Kasbah du Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains

The Kasbah du Toubkal was founded in 1995 by Mike and Chris McHugo, British brothers who have been mountain hikers, and Atlas adventurers since the 1970’s. They bought it as a ruin and, in partnership with Omar Ait Barmed, a local mountain guide who first led Mike through the Imlil Valley in 1978 they have restored it to its original magnificence. The ruin, once the home of a feudal ruler, was rebuilt using local skills and techniques and, these days, it must be one of the most photographed kasbahs in Morocco. And what you see in the iconic photo is what you get.

The Kasbah du Toubkal has been part of Responsible Travel pretty much since we began, and won one of our first ever Responsible Travel Awards in 2004. It is completely unique in that it works hand in hand with the local Berber community, is sensitive to all the local people’s needs, and feels like walking into an albeit large Berber home rather than a big European footprint being plonked in the middle of their homelands.

These words are also on the Kasbah’s website, because this is the sort of business you are dealing with. The Kasbah du Toubkal does leave you speechless and in terms of responsible tourism storytelling, it has been cited as a case study the world over. Not only for its sensitive architecture and exemplary protection of cultural heritage, but also because of its total immersion in the local community. For example, the Kasbah team co-founded the Imlil Valley Association, and there is a five percent automatic levy on every tourist visit to the Kasbah that goes towards funding this. The Association manages everything from waste disposal, a community hammam and improved fresh water to an internet café. They also work at a higher level to ensure that the region is protected from inappropriate and insensitive tourism development, the likes of which has been seen throughout the Alps.

Most impressively, the Kasbah has been a major player in creating the extremely successful Education for All initiative, which has ensured that girls from remote mountain communities have been able to continue their education beyond the primary phase. In order to do this, they have opened two boarding houses which have catered for all the girls’ educational, social and cultural needs.

Sallie Grayson, from our volunteering vacations supplier, People and Places, on why she thinks the Education for All initiative, co-founded by the Kasbah du Toubkal is so impressive and definitely worth supporting: “The way that Education for All has identified all the needs and concerns of the girls and their families from the remote Berber villages really impressed us. They needed to reassure the families that the girls had safe, respectful, appropriate and nurturing environment in which to live. The Kasbah du Toubkal, by setting up Education for All, has taken on this massive responsibility and they aren’t ever going to abdicate that responsibility, because they are so fully committed to it for the long term.”