The short answer
Choose Imlil for height, mountain views and quiet Berber villages; choose Ourika for a green river valley, waterfalls and an easy day. The two valleys run side by side, split by a ridge, but feel nothing alike. Imlil sits at 1,740 metres below Toubkal. Ourika is lower, lusher and busier at weekends.
In more detail
Imlil is the trailhead for Jbel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak. The village is small; the reason to come is the walk above it, about 45 minutes up a clear stone track to Aroumd at 1,940 metres, with views back down the valley.
Ourika is a river road threading hamlet after hamlet up to the Setti Fatma waterfalls. It has more cafés, more stops and more people, and the walk to the first fall is a rocky scramble rather than a path.
You do not have to choose. Our Three Valleys day loops through Ourika, the high pastures of Oukaïmeden and the Asni and Imlil valley in one full day, with a guided walk on the way.
Good to know
- Imlil gets cold and can ice up in winter; bring warm layers.
- Ourika is the better pick for small children: shorter drive, riverside cafés.
- Both need shoes with grip.
- Above Imlil, the Kasbah du Toubkal serves mint tea on its terraces, even to non-guests.