Mount Toubkal - Essential Info
At
Mount Toubkal the World we believe in providing our clients with the best
service and key to the enjoyment of any adventure holiday in our opinion 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; he 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 : PORTERS
Most of
our porters are from the Atlas Mountain region who are able to perform carrying
tasks in the high atlas and around all types of trails in Toubkal. They will
carry your luggage, food and other necessary items in a safe and secure way.
They are very conscious of maintaining your belongings in good condition. We
would like to request all our clients to go with an open up and be ready to
experience all the fun and excitement of your trek, and also rest assured that
our Porters and Guides are comfortable and happy people to be accompanied by.
You can ask any quarries you may have about the culture, people and country.
You feel very safe, comfort and pleasure after hiring a Guide and Porter.
Credentials
of our Porters
– They are of
mid-age and able to carry 25-30 kg stuff without any hesitation.
– They are
mostly from the Atlas mountain regions and have been working in the Trekking
field as a Porter for many years.
– They are
strong, powerful, capable and caring.
– They have
more knowledge about the trails so they may alert you about the ways and other
potential hazards.
– They are
very honest and humble of their personal integrity.
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
gites/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 Imlil and at the
Toubkal refuge. You will need to carry some of this 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 the trek, although you are 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.
CLIMBING
MOUNT TOUBKAL
The
hike to the top of this peak which is almost 960m up from the refuge will
usually take at least 3 hrs and start at 5 am followed by a fairly hard 2-3 hrs
walk down amongst the loose rocks by another route where possible. It is
essential that you are fully prepared for what is for many people a demanding
walk. Try to get a good sleep the night before and a good breakfast (plus a
Mars bar!) before setting off.
You are
likely to need warm clothes all year round and strong boots are essential, even
in summer a warm hat would be useful as well as some protection from the wind.
If you climb down the northern route then look out for the wreckage of a plane
which hit Toubkal in bad weather in the early 1960s, purported to be carrying
guns from Portugal.
ENVIRONMENT
It is
vitally important that you respect the mountain environment; litter, in
particular, is damaging the landscape and can injure animals. 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.