MOROCCO HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAIN TREKKING
The High Atlas, North Africa’s greatest mountain range, contains some of the most intriguing and beautiful regions of Morocco. It offers stunning mountain scenery, snow-capped mountains topping over 4,000m, traditional earth built Berber Villages and a great trekking infrastructure. It is not unusual to walk through villages with no electricity, where local families wash their clothes in streams and water is collected from the well. Homes are traditional simple mud or concrete built structures and children are often seen out in the valleys tending their families’ goats. Mud-thatched Berber villages and remote pinnacles aren’t the only draw here. The landscape varies from season to season: winter drops metres of snow that leads to gushing river valleys in spring; summer brings an unforgiving sun, while the autumnal sunlight brings the browns and reds of the peaks to life.
DAY 1: MYSTICAL MARRAKECH
Suggested flight (Transavia): Amsterdam (AMS) 6.35 → Marrakech (RAK) 9.30
We will start our journey in the mystical city Marrakech. Enchanting palaces, breath taking mosques, colourful markets and a square to excite all your senses. The heart of Marrakech is the medina and Djemaa el-Fna square. During the daytime, street performers, snake charmers and storytellers provide entertainment while, in the evening, the square fills up with people and is perfect for exploring the exotic sights and smells of the stalls. The setting is reminiscent of a Thousand and One Nights fairy-tale.
Meals: no meals included today
DAY 2: MARRAKECH - IMI OUGHLAD - TINZERT
We’ll leave Marrakech to go to the starting point of our trek in Imi Oughlad (1.5 hour drive). Here we meet our guide, cook and mule. On the trek we will pass huge forests of juniper, pine and oak as we head toward Tinzert. First we have a short steep climb amongst a forest of old but small and gnarled juniper trees. The path then eases off as we follow the valley up and over a pass before dropping gently down the other side to the village of Tinzert where the valley opens out again. In Tinzert we will settle into a guesthouse that is owned and run by a local family.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
DAY 3: TINZERT - TIZIAN
Our guide will take us into the Azzaden Valley, with its beautiful gorges and villages, in order to arrive at Tizian. The valley is a strip of lush green amongst the more arid hillsides surrounding it. The small river in its base is fed from the snow melting from the higher peaks to the south. We follow this green strip past a few small traditional Berber villages before we arrive at one called Tizian, where we will spend the night in a local house.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
DAY 4: TIZIAN - TIZGUI
We leave the Azzenden Valley, with its walnut forests, and head to the Dkent Valley. We pass through terraces of large walnut trees. At Tizi Taghrhourt, from which we get a great view back down along the Azzaden Valley, we stop. Then it is a long steady climb up to today’s highest point of the pass. The terrain here is more arid than in the valley bottom and we will see reds, yellows and greys in the exposed rocks and soils. Dropping down the other side we wind our way down into the Dkent Valley and around to the large village of Tizgui. Here we will spend the night.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
DAY 5: TIZGUI - TIZI OUSSEM
Today we will leave the Dkent Valley and climb back over to the Azzaden Valley. We’ll start with a sustained uphill trek to the high pass of Tizi Tougdal (2700m). We start off amongst terraced fields in the valley bottom and then climb up out of the oases and onto the arid mountainside again. Once we pass Tizi Tougdal it is all down hill back into the Azzaden Valley and the village of Tizi Oussem, surrounded by the green of fields and well established groves of trees, terraced on the hillside. Tizi Oussem is our destination, where we can use the local steam bath (hamam) and where we will stay for the night.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
DAY 6: TIZI OUSSEM – IMLIL - MARRAKECH
The last day of our trek is around 5-7 hours of walking and takes us through a valley to the largest waterfall in the Toubkal National Park. At Tamsoult the valley narrows to a cliffed gorge and a large waterfall crashes down into the bottom. After a rest at the waterfall we will take the path that takes us up the Ait Mizan Valley via Tizi Mzzik (2500m). From here we get a superb view down into the Mizane Valley and the handful of villages that are known collectively as Imlil. From there we walk down to Imlil where our driver awaits us to bring us back to Marrakech.
Meals: breakfast, lunch
DAY 7: TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
After breakfast it’s time to bid farewell to this enchanting place and take our transfer to Marrakech airport.
Suggested flight: Marrakech (RAK) 10.40 → Eindhoven (EIN) 15.25 or
Marrakech (RAK) 9.50 → Amsterdam (AMS) 14.35
Meals: breakfast
TREKKING
Please be aware that the itinerary and activities are subject to change. These changes can happen with little notice due to weather conditions or other circumstances beyond our control.
From Marrakech we’ll make a short drive (around 1,5 hours) to a valley in the heart of the High Atlas. This is where our 5 day trek through the Atlas Mountains begins. The daily hikes have an average duration of 6hours, some a bit longer, some a bit shorter.
You don’t need to be super-fit for this trip, however the climbs are moderately demanding with some long days of sustained walking with a backpack. The effects of altitude will also reduce your level of strength. Therefore, you will enjoy the trip all the more if you are in good physical shape.
Luckily we’ll be accompanied by muleteers and their mules. They will take care of our luggage while we hike with our daypacks. A local mountain trekking guide, will show us the best places in the area. He will give us an insight into and information about his country. In general Berber guides are very welcoming and have a love of showing their country.
FOOD
During the trek we’ll eat traditional Moroccan food. A local cook is travelling with us. He’ll get ahead of us and set up a delicious cooked picnic lunch at the side of the trail and an evening dinner at the end of the day. All made with fresh ingredients.
Moroccan food is incredibly diverse, thanks to the country’s interaction with other cultures and nations over the centuries, including Berber, Moorish, Arab and Mediterranean influences. A classic Moroccan dish is the tagine – a slow-cooked stew made in an earthenware dish known by the same name. They are typically made with meat that becomes tender with long cooking and are typically flavoured with fruits, olives, preserved lemons and spices.
ACCOMMODATION
The guesthouses during the trek will be simple and basic but will have beds with foam mattresses, toilets and somewhere to take a shower or stand-up wash. The food will be cooked by the expedition cook who is travelling with us in the guesthouse kitchen. Meals will be served inside the guesthouse or possibly outside.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
INCLUDED:
Two nights accommodation in Marrakech
Breakfast in Marrakech
Basic accommodation in local Berber guesthouses
Breakfast, lunch, dinner during the trek
Transfers by mini bus from Marrakech to the starting point of the trek (and back)
Transfer from the airport to our guesthouse in Marrakech and back
English speaking, qualified guide
Expedition cook
Mule(s) to carry main bags (please bring a backpack on this trip, not a suitcase)
NOT INCLUDED:
Flights
Travel insurance
Sleeping bag (it is possible to rent one for EUR 2,50 a day)
Tips (in Morocco it is normal to give the guide, cook and muleteer a tip)
Drinks/extra snacks
• Lunch, dinner in Marrakech
