Adventure trekking: Marrakech & Mount Toubkal

Marrakech

Day 1: Welcome to the Red City!

Upon arrival at Marrakech Menara Airport, your first moments will be shared with your driver who'll take care of your transfer to the mythical ochre city. The latter offers an incomparable display of music, local folklore and buzz on the ever-popular Jemaa El Fnaa Square. The cultural heritage of the city can also be found across amazing monuments of great wealth and fine architecture. Once you’ve checked into your hotel, feel free to enjoy the rest of the evening at your own pace, finding your bearings in this fantastic city.

Marrakech - Asni - Id Aissa

Day 2: Journey through the land of Berbers

Leave the city behind and drive south today, towards the craggy peaks and plunging valleys of the Toubkal Massif.

Crossing the Haouz Plain, you'll pass through the tiny town of Asni where the road begins to climb towards the foothills of the Massif. Below you, the valley of the Oued Rhirhaia stretches out into the distance, and small villages cling to the sides of steep hills.

Meander your way towards the village of Tassa Ouirgane inside the Toubkal National Park. On your arrival there, meet your team of muleteers and begin your walk along the Azzaden Valley to reach the village of Id Aissa.

Id Aissa - Tamsoulte

Day 3: Traverse a glowing trail

Passing through the villages in the Azzaden Valley, you'll arrive at Tizi Oussem. The trek continues through a giant garden of cultivated terraces, walnut trees, and colourful ochre houses.

After stopping for a picnic lunch, leave your luggage at your accommodation and climb up to the waterfalls at Irhoulidene. These are the highest cascades in the area, making for a truly unforgettable sight.

Tamsoulte - Armed

Day 4: A wonderful Nomadic journey

Your phenomenal trek continues today: pass juniper forests on your way up to the Tizi n'Mzik pass, then descend towards the village of Armed - the largest village in the valley, which provides an interesting mix of traditional terraced farming, gites, and streets that seem to be permanently gridlocked by goats and cattle.

Spend the night in a guesthouse in Armed. You can use your free time to explore the village and meet with the locals, for some more insight into their day-to-day lives.

Armed - Sidi Chamarouch

Day 5: Towards Morocco’s highest summit

Lleave the village of Armed behind and walk up to the shrine of Sidi Chamharouch, built on a moraine spur overlooking the valley floor. Continuing across the flood plain, the route takes you along mule tracks and up into the high rocky cliffs above the valley.

Crossing the river, you'll eventually reach the pastoral shrine of Sidi Chamharouch, which attracts tourists and pilgrims alike. The village sits beside a small waterfall, a jumbled cluster of houses that seem to melt together into an anarchic mass.

From here, the trail continues to climb steadily, snaking and zig-zagging its way up to the snowline, where you'll find your refuge for the evening.

Sidi Chamarouch - Djebel Toubkal - Marrakech

Day 6: Shine bright at the summit

Early this morning, make your attempt on the summit of Jebel Toubkal - the highest peak in northern Africa.

The route will take you up the south cirque, crossing the stream above the refuge then heading across one of the numerous scree fields, where you'll have to negotiate a seemingly endless carpet of boulders and rocks.

Cresting the ridgeline, you'll find yourself on the plateau, from where it is a short walk to the summit. Up on the summit, the vistas out across the surrounding landscape are breathtaking. Enjoy unrestricted views in every direction, from the Marrakech plain to the High Atlas in the north, and as far south as the Anti-Atlas and the Sahara Desert.

Retracing your steps, you'll then return down the mountain and head back towards Imlil, where you will meet with your vehicle and drive back to Marrakech.

Marrakech

Day 7: Discover Marrakech!

This morning, set off on a guided tour to explore a city that for centuries has been a meeting place for the mountain Berbers and the desert peoples of the south.

Marrakech is divided into two distinct parts, the Gueliz (the modern French-built city) and the Medina (the Old City). Start your tour with the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest mosque in Marrakech, and continue on to the fascinating Saadian Tombs and Bahia Palace, built to be the most impressive palace of its time, and capturing the essence of both Islamic and Moroccan styles. The tour ends in Jemaa El Fnaa, a true maze of bustling bazaars, palaces and mosques, peppered with food stalls, snake charmers, water sellers and acrobats; it is a place of nighttime entertainment for both local people and tourists.

Once the tour has come to an end, spend your free time in the afternoon getting lost in this amazing city!

Marrakech

Day 8: Goodbye Morocco!

Hopefully, the last eight days of discovery were just as you had imagined! It's now time to say your goodbyes to Morocco, as you check out of your accommodation and transfer to the airport for your onward travels. Be sure to visit again for another adventure!