Marrakech Menara Airport to Imlil
About 1.5 hours south of RAK into the High Atlas; a private transfer runs direct, while a two-leg grand taxi via Asni is the cheap route.
Imlil, MarrakechMpb eu / Wikimedia, CC0Imlil is a walnut-shaded mountain village at ~1,800 m, the main trailhead for Jbel Toubkal — North Africa's highest peak. Stone guesthouses cling to the slopes and mule tracks lead off toward the summit refuges, making it the base for Atlas trekkers.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Imlil, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €60).
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €60 | Private transfer |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €60 | Private transfer |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €60 | Private transfer |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Cheapest fare | From €8, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Private transfer
A fixed ~€60–85 per car for the climb into the mountains on one continuous drive. The road ends at Imlil's car park — some guesthouses sit higher up the valley, so the last stretch may be a short walk or a mule with your bags, which the property arranges once you're there.
Where to catch it: Driver meets you in arrivals; trekking guesthouses and tour operators routinely include the Imlil transfer.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsTaxi
Roughly 30–50 MAD per seat to Asni plus 20–30 MAD on to Imlil (~€8–14 total). The cheapest option, but it means a change at Asni's roadside rank and a wait for each Mercedes to fill — slow with luggage, and best attempted in daylight.
Where to catch it: Take a grand taxi from Marrakech (Bab er-Robb) to Asni, then change to a second shared taxi from Asni up to Imlil.
Best for small groups in a hurryCar rental
From ~€25–40/day. The road via Asni is paved but tightens into hairpins near Imlil, and snow can affect the top section in winter — check conditions first. You'll leave the car in the village lot, as no road runs to the summit trails.
Where to catch it: Arrivals-hall counters; cars from the airport car park.
Best for travellers who want to exploreImlil & Marrakech in photos
Buying tickets in Marrakech
Bus 19, run by ALSA, is the cheap direct link from Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) to Jemaa el-Fna, costing around 30 MAD as of 2026. It stops at the marked bus bay outside the terminal and runs roughly every 20 to 30 minutes, daytime only (about 6:00 to 21:30), reaching the medina in around 30 minutes via Hivernage and Gueliz. Pay onboard and keep your ticket. Outside those hours, a taxi is your realistic option, since there is no metro or train from the airport itself.
Taxi scams & safety in Marrakech
Marrakech taxis do not reliably use meters, so agree the fare before you get in. The regulated airport-to-medina rate is roughly 100 to 150 MAD by day in a petit taxi, rising to about 150 to 240 MAD after 22:00, expect drivers to open higher. Grand taxis (larger, shared) also work the airport and quote flat prices. Never let a driver start driving on a vague "don't worry," settle the exact number first, ideally in dirhams, and have small notes ready to avoid a no-change excuse.
Getting from RAK to Imlil
You land at Menara with sea-level lungs and a duffel full of layers, and by the time the road runs out you're at roughly 1,800 m in a walnut-shaded village where the tarmac simply stops and the mule tracks begin. Imlil is the Toubkal trailhead, about 66 km and around 1.5 hours south of Marrakech, and getting there is the first leg of the climb rather than a taxi hop. Here's how the three realistic ways up stack up.
What the road actually does on the way up
The first stretch out of Marrakech is flat and fast, but past Asni the route tightens into a proper mountain road — hairpins stacked against the valley wall, the drop opening up on one side, the High Atlas building ahead. It's paved the whole way to the village car park, so you don't need a 4x4, but the last section is slow going and the top of it can hold snow in winter. Reckon on around 95 minutes by car when the road is clear; the shared-taxi route with its change at Asni takes longer, closer to two hours plus the waiting. Whichever mode you pick, this is a climb, and the driving reflects it.
One car, all the way, no change at Asni
A pre-booked transfer is the option that treats Imlil as a single continuous drive. A car runs about €60–85 flat, meets your flight in arrivals, and heads straight into the mountains without doubling back through the city. The real pull here isn't a greeter — it's a driver who knows the switchbacks above Asni cold, a price fixed before you leave for a long uphill haul, and the fact that the fare is per car whether there are two of you or four. Split three or four ways with trekking kit in the boot, it's not far off the coach-and-taxi budget once you factor in the hassle you skip. Trekking guesthouses and Atlas tour operators often fold this transfer into the booking, so ask before you pay for one separately.
The two-leg grand taxi for a shoestring budget
The cheap route is a relay. You take a shared grand taxi from Marrakech's Bab er-Robb rank to Asni — roughly 30–50 MAD a seat — then change at Asni's roadside rank to a second shared taxi up to Imlil for another 20–30 MAD or so. Call it around €8–14 all in, which is a fraction of the private fare.
The catch is time and patience. Each old Mercedes leaves only when all six seats fill, so you wait twice, and the Asni changeover with a loaded pack is slow and cramped. Do it in daylight — you don't want to be standing at a mountain rank after dark hoping a last seat sells. If you're travelling light and in no rush, it's a genuinely local way to arrive; with a full expedition bag, it wears thin fast.
Driving yourself into the hills
A rental from the airport desks runs about €25–40 a day and gives you the freedom to stop at the viewpoints on the way up. The road via Asni is paved and manageable, but respect those hairpins near the top and check winter conditions before you commit — snow on the upper section is a real thing. When you get there you'll leave the car in the village lot, because no road climbs to the summit trails. That makes self-drive best for people using Imlil as one stop on a wider Atlas loop rather than a straight there-and-back; for a dedicated trek, parking a hire car in the village for days on end is money sitting idle.
Where the wheels stop and the mules start
Every mode ends at the same place: the Imlil car park. Above the village it's foot-and-hoof only, and this is worth planning around. Some guesthouses sit higher up the valley than the road reaches, so the last stretch to your bed may be a short uphill walk or a mule carrying the bags — the property arranges the mule once you're there, so you don't need to sort it in advance. Pack so your heavy gear can be strapped to a saddle and you can walk the final climb with just a daypack.
One insider note: Imlil is where you sort the mountain, not just where you sleep. It's the place to hire your Toubkal guide and muleteer, top up supplies, and gauge the weather before committing to the refuge. Arrive with daylight to spare and you can walk the village, check conditions, and start the real climb fresh the next morning rather than scrambling in the dark.
Bottom line: for a group with trekking kit, a booked transfer at around €60–85 buys one unbroken drive and a driver who knows the road — the cleanest way to the trailhead. Shoestring solo trekkers can save real money on the two-leg grand taxi via Asni if they've got daylight and patience. Self-drive only makes sense if Imlil is one link in a longer Atlas itinerary. Whichever you choose, the road ends at the car park — from there, it's you, your boots, and a mule.
