A walk in the mountains: the short-term lift is real

In a Stanford experiment with 38 adults, a 90-minute walk in nature, but not along a busy road, reduced self-reported brooding and activity in a brain area linked to it. In an Austrian trial with 42 adults, a 3-hour mountain hike improved mood much more than sitting, and more than a treadmill at the same effort.

In a survey of about 20,000 adults in England, people who spent at least 120 minutes a week in nature were more likely to report good health and wellbeing. One long visit counted as much as several short ones. The authors call the 120 minutes tentative.

Australians who wore fitness trackers for 13 months did about 5 more minutes a day of brisk activity on holiday, slept about 21 minutes longer and sat less; outdoor trips were the only kind where every habit moved in a healthy direction.

The Ourika valley and Imlil are a short drive from Marrakech, with day walks between Amazigh villages, walnut trees and terraced fields. A local mountain guide knows the paths and the villages.

Toubkal (4,167 m), North Africa's highest peak, is usually climbed in two days from Imlil, sleeping at a refuge at about 3,200 m. Mountain medicine guidelines say altitude sickness is common above about 2,500 m when you climb fast. Headache, nausea and tiredness up there can be altitude sickness: don't go higher to sleep with symptoms, and go down if they get worse.