Gîte Tamsoulte

I spent one week in May '23 at Gite Tamsoulte and hiked up Jbel Toubkal with Abdou - the gite owner. This here was my favorite part of my Morocco vacation, made unforgettable by the kindness of Abdou and his family. I contacted Abdou via WhatsApp (the number is on the Facebook page and the website) months earlier to avoid the horrendous booking fees that some booking sites charge local accommodations. Abdou answered immediately and addressed all my questions throughout the months leading up to the actual stay. Please note that replies might take a day or two as he's often in the mountains with limited mobile service. Voice messages are preferred over text (unless you write in Tamazigh). Abdou speaks excellent English and French, so don't worry about any communication issues. THE LOCATION Gite Tamsoulte is located in the village of Mizik, next to the popular trailhead of Imlil. You reach the gite after a 10min walk from the Imlil taxi station if you come by public transport. If you have a rental car, you can drive to the accommodation, but - having had a rental car - my recommendation is to come by taxi or private transport (Abdou can help with that too) as the road to Imlil is currently under construction, and there's nowhere else to drive from here anyway. If you are looking for a quiet place away from the tourists in Imlil, this is the right place for you. Here you won't find any carpet sellers, but rather you'll have the chance to experience life in an actual Berber village. Imlil itself is nice but loud, at times full of tourists, and very much geared to selling you things - by staying in Mizik, you can avoid all that and relax. THE GITE The gite consists of 7 rooms with double or twin beds. There is also a family room with four beds. Most rooms have an ensuite bathroom; some are shared. As the gite is not super busy, I'm sure you can discuss with Abdou what room you prefer. There are various common spaces to relax after a long day hiking - two inside living rooms full of cushions and three separate outdoor areas with fantastic views over the valley and the mountains. The gite is located in a fruit orchard, so you can plug some fresh cherries right from your bedroom window or the terrace. The rooftop is fantastic! We had most of our meals here and enjoyed the afternoons drinking fresh mint tea while planning our next hikes. Sometimes you'll be invited for dinner at Abdou's house across the village - again, with a beautiful space on the rooftop or in the comfy family living room, depending on the weather. The rooms are small-ish, but there's enough space to store your gear and luggage. The beds were super comfortable, and more than enough blankets were available. Bathrooms have a western toilet and hot water. Absolutely no complaints there. Washing lines are available on the rooftop, and Abdou even let us use the washing machine at his house to wash our dirty hiking gear. THE FOOD All food is prepared in-house, either by Abdou,

Stayed here for one week and loved every minute of it! - Rooms were comfortable and clean - Great rooftop! Perfect for tea breaks and dinner - Tasty (and cheap!!) food. Much better than the tajines I had in Imlil. We were always asked if we wanted anything specific/new so really had the opportunity to try more than the ubiquitous chicken tajine during our stay here - Wonderful people! Abdou and his family took great care of us, made sure that we had everything we needed and really welcomed us into their home - Mountain guiding. Abdou guided us on our multi-day hike in the Atlas. He quickly assessed our gear and fitness level and choose a fitting (read: more difficult but also more interesting) route rather than following the standard Toubkal trek. We really appreciated that! He clearly knows what he's doing in the mountains and explained everything (fauna, flora, geology) during our trip. - Gite is not in the center of Imlil but just outside. Wonderfully quiet and peaceful. Imlil itself was busy with tour groups and touts. Here we had great views and the experience of staying in a quiet Berber village. Walking to the city center takes less than ten minutes, so definitely worth it!

Abdul was an excellent host at Gîte Tamsoulte. He prepared good home cooked meals and helped me familiarize with the Imlil area as well as prepare for my Mt. Toubkal trek, which was guided by him. I really appreciated his humble and attentive personality as well as his choice of less ‘crowded’ tracks on the trek up and down Mt. Toubkal, why I would recommend him as a host and guide for anyone who would like to enjoy the silence and beautiful nature in High Atlas.

Abdul and his family were very welcoming. They provided all our meals and arranged everything included transportation to Marrakesh. We had a great time hiking in the Atlas with Abdul. He took us on trails where we encountered few tourists and saw the most amazing sites. He was able to answer all our questions and taught us quite a few things about Imlil, the mountains, and Morocco. Lonehobo's review really captures the essence of our experience. If you need a guide, seek him out.