Aroumd (also spelled Aremd) sits at 1,843 metres on a dramatic moraine ridge above the Ait Mizane river, about 4.5 kilometres south of Imlil and the last major village before the refuge. It is the largest Amazigh settlement in the valley and a practical staging post on the Toubkal route. Flat-roofed stone houses step up the spur one above another; the terraced fields below grow barley and vegetables, irrigated by channels cut from the river.
The village has several simple guesthouses offering basic accommodation and meals — tagine, bread, mint tea — at very low prices. Staying here rather than pushing on to the refuge gives a more authentic experience of Atlas mountain life, and the walk up from Aroumd to the refuge the following morning is only two to three hours. Most trekkers pass through on their way up or down; few take the time to sit and watch the light change over the valley, which is a mistake.