M'Goun Traverse: A 6-Day Trek Across Morocco's Second Highest Massif

Jebel M'Goun (4,071 m) is Morocco's second highest peak after Toubkal, but the experience could not be more different. While Toubkal is a fast in-and-out summit, the M'Goun region is a sprawling massif of plateaus, gorges and Berber villages best traversed over five or six days.

The Classic Traverse Route

Most trekkers start in the Ait Bouguemez valley (the 'Happy Valley') and finish in Kelaat M'Gouna on the Dades side. Six walking days take you over the M'Goun summit, through the spectacular Tessaout gorges and across high pasture lands where transhumant shepherds still summer.

Daily Distances

• Day 1: Tabant → Ait Imi pass → Tarbat n'Tirsal (6 hours, 950 m up).
• Day 2: Tarbat → M'Goun summit (4,071 m) → Oulilimt (9 hours, 1,200 m up, 1,500 m down).
• Day 3: Oulilimt → Tessaout gorge entry (5 hours).
• Day 4: Tessaout gorges — wading and scrambling (6 hours).
• Day 5: Magdaz → Ifoulou (5 hours).
• Day 6: Ifoulou → Kelaat M'Gouna trailhead (4 hours).

Why It Beats Toubkal

Toubkal is one summit and you are back in Marrakech in 48 hours. M'Goun is six days of immersion — village homestays, mules carrying your gear, no other Western trekkers for hours at a time. The summit itself is a gentle scree walk; the gorges are the real highlight.

Logistics

A licensed guide is required in some sections. Plan 80–120 EUR per day for a full crew (guide, cook, muleteers, mule). Best months are mid-June to mid-September; outside that window the high passes hold snow.

Gear Notes

Sleeping bag rated to -5°C, real boots, layers for 5°C summit mornings and 30°C valley afternoons. Mules carry your main pack; you walk with a 6-litre daypack.