days.

Honest expectations

There is no shop or restaurant beyond the gites - arrange food with your accommodation. The road in is longer than the walk over the pass. Winter snow closes the Tizi n'Mzik. Facilities are basic throughout.

Nearby

Imlil is over the pass; the Tazaghart plateau is at the valley head.