Trekking in High Atlas from Imlil (Toubkal Summit) - REDISCOVER THE WORLD


On the Roof of Africa

Duration: 2 Days / 1 Night
*ref. - ITCTdsRAK05*

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: GRADE ONE TO TWO - BETWEEN EASY AND MODERATE, HIKING MOSTLY ALONG ZIGZAGGING MULE TRACKS AT UPPER VALLEY LEVELS FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS EACH DAY. THE ACTUAL SUMMIT CLIMB IS NON-TECHNICAL, BUT CAN BE HARD GOING. GOOD TRAINERS WOULD JUST ABOUT DO IN SUMMER, BUT LEATHER MOUNTAIN BOOTS WOULD ALWAYS BE PREFERABLE. FOR ANYONE WHO LEADS A REASONABLY ACTIVE LIFE, FOR HIKING AT ALTITUDE (FROM 5,710 TO 13,668ft) ALWAYS INVOLVES SOME EFFORT.



CLEARLY THERE ARE MANY DIFFERING FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF A PARTICULAR HIKE, INCLUDING LENGTH OF DAY, TERRAIN, ALTITUDE AND WEATHER CONDITIONS. SINCE THESE FACTORS ARE NECESSARILY VARIABLE, ANY SYSTEM OF GRADES CAN ONLY PROVIDE A GENERAL INDICATION. WE HAVE TRIED TO MAKE OUR SYSTEM AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE, BUT IT CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR PERSONAL ABILITIES OR EXPERIENCE.

Setting out after breakfast from this delightfully decorated and comfortable Berber ‘Douar’ overlooking the main trailhead Berber town of Imlil (1740m), Morocco’s ‘Little Chamonix’, set in the upper level foothills of the Western High Atlas Mountain’s Jbel Toubkal National Park, we shall strike out towards the east for half an hour before turning south for some 4 km up to the Berber village of Aroumd (Aremd) (1843m) alongside the mountainside hamlets of Taourirt, Targa, and Imoula, up and down the stark slopes, the magnificent Western High Atlas peaks of the Toubkal Massif immediately before us. We shall stop at Aroumd to visit this rather singular village in the Assif Aït Mizane Valley, built seemingly house upon house on a large moraine spur, overlooking ancient irrigated terraced fields of fruit trees and vegetables.

We thence carry on for a further 8 km. to the equally-quaint village of Sidi Chamharouch, a Berber village set beside a waterfall and small stream, again with its pisé homes seemingly built somewhat chaotically one into another. This village is a place of pilgrimage for devout Moslems and it is where there is a marabout shrine – forbidden to non-Moslems and said to be a relic of a pre-Islamic religious cult. We take a break for a picnic, within full view of mighty Jbel Toubkal, at 4167m the highest peak in the Maghreb, prior to setting off up to the Toubkal Refuge for our dinner, and overnight accommodation in the Refuge.

DAY 2: TOUBKAL REFUGE - SUMMIT JBEL TOUBKAL - SIDI CHAMHAROUCH - AROUMD – KASBAH SAMRA TAMATERT.

A very early breakfast to set out at the crack of dawn to witness a spectacular sunrise and attain, after a three hour non-technical but steep climb, the highest peak in the Maghreb (4167m). The panorama from here is simply stunning. This remarkable climb and view is what you have come so far for. The first recorded climb of this peak, in 1923, was made by the French mountaineers V. Berger, M. Doubleau and the Marquis de Segonzae; many serious trekkers since then have made the highly rewardable effort. Whenever you are ready, we shall take the Ikkhibi Sud or South Cirque for a straightforward – with your guide - 2 to 3 hour descent back to the Refuge for our picnic. We shall now set off towards the north along steeply descending, zigzagging trails of the higher slopes of the Valley of the Assifn’Isouhouanem n’Ouagounss towards the Berber village of Sidi Chamharouch (3106m). Before entering the village, we shall notice a tree, sacred to the local Berbers, on which they hang strips of coloured cloth and pile up stones around the trunk.

We descend high above the valley of the Assif Aït Mizane, down zigzagging trails around granite and basalt grey rocks for about 8 km. to the remarkable village of Aroumd (Aremd) (1840m), commanding one of the more fertile valleys of the High Atlas mountains with terraced, irrigated plots and fields of maize, onions and fruit trees on all sides. Here we shall stop for our picnic prior to continuing on along the floor of the valley, thence up a well-defined mule track zigzagging above the river for some 4 km. to arrive, at around 4 in the evening, after a long day’s activity, back at the Berber hamlet of Tamatert and the jewel of the High Atlas Mountains, the Kasbah Samra.

Cost for this tour:

- please call or email for a full quote - all our holidays are tailor-made and the cost of each trek is based upon the following:

* the number of people in your group (some hikes available for single travellers, one person FREE for groups of 10 or more);

* where you are starting from and to where you wish to travel at the end the hike;

* whether you are including any additional accommodation (e.g. in Imlil or Marrakech)

* extras such as WC tent or refuge accommodation, etc.

An experienced bi-lingual licensed mountain guide throughout. 1 night’s accommodation in the Toubkal Refuge; 1 breakfast, 2 picnic lunches, 1 dinner. Support team.

Personal medical or accident insurance. Gratuity to guide/muleteer. Any expenditure of a personal nature. Bottled or gaseous water, nor anything not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.

Mountain grade boots (those which take crampons from mid November to mid-March); sleeping bag * ; windcheater; pullover, ski cap, gloves (Nov-Mar); thermal underwear (Nov-mid March); filled water bottle (bottled water or water purification tablets/drops - usually iodine), rambler pole(s) (optional); LED headlamp or torch with batteries; personal toiletries and towels; hygienic ‘Wipes’; insect repellent; penknife - do not pack in hand baggage for flights; sunscreen, nibbles (muesli or dried fruit). Cameras and extra toilet rolls could come in handy.

* Should you not wish to bring a sleeping bag all this way, we can provide extra blankets for the fairly cold winter’s overnight in the Toubkal Refuge. Please advise at time of reservation.


	Meals are normally:

	Breakfast - tea, coffee, milk, bread, butter, jam, cheese plus porridge in the winter and cereal in summer. Picnic lunch - fresh Moroccan salad, cheese, slicing sausage, tinned tuna fish and sardines*, bread, fruit, mint tea.

	Dinner - Tajine (chicken or mutton* with vegetables), spaghetti, cous cous (main courses rotate depending on duration of trek), bread, coffee, tea, cake, fruit. * Those vegetarians or vegans amongst us need to pre-advise at time of reservation.

NB: all our prices are for land arrangements only (starting and finishing in Imlil), please contact us to arrange accommodation in Imlil or Marrakech hotels / riads as well as flights from your preferred airport if required.