Touda Ecolodge

A house carried up by mule

Touda is the Amazigh (Berber) first name of the mother of Saïd Marghadi, the founder. Saïd was born in a neighbouring High Atlas valley; a mountain guide, he imagined with Ali a guesthouse that would also make Amazigh culture known and bring people together.

So as not to disturb life in Zawiyat Oulmzi, the highest and most remote village in the valley, he bought a plot slightly apart, above the houses. Work began in 2007: local craftsmen built in stone, earth and wood, and mules carried up the valley's stones and then the materials, without any road being cut to the site. Only a few traditional plasters came from Marrakesh. The house opened in 2009.

It is still run by a small team from the valley: Ahmed, a guide and former shepherd and farmer; Nejma, who assists Fatima in the kitchen and handles trek logistics; Zakaria, on reception and service, who also photographs life at the lodge. Guests soon share the open kitchen, the lounge with its large bay window and the terraces over the valley, where mint tea is served at sunset.

Simple rooms, a heated house

The eleven rooms are deliberately plain: a good bed, a shower, heating, linen provided. A couple should ask for the superior room, with a queen-size bed and a view over the valley; two friends will find twin rooms, and families have two rooms of their own.

At 2,200 m, winter cold is the real question. Touda has held the Green Key label (an international label for environmentally committed accommodation) since 2011, and heats the whole building with a biomass boiler fuelled by olive pomace, the residue of olive pressing supplied by a local producers' group, backed up by solar water heaters. The house describes it as the first of its kind in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region. It is open all year. The rooms have neither air conditioning nor fans, which some guests visiting in high summer have regretted.

For relaxation there is a hammam, an open-air Nordic bath, a hot-water tub facing the mountains that the house describes as the only one in the country, and a chlorine-free natural pool open to the valley. The pool is closer to a mountain basin, for cooling off after a walk; anyone expecting a hotel pool will be disappointed.

From the garden to the table

The kitchen garden, grown on permaculture principles at 2,200 m, supplies tomatoes, mint for tea, and carrots, potatoes and courgettes for the tagines. What is not eaten becomes jams, juices and preserves. The same team has set up a cooperative, Terre de l'Atlas, which sells the valley's produce.

The cooking is Amazigh, from the High Atlas, with vegetarian, gluten-free or vegan options to request when booking. The night includes breakfast; lunch, dinner and a hiking picnic can be added on request, so a full-board stay is possible.

An eco-museum set up by the house brings together old tools, everyday objects and weavings from the valley: a good introduction before walking through the villages.

Walking from the door

Touda is first of all a house of guides. Each day you choose between a walk from village to village, a summit climb (M'Goun, Azourki, Waouglzate), a mountain-bike ride or a cooking class. A day guide, a mule with its muleteer and a bike can be booked on site.

For keener walkers, the house organises multi-day treks with a guide, cook and muleteers. The five-day M'Goun ascent (4,071 m) runs from April to November, via the sources of the Tessaout and the Tarkeddit plateau, with bivouacs at around 2,900 m; the last evening is spent at the lodge, with a hammam. A family trek leads to the Izourar plateau, its lake and the M'Goun gorges. The longest treks head for the Saghro or follow the transhumance of the Ait Atta nomads.

Sabaro's view

Who it suits: hikers who want to set off on foot every morning, families with children old enough to walk, travellers looking for a mountain valley and the life of its villages.

Strengths: a house run by people from the valley; a daily choice of activities with the house's own guides; a building fully heated in winter; a 4.9/5 rating on Tripadvisor.

Good to know: the road is long and winding, about four hours from Marrakesh; the rooms are simple; payment is in cash or by bank transfer; pets are not accepted. In spring, summer and school holidays, the house advises booking several weeks, even several months, ahead.

Our advice: at least three nights, to keep a day of walking in the valley before a summit climb or a long hike.