High Atlas trek and Toubkal ascent, 6 days

Climb slowly to reach the top

Toubkal is most often climbed in two days from Imlil: up to the hut on the first day, summit and descent on the second. That is the format of the two-day trips sold from Marrakech. This programme takes the long way. It first spends three days in the valleys and passes around the massif, with one night in a lodge and two in huts, before heading for the summit on the fifth day.

The reason is altitude. The summit stands at 4,167 m, and some walkers suffer from altitude sickness at that height. Three days of walking between 1,800 and 3,650 m give the body time to adjust, and the final climb from the Neltner hut is then only 960 m. In summer the ascent needs no climbing skills: it is a long walk, at the pace of your breathing.

The programme is that of Kasbah du Toubkal, a mountain house restored by hand above Imlil, which organises walks and ascents every day with guides from the village. Each couple has a personal mountain guide for the whole stay, and a mule carries the luggage on trekking days.

Night by night

Day 1: Marrakech to Imlil

The private transfer leaves from Marrakech-Menara airport or your Marrakech hotel: about 1 h 30 by road to Imlil, a village at 1,740 m. Cars stop at the village reception; a fifteen-minute walk uphill leads to the kasbah, 100 m higher, while mules carry the bags. This first climb gives you an idea of your fitness. If you arrive early enough, the guide suggests a short introductory walk. Dinner and night at Kasbah du Toubkal, at 1,820 m.

Day 2: the Azzaden valley

The first trekking day, 3 to 4 hours' walking with the guide, the mule and the muleteer. The path crosses a pass at 2,200 m, where you picnic, then drops into the next valley. The Azzaden Trekking Lodge at Id Issa is the region's first trekking lodge, opened by the kasbah: rooms with bathroom, solar underfloor heating, a terrace facing the Toubkal massif, and a hammam on arrival.

Day 3: to the Lepiney hut

The kasbah describes this stage as relatively easy. It leads to the Lepiney hut, also called the Tazaghart hut. This is the first night in a hut, in a dormitory.

Day 4: the Tizi n'Ougelzim pass

The hardest day before the summit. The path crosses the Tizi n'Ougelzim pass at 3,650 m, then drops to the Neltner hut at 3,207 m, the Toubkal base camp. You sleep in a dormitory. Sabaro advises an early night: the start is early.

Day 5: the summit, then down to Imlil

You leave before daylight. Most walkers reach the summit within 2 to 3 hours of leaving the hut.

The rest of the day is a long descent: back to the Neltner hut, then on foot to Kasbah du Toubkal, about 2,350 m of descent in the day. A pole helps on the stony ground. The kasbah's hammam awaits before dinner.

Day 6: back to Marrakech

Breakfast, then private transfer to the airport or your Marrakech hotel.

The variant for less experienced walkers

Days 3 and 4 of the programme are meant for very experienced walkers. For others, the kasbah offers a simpler route: back to Imlil by another path on day 3, with a third night at Kasbah du Toubkal, then straight up to the Neltner hut on day 4, past the shrine of Sidi Chamharouch. The summit is the same, with a single night in a hut.

Sabaro recommends this variant to anyone who has never walked several days in a row in the mountains, or never been above 3,000 m. The choice is best made when booking.

What the package includes

The Kasbah du Toubkal package includes:

• private transfers to and from Marrakech;
• a qualified guide and a muleteer for the whole mountain stay;
• full board, from the first meal on day 1 to breakfast on day 6, with tea and coffee;
• accommodation: a double room at the kasbah, a room at the Azzaden lodge, dormitories in the huts;
• private use of the hammams at the kasbah and the lodge;
• all taxes, including the 5% contribution to the Imlil village association.

Not included: flights, alcoholic drinks, tips, personal shopping, and travel and repatriation insurance. A Superior or Deluxe room at the kasbah is available on request, at extra cost.

The 5% levied on every accommodation bill goes to the village association. It has funded the valley's first communal hammam, the region's first ambulance and a school for 80 pupils. The earthquake of 8 September 2023, magnitude 6.8, struck the High Atlas 70 km south-west of Marrakech: a stay in the valley puts money directly into its families' hands.

Getting ready

Fitness. Five consecutive days of walking, including two long days at altitude. Sabaro advises a few walks of several hours with ascent in the weeks before.

The guide. On the trails between Imlil and the summit, an official local mountain guide is required; the package includes one. Local mountain rescue capacity is often limited: your travel insurance should cover trekking at altitude and repatriation.

Kit. Broken-in mid- or high-cut walking boots, three layers (a breathable base layer, a fleece, a windproof waterproof jacket), a hat and gloves for summit morning, sunglasses, a sun hat and sunscreen, a water bottle and a head torch for the pre-dawn start. The kasbah lends waterproofs.

The kasbah. No alcohol is served. You may bring your own, bought in Marrakech, and drink it discreetly. Cold water comes from a spring and staff fill water bottles, which avoids plastic bottles.

Season. The kasbah recommends this programme from April to October. Spring and autumn are the best times to walk; in summer the heat weighs on the valleys, less so at altitude. In winter the summit is snow-covered: the ascent then calls for crampons, ice axe and winter mountain experience, and the kasbah offers it only to experienced walkers, depending on conditions.