Observation of the flora and fauna of Toubkal National Park
Trip from Agadir: 4 hours 30 minutes
The Toubkal National Park is home to extraordinary flora and fauna in its forests, valleys, gorges and on its high plateaus. This mountainous area, protected since 1942, offers a unique and very diverse flora: you can see forests of holm oaks and cedars, red junipers and thurifera characteristic of the High Atlas.
The thuriferous juniper is the most extensive tree species and covers more than a third of the wooded area of the Park. This majestic tree can have very impressive dimensions. This hardy species is able to withstand extreme climatic conditions, in the high valleys of the Atlas, where winters are cold and summers very hot and dry. Its robustness is also seen through its resistance to the collection of branches by the various local populations. The thurifera constitute, here, formations called thuriferaies. These begin starting from 1800 meters.
The thorny xerophyte cushions, with beautiful colors in spring, are characteristic of the drier slopes of the high mountain.
On the flower side, the Toubkal National Park offers 150 types of flowers endemic to the High Atlas, including 55 endemic species to the Park.
In terms of fauna, the Park stands out above all the rest for the presence of the largest colony of Barbary sheep in North Africa.
We will also note the presence of quite remarkable birds such as the famous Golden Eagle, the Bearded Vulture, the Alpine Accenteur (visible above the alpine forests and in the valleys in winter), the Bullfinch in pink wings (visible between 1700 and 3300 meters and in the valleys in winter), and certain endemic species such as the Schokar snake or the Atlas viper and 70 species of butterflies, including the Atlas copper.
