Atlas Mountains Private Guided trek in Morocco with traditional Berber culture
Marrakech to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco on a trek through the beautiful valleys, Imlil valley, Imnane valley, Azzaden valley is a true Berber Valleys adventure in 3 unforgettable days. Trek from Marrakech city and go deep into villages of the ethnic Berber, a herding and farming community. Visit their homes and interact with a glimpse of their day to day living.
Mount Toubkal – Essential Info
At Mount Toubkal, the World we
believe in provide our clients with the best services and key to the enjoyment
of any holiday in our opinion, it is the balanced and up-to-date information
offered by the tour operator. We are confident that the items detailed below
when taken in conjunction with a reputable and reliable guidebook will enhance
your Trekking experience as well as ensuring you receive the very best service
from Mount Toubkal, the World in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
M-T : STAFF
It is important that our staff in our
Mount Toubkal office have experienced the wonder of High Atlas Mountains
Trekking and are able to answer many of your important questions.
Mohamed, for example, has trekked in
the Toubkal and Berber regions and visited many of the places included on our
hiking itineraries has also made it to the top of Jebel Toubkal – many of the
photos on our website were taken by him and his traveling companions on his
various trips to the region.
M-T : GUIDES
All Mount Toubkal guides are fully
licensed and are experienced from an early age in the Atlas Mountains
areas, and guiding continues to be the heart and soul of who we are. We
require that all of our guides undergo extensive safety training before officially
joining us a mountain guide /or winter guide, local knowledge and guiding
abilities. We believe that a local, licensed guide will offer more insight into
the High Atlas region and Berber people as well as enhancing the local economy.
As well as a tip (see below) if you
have had a great experience with your guide, you may wish to offer him
something of yours that will assist his duties.
Please be guided by your guide’s
expert advice on difficult or exposed paths and please respect the prayers of
your guide and muleteers – they will usually do this outside of walking times
so as not to interrupt your hiking.
M-T : MULETEERS & MULES &
LUGGAGE
Your team of muleteers, along with
mules, will vary in number depending upon the size of your group and whether
you are camping or staying in guesthouse/refuge but they will all perform the
same function which is to provide a full back up service for your hike, cook
and prepare meals and set up the evening camp.
The mule team will load up your
luggage, food and, if relevant, the camping equipment at the start of each day
but will not always walk either at the same time, pace or route as your hiking
party. So, it is important that you consider which items you may require to
carry yourself in the morning and then again in the afternoon as on some days
you may only meet up at lunch-time.
The mules are completely used to
carrying the loads and it is not unusual for them to carry in excess of 80 kgs
each which is equally balanced in two baskets. The muleteers take great care in
both hygiene and presentation of your food and perform wonders with such
limited conditions.
We recommend you take your
trekking luggage in a large holdall or rucksack which can perhaps be folded up
inside your main luggage if you are also traveling around the Atlas Mountains
and wish to have the security of your usual suitcase(s). You should also take a
suitable daypack which will carry drinking water, camera, hat, raincoat, etc.
as you may not be in direct contact with your support team at all times during
the day.
WEATHER
In winter, much of the region above
2500m can be snow-covered and hiking in these areas could require the use of
crampons and ice axes. High winds and precipitation in whatever form may
preclude some routes and this will be discussed before you set out or can be
modified at any time with the advice of your guide.
RAMADAN
We will maintain our programme of
trekking during the holy month of Ramadan but we would ask you to respect your
team by allowing them the courtesy of eating an early breakfast (before
sunrise) and to avoid, where possible, drinking, smoking and snacking
immediately in front of them during the day – they will, of course, prepare the
usual lunch though as part of their duties.
WATER
It is important to drink lots of water
during your hike; water can be purchased in Marrakech before you set off or in
Imlil. It is also possible to obtain water from small kiosks in many villages
and from the trailhead of Tizi tamatert and at the Tizi Oussem. You will need
to carry some of this by yourself but your mules will carry some more. Please,
discuss with your guide the water requirements on a regular basis.
MEALS
Breakfast – tea, coffee, juice, fruit, milk, bread, butter,
jam, cheese, porridge,
Picnic lunch – fresh Moroccan salad, cheese, sliced
sausage, tinned tuna fish and sardines, bread, fruit, mint tea (pasta, beans,
potatoes, and rice can also be included).
Dinner – Soup, Tajine (chicken or mutton with vegetables),
spaghetti, couscous (main courses rotate depending on the duration of trek .You
are also more likely to get couscous on a Friday), bread, coffee, tea, cake,
fruit.
* Vegetarians, vegans and those with
special dietary requirements of any kind need to advise at time of
reservation.
TIPS
Naturally, tipping is an entirely
personal matter and a little goes a long way in Morocco; however, we are always
asked for a little guidance. So, here is what we would consider as fair,
amounts refer to your guide, a smaller amount can be given to your muleteer
team:
1-3 days hiking –150 DHS per person
total
4-7 days hiking – 200 DHS per person
total
7 days + hiking – 250 DHS per person
total
Of course, you can offer more if you
wish; tips are usually held and then passed over during a handshake to avoid
any embarrassment or undue attention to the matter.
GRADING OF HIKES
Whilst, we try to ensure that our
descriptions are accurate for most people wishing to undertake hiking in the
Atlas Mountains, clearly, there are many different factors that contribute to
the difficulty of a particular hike.
These include the 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.
ENVIRONMENT
It is vitally important that you
respect the mountain environment; litter, in particular, is damaging the
landscape and can injure animals. Please, please, please take all your litter
home or drop it off at suitable points.
Mount Toubkal guiding teams are proud guardians of their natural heritage and will ensure that rubbish is collected and either taken out or burned where possible. In fact, our guiding teams have been known to take a few extra minutes to collect and burn the rubbish of groups that were not so environmentally sensitive. Some organic matter can be left as much of it will be eaten by the local goats.
Berber tea
house
The Accommodation
will be in a Berber guesthouse will be simple and basic but has beds with foam
mattresses. The food will be cooked by the Mount Toubkal Expedition cook who is
traveling with you.
CAMPING
Camping is an option
if preferred (June-Octo).
We provide modern
igloo-style tents that sleep two persons each; they are of various sizes so
ideally, we would like to be advised in advance if any of your party is
particularly tall (6 ft or over). So that, we can provide the most suitable
tents for all groups.
Along with the
sleeping tents, we also provide one or more large traditional Berber tents for
cooking, eating and socializing which make your camp a little bit special.
NB: If accommodation is required in the Atlas Mountains either before or after the trek, we can always book you at our Imlil Refuge or at our Riad Dar Bab Toubkal in Armed village.
Clothing and Equipment
You should dress according to altitude and the
environment you will be located in. Most treks are in high altitude climates in
remote areas. Therefore, there are often large temperature swings. Temperatures
are often colder at high altitudes.
Clothing for Trekking
Equipments for Trekking
Trekking equipments are available at Imlil Center. Mount-Toubkal can recommend shops for you to purchase equipment. If you do not wish to buy equipment, you can easily hire or rent them for the duration of your trek with reasonable prices.
