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Geography and climate of the High Atlas

In simplistic geographic terms the Atlas ranges are the wrinkles from Africa’s tectonic plate bumping into Europe’s. The High Atlas, as a result, has endless tops over 3000m and a handful over 4000m (13,200ft). Quite a few of the really big hills stand in islanded isolation, to such an extent that they have their own distinctive floras, but the variety of form is endless. The centre and east has much that is sedimentary, with high plateaux, river gorges, long escarpments and contorted strata (Ighil Mgoun, 4068m, has fossil shells on its summit cone), while other areas such as the Toubkal massif, with a clutch of 4000ers, are volcanic in origin. Jbel Toubkal, at 4167m, is the highest summit in all North Africa – hence, I suppose, its Ben Nevis, Snowdon, Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro allure. And of course, just as there is more to Scotland than Ben Nevis, there is more to Morocco than Toubkal.

Jbel Toubkal, highest summit in North Africa (4167m), from Imlil