Kasbah du Toubkal

A ruin bought in 1989

In 1989, Mike McHugo, his brother Chris and their mother stayed in a Berber village below a ruined kasbah at the foot of Toubkal. It had once been the summer residence of a local chief. Chris suggested buying it. Mike had known the mountains since 1972; he founded the agency that became Discover Ltd, a British tour operator specialising in Morocco since 1978, which still owns the house.

The restoration was led by the architect John Bothamley, in a simple, vernacular style. Village workers used local techniques and materials; everything was carried up by hand or by mule, without power tools, since electricity only reached the valley in 1997. The kasbah welcomed its first guests in 1995. Martin Scorsese later turned it into a Tibetan monastery for Kundun, his film about the Dalai Lama.

The house is run with Hajj Maurice, a mountain guide and village figure, and his wife Hajja Arkia. The team of around thirty comes from the neighbouring villages. The kasbah describes itself as an extension of Berber hospitality more than a hotel: the Berber cooking is done by cooks from the valley, trained on site.

The earthquake of 8 September 2023 mainly hit the oldest part of the building, where the dining room is; the tower, the bedrooms and the newer buildings held. Since April 2025, a small infinity pool for resident guests has joined the hammam and its plunge pool.

The village's 5%

Every accommodation bill carries a 5% levy paid to the Imlil village association. The money has funded the valley's first community hammam, the region's first ambulance and driver, a rubbish collection system and a school for 80 pupils in a remote valley. A stay therefore puts money straight into the valley, which matters all the more since the earthquake.

A day at the kasbah

The day is settled the evening before at reception: the guide suggests a route to suit each person's fitness, wishes and the weather. Every hike has its own personal guide.

• Half day: up to four hours' walking, morning or afternoon.
• Full day: a guide, a generous picnic and a mule to carry it.
• Two days to Azzaden: the kasbah opened the region's first trekking lodge, the Azzaden Trekking Lodge, in Id Issa in the next valley. Allow about 3 h 30 of walking for a strong walker, 4 to 5 hours at a gentle pace, with a picnic near a 2,200 m pass and a return by another path. The lodge has en-suite rooms, solar-powered underfloor heating and a terrace facing the Toubkal massif.
• The Toubkal ascent: two days and one night, as a private expedition with at least a guide and a muleteer; the mule carries luggage and equipment, and the price covers everything except boots.

Those who stay behind have two large, partly shaded roof terraces, a library of books and music, board games, and village life right below. In the evening Imlil goes quiet early and has only a few simple cafés, so dinner is almost always at the kasbah.

Which room to choose

The kasbah has 14 en-suite rooms furnished in carved walnut, plus separate accommodation: the Garden House, the Berber Lodge, the Azzaden Trekking Lodge and Dar Imlil, a village house run by the deputy manager's brother and built to the same standard.

For a view of Toubkal, the Deluxe has a balcony. The two Deluxe Plus rooms interconnect and each has two convertible couches: the option for families who want to stay in the kasbah itself. For a longer stay, the Garden House Apartment Suite has a kitchen and a wood burner, and the Berber Lodge, 50 m away, is a small private house for a couple.

Sabaro's view

For whom: hikers, active families, travellers who want two to four nights in the heart of the park and to set off on foot from the door.

Strengths: guides and muleteers from the village, with each day planned the evening before according to the weather; the story of a restoration done by hand; a stay that directly funds the valley.

Good to know: two-night minimum; the kasbah is reached by a 15-minute uphill walk, 100 m above the village reception, while mules carry the luggage; no alcohol is served; guests are asked to keep phones discreet, especially on the terraces. Lunch costs €15 and dinner €20.

Our advice: the walk up on arrival is a good test of fitness before choosing a hike; for Toubkal, do one or two days in the valleys first.