My review of Kasbah du Toubkal in Morocco. A sustainable and luxury hotel in the Atlas mountains.

Kasbah du Toubkal | National Geographic hotel

The hotel was once used as the filming location of the movie “Kundun”. Because of its situation and its effort to be sustainable it is part of the Green Pearls hotels and the only hotel in Morocco listed as a National Geographic Unique Lodges of the world.

Kasbah du Toubkal | Hotel in Imlil

The Kasbah du Toubkal is situated in the hills of Imlil, a berber village that used to produce walnuts, apples and cherries before the main economy became mountain tourism. Imlil is the main starting point for people who want to go on a trek to Toubkal, the highest mountain peak in Morocco and North Africa. You will find a few restaurants in town as well as souvenirs shops selling items coming from women cooperatives of the region. Also there is a good number of hotels in Imlil but if you are looking for a sustainable and luxury hotel in the Atlas mountains, Kasbah du Toubkal is the best choice.

Kasbah du Toubkal | Review

When arriving in Imlil, you will be greeted at the reception in the village. From there, a mule will take your luggage and together you will go for a 15 minutes walk uphill through the village to access the Kasbah. A good introduction to the local life. At arrival, the hotel manager greets you the traditional Moroccan way with milk and dates.  Perfect to calm down from the hectic of Marrakech.

The hotel was created by a young Englisch adventurer, who found the Kasbah abandoned. The location was so amazing that he decided to restore it and build it in the way that you could see the Toubkal mountain from every part of the property but also with care for the environment.

The hotel has 14 ensuite rooms, 3 Moroccan salons and 2 roof terrace from where you can have a tea or a Moroccan speciality like couscous or Tajine with spectacular views over the mountains and a hammam for relaxing.  The hotel is decorated simply in berber style. All furniture at the hotel comes from the region. Indeed the owner of Kasbah du Toubkal wants the hotel to be as sustainable as possible and so that that it supports the villages around.

Sustainability at Kasbah du Toubkal

As part of the Green Pearls hotel group, Kasbah du Toubkal is a guarantee for sustainability. I feel that nowadays sustainability is a trend and most hotels take one or two measures that are sustainable but it is mostly to get press and not a genuine decision to be sustainable.

At Kasbah du Toubkal, the hotel tries to be sustainable on all aspects. Starting from the construction of the hotel that was awarded by the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow in the built environment category, but also on a daily basis, by not selling bottled water or by organizing cleaning actions in the region.

Sustainability continues with the local communities by engaging local staff and buying local products and supporting projects for education and women empowerment.

Kasbah du Toubkal was awarded many times for it’s effort to be as green as possible.

Activities at Kasbah du Toubkal

A lot of people come to Kasbah du Toubkal to simply enjoy the peaceful hotel but it is also possible to go on a trek like we did. It would have been a shame to go in the Atlas mountains and not go explore the Toubkal national park. We went of a 2 days hike through the splendid green and red landscapes of Morocco and remote terraced villages with our guide Mohammed and our mule Daisy. Here also, Kasbah du Toukbal cares about the animals and employ only muleteers who have mules that carry a chip, so that the mule condition can be controlled over time. The trek included an overnight in the Kasbah du Toubkal remote trekking lodge in Azzaden Valley, picnic and a lunch in a local family.

You can book our “trekking in style” option here but the Kasbah du Toubkal hotel has different trekking options and private tailored tours that you can book directly at the hotel as well as daily free walks to show you the villages around. In winter don’t miss the unique opportunity of skiing in Morocoo, in the Atlas mountains!

If you go to Marrakech in the winter, don’t miss skiing in the Atlas mountains in Oukaimeden