![]() All-inclusive day tours operated by Dar Zaman (from $53 pp) and Intrepid Morocco. Fifty mile transfer from Marrakech to Oukaimeden available via taxi and minibus.Premium carriers including British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways all fly direct to Menara Airport, Marrakech.For the casual skier or adventurous beginner, a fun and unconventional day awaits. Runs aren’t pisted as such, meaning virgin snow awaits, and the powder is crisp and dry. The skiable area – often disquietingly empty – tops out at 10,603 feet, 6 feet higher than Val Thorens, France, one of Europe’s most snow-sure destinations. However, this description undersells Oukaimeden. Most rental equipment can be politely described as “retro,” and if drag lifts are a bore you can always hitch a ride on a donkey. With 20 runs and one chairlift it’s on the smaller side by Western standards, and comes with a few quirks. Today it has Oukaimeden, a fully-functioning ski resort at 8,530 feet, the highest in the continent.īut with a boom in ski touring opening up the High Atlas, is one of Africa’s hidden gems experiencing a snow-born renaissance?įifty miles east of Marrakech lies Oukaimeden, Morocco’s most noteworthy ski resort. Intrepid alpinists have strapped on their crampons in Morocco since the era of the French protectorate. Their mountainsides facing west are an avaricious collector of snow throughout winter – enough for a ski season to form between January and March. Algeria does have an Atlas range all of its own, however – the Saharan Atlas peaks.The Atlas Mountains, rising up in North Africa, have been a skiing curiosity for decades. The Middle, High and Anti-Atlas range is found out in Morocco, while the Aurès and Tell Atlas ranges are shared between Tunisia and Algeria. ![]() While we’ve been referring to the Atlas Mountains as a range, it’s technically four different ranges compacted into one. However, much of its tourism comes from the Atlas Mountains – part of the country’s $6 billion+ tourism intake! 13. Morocco is already highly popular with tourists traveling from all over the world. In 1942, the hugely popular Toubkal National Park was first set up – it’s around 380 square km large. The Atlas Mountains play host to lots of national parkland, too. In fact, the Youssef Ben Tachfine, a cave found deep in the range, is said to date all the way back to mid-paleolithic times! 11. Some areas of the Atlas Mountains are genuinely ancient. Atlasians have created their own communication system so they can keep in touch despite the huge morass! Oddly enough, local people have come up with a few ways around this. The thickness of the Atlas Mountain spine can prove to be difficult to communicate through (as in, to submit signals via). Weirdly enough, the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts never quite meet the Sahara Desert purely thanks to the Atlas Mountains – it’s a huge natural divider! 6. These included the Barbary lion, the Atlas bear, and the North African elephant. The Atlas Mountains were once home to some fascinating but now sadly extinct beasts. All of these peaks can be found in Morocco! It’s around 13,671 feet tall and just outstretches Timzguida and Ras Ouanoukrim, both of which make up the collective Ouanoukrim mountain. The absolute tallest of all the Atlas Mountains is Toubkal. It’s a combination of mass between cold polar air from the north, and tropical, humid (and tremendously hot) air that drifts up from the southern side. The air up in the Atlases is fairly unique. ![]() You’ll even find gold in these hills, too – not so much of a gold rush going on, mind! 2. The Atlas Mountains are highly rich in lead ore, mercury, silver, iron ore, marble, natural gas and much more. Regardless of your own sense of adventure, let’s take a look at some fun facts about the Atlas Mountains. These peaks are magnificent to gaze across from afar – and, as it turns out, they’re rich in all kinds of useful minerals, too! Spanning a huge stretch of land across northwest Africa, the Atlas Mountains have proven to be some of the most popular with trekkers from all over the world.
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