4-daagse Atlas Mountains Family Trek

My wife and I recently completed a four day three night trek in the High Atlas Mountains organized by Astara Tours. The tour was booked through Omar (the boss I assume) who was very helpful with the planning and arranging the pickup etc. Arrangements were made to pick us up directly from our hotel in Marrakesh and we were assured that they would be able to accommodate my wife, who is vegetarian. Our guide Rashid and the muleteer and cook Abdul where outstanding. Both were friendly, helpful and certainly knew their way around the mountains and villages we visited. Rashid explained the plan for the four days in detail and upon assessing our skill level was able to make slight adjustments to the itinerary that made the trip much more enjoyable while still covering the same amount of ground (all of which were explained to us in detail. The mule carried the cooking gear, our small backpack and sometimes Abdul. The star of the entire four days was definitely the scenery. We hiked six or more hours a day but never tired of the spectacular views, changing colors and glimpses of village life we were exposed to on the trek. The accommodations, which were villager's homes that the families had converted to guest houses, were sparse but comfortable and the meals prepared on the trail or in the guesthouses were great. One of the highlights for me occurred while we were at dinner our last night. As we ate outside on the porch overlooking the village and the valley below, the call to prayer began. Each of the three or four mosques that lay within earshot of the village started their prayers a few seconds after the other. As the sound from each intensified, it echoed and reverberated through the valley in not quite synchronized stereo unique and eerily beautiful, and, as with the entire experience, well worth the trek.