Aremd (also spelled Aroumd or Around) is the largest village in the Imlil valley, built on an old glacial moraine that raises it above the valley floor at around 1,900 metres. Its flat-roofed stone-and-mud houses are stacked tightly on the slope, backed by the peaks of the Toubkal massif, and the terraced barley and vegetable fields below the village are irrigated by channels drawn from the Assif Reraya river.
The village is a common first stop on the Toubkal trek, about a 45-minute walk from Imlil, and many trekkers spend their first night here in a guesthouse to start acclimatising. For day visitors it offers a genuine glimpse of High Atlas Amazigh life: mule trains carrying supplies, women working the fields, and mountain views that open up as the path climbs onto the moraine. It stays quiet and unspoilt precisely because you have to walk in.
There is no road into the heart of the village, so a private tour makes the logistics simple: your driver drops you at Imlil, a local guide walks you up the mule path to Aremd, and you return without the pressure of a group schedule, timing the walk for the softer light and cooler air of the morning or late afternoon.
Highlights
- Flat-roofed Amazigh houses stacked on a glacial moraine at ~1,900 m
- Terraced barley and vegetable fields fed by mountain irrigation channels
- Open views of the Toubkal massif from the top of the moraine
- A scenic 45-minute mule-path walk up from Imlil
- Working village life — mule trains, farming and mountain guesthouses
- A common first-night acclimatisation stop on the Toubkal trek
Best Time to Visit
Morning or late afternoon for the best light and cooler walking; spring brings green terraces, while autumn offers clear, stable weather.