Jbel Sirwa Trek

After breakfast strike out towards the south-west for a seven hour hike across the Oued n'Ait Ouissadene, through almond trees and a blasted stony plain with its occasional sparse fields of corn, potato and wheat, until you reach the remote village of Tamazzirt (1800m). In this region you will see few men, as they are off working in the distant towns in order to make ends meet. From here your route will take you along a piste which leads up to the Imghi Heights (2381m) where, around midday, your guide will prepare your picnic. The afternoon is spent hiking along the now almost-flat piste to the Berber hamlet of Tizouad (2030m) where you will stop for dinner and overnight accommodation, either camping or in a Berber family's home.

• Trekking Time: 7 hours
• Camp / Berber Gite in Tizouad (2030m).
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Once breakfast has been tucked away set out for some seven hours along a piste leading you southeastwards across the wild, windswept plateau, up and through the stark Tizi (2300m) and down to the Oued Iriri, where you'll take a welcome pause for a picnic near some rare fields of potato. The afternoon is spent hiking towards the west and the end of the oued through a chaos of black rock until you reach the village of Asrir n'Tassirouat, where your team will have dinner ready. Your camp for the night will be set up amidst a volcanic moonscape.

• Trekking Time: 7 hours
• Camp at Asrir n'Tassirouat
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

After an early breakfast, whilst the muleteers and mules set off for the Aazib n'Iriri, your guide will strike out with you for a two to three hour attack on the summit of this isolated volcanic twin-peak (3304m), with its strange columns of basalt, cones of petrified lava and towers of sunblasted rock. The final metres involve scrambling, but the panorama from this summit bridging the High and Anti Atlas ranges will provide a good idea of previous volcanic activity and of Nature's implacable progress. In view will be dramatic gorges, blasted plains, a cliff village and the nearby twin cones of Jbel Tikniouine (2948m & 2905m) to the north, Jbel Guiliz (2906m) to the south and Jbel Talzouggaght (2841m) to the west. When ready, you can set off back down along a winding path for some five to six hours steady hiking towards the north-east through fields of saffron crocus to the Aazib n'Iriri (2340m), where you'll meet up once more with your muleteers and a welcome picnic.

The afternoon is a leisurely walk down through a chaos of black rocks, stones and pebbles towards the remote village of Ammassine (2000m). You can take a stroll around this strange village with its large storage places of wheat and hay, prior to having dinner and camping for the night.

• Trekking Time: 9 hours
• Camp at Ammassine (2000m)
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Breakfast tucked away, and off today on an eight hour hike down to the Oued Tachakoucht and along a winding piste through isolated groves of almond, olive and orange trees until you come to the village of Tachakoucht. After a brief visit, it's time to carry on to the Tachakoucht Reservoir and pass alongside fields of corn to a picnic spot by a spring. Later, continue down a stony piste skirting the hamlet of Tamazzirt to arrive at Tamlakhout, your Gite d'etape for dinner and an evening's entertainment provided by the merry band of muleteers.

• Trekking Time: 8 hours
• Overnight in gite at Tamlakhout
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

After a more leisurely breakfast, rejoin your vehicle to take you back over the Tizi n'Tichka, stopping at Taddert (1650m) for a lunch in the High Atlas mountains. Arriving back in Marrakech around 2pm.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Day 1 - arrival into Marrakech; private transfer to your accommodation.

• stay at one of our recommended riads - 2 nights BB

Day 2 - private guided city tour (am); balance of day for independent sightseeing.

Days 3 to Day 8 - on trek as per itinerary above.

• stay at one of our recommneded riads - 1 night BB.

Day 9 - private transfer to Marrakech Airport.