Two Tickets To Climb Mount Toubkal – Winter in the Atlas Mountains

Mount Toubkal is a classic climb in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco. Standing at 4167 meters, it is the highest summit in North Africa and is incredibly popular with trekkers looking to bag a high-altitude peak.

Easily accessible from the bustling city of Marrakech, Toubkal is climbable all year round. Surrounded by a whole range of dramatic 4000m+ peaks, it offers trekkers from Europe the chance to practice mountaineering skills at an altitude that simply wouldn’t be possible during the winter months in the Alps.

I (Matt) headed there at the end of November with KE Adventures. This was supposed to be the beginning of the winter season. Unfortunately, it had been unusually dry in the weeks leading up to it. Admittedly, there were smatterings of snow in the gullies. However, as I set off to the airport, I knew that the crampons and ice axe would be gathering dust at the bottom of my bag!

The lack of snow was a shame, but I’d had my eye on a trek in the Atlas Mountains for a while. Safe to say, it didn’t disappoint. So here’s my account of a fantastic week trekking through Berber villages, past mysterious shrines and ultimately up to the summit of Mount Toubkal – the highest point in North Africa!

Toubkal Climb: Choosing the best tour company & preparing for the trip

There are probably hundreds of tour operators and guiding companies offering treks and climbs in the High Atlas range. Here are your options for choosing the best tour company and guide for your Toubkal climb:

1. Choose a tour company in Marrakech. As you wander through the souks and alleys of Marrakech, there will be plenty of local offices offering trekking services in the High Atlas mountains. This would be useful for spontaneous decisions, as you could probably leave the next day – or even straight away.
2. Hire a guide in Imlil to take you to the summit of Toubkal. Imlil is 90-120 minutes from Marrakech – a taxi (shared or private) is the easiest way to get there. It is the classic starting point for the majority of treks into the High Atlas Mountains. Here you can hire guides directly, who will arrange the logistics of your trip for you. Be warned – it is worth doing some research before you arrive. You will want to make sure that your guide is a professional, with the right skills to lead you up the mountain. The Bureau des Guides is a good place to start.
3. Pre-arrange with a local mountain guide company. Plenty of tour guides and companies have their own websites, and you can book pre-arranged treks and climbs through these. This is a good option if you know when you’ll be in Morocco, and which trek you’d like to do. TripAdvisor is an excellent place to understand which companies are getting good reviews.
4. Book a group trip with a ‘big name’ tour company. I went down this route with KE Adventures for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I travelled alone and wanted some company! I knew that I’d be part of a great group of like-minded people. Secondly, I was tight on time. It is possible to arrange group tours through hostels (for example) once in Morocco – but this can take days. I wanted the reassurance that my trip would begin the moment I got off the plane.

Note: Mules are often used to transport equipment up and down the valleys. A competent ‘muleteer’ will take good care of their mules – this is their livelihood, and they are expensive to buy! If you’re on a short trip with small bags, you may not need a mule.

Toubkal Winter Climb Days 1-3: Exploring Marrakech and Imlil

As it turns out, I had an extra night in Marrakech before I met up with the rest of the KE Adventures group. In the end, this proved to be great fun. Marrakech is a city where – for better or worse – you’ll never get bored. The sights, smells, chaos and energy is unique.

I’d been to Marrakech once before with Lucy, and was very happy to wander through the bustling souks for hours. After dodging donkeys and motorbikes, I spent hours testing my British politeness to its absolute limits by turning down every offer to ‘take a look inside’, whilst taking regular tea and tagine breaks in the many rooftop cafes and restaurants. Sitting with a good book, a spectacular sunset, and the call to prayer rolling across the rooftops of Marrakech – why was I putting myself through a mountain climb again?!

I was quickly reminded of the answer as our group’s minibus wound ever higher up through the mountain rounds towards Imlil. These roads are not for the fainthearted, a fact which was particularly hammered home for anyone sitting on the ‘drop side’. However, the scenery around you is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is vertigo-inducing.

By the time we’d arrived in Imlil and headed a little further up the road to our first refuge in the village of Ait Souka, any pining for the creature comforts of a Marrakech Riad had disappeared. At nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, the patchwork of villages clings to the sides of the mountains everywhere you look.

The richness of the valley, with its walnut and fruit trees, gives way to the pink clay houses, which in turn are replaced by the rocky peaks above them. Unsurprisingly, the views are in keeping with Imlil’s status as the gateway to Toubkal.

The rest of the day was spent sorting kit and exploring our new surroundings. Gathered back on the terrace of our guesthouse after dinner, the call to prayer echoed across the valley. Tomorrow, we’d head on an acclimatisation walk to warm us up for the main climb.

Avoiding Altitude Sickness on Mount Toubkal – Acclimatising in the Imlil Valley

Our acclimatisation walk was a relatively gentle introduction to the trekking which was to come. Toubkal, at 4167 meters, may not tower as high as the Himalayas, but the altitude should still not be underestimated. It’s well within the range for altitude sickness, whose usual symptoms include:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Sleeplessness (well done if you can avoid this!)
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing

People suffering from more severe altitude sickness may experience anything from a complete inability to walk to loss of speech. In extreme cases, conditions such as High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) are medical emergencies.

Thankfully, you’re extremely unlikely to experience anything other than mild symptoms on Toubkal. However, even these are enough to scupper a summit attempt, and the best way to avoid a ruined trip (or worse) is to take your time and acclimatise properly.

Indeed, we saw one guide dragging a client down on summit day. He could barely walk, and I’d bet good money that he was on a “one-night” trip.

Our acclimatisation walk took us up through the different layers of the Imlil valley. Across the rivers at the valley floor, up through groves of walnut trees, past the winding streets of local villages and eventually up to a col with immense views across the valley. Thankfully, the whole group made it, which boded well for the rest of the trip.

Perhaps equally as impressive as the views was the lunch which greeted us halfway back down. A running theme for this sort of trip is that the support crew – guides, porters, cooks and more – are absolute heroes. Of course, Morocco was no exception. On this day, we’d been followed up the paths by a muleer and a cook. They had managed to put on the most incredible spread of hot and cold dishes—seriously good going and the perfect fuel for the rest of the day as we completed our descent.

Toubkal Winter Climb Day 4 – Heading to the Refuge du Toubkal

Today saw us begin the long trek up to the Refuge du Toubkal. Finally, we were leaving civilisation behind and heading into the wilderness of the Toubkal National Park!

Our final destination was the Refuge, where we’d be spending the night before an early Alpine start the following day to begin our summit climb. Indeed, the beginning of Winter seemed like the perfect time to explore the trail to the refuge. Over 1400m of ascent saw us leave the warmth of the valleys behind, and the air grew noticeably cooler as we ascended. Whilst an ice-cold Coca-Cola seemed like heaven during the first hour, a steaming mug of coffee would have been the order of the day as we reached the home straight.

Shepherds, Shrines and Sacrifices in the High Atlas Mountains

The hike also provided plenty of interesting insights into local life and culture in the High Atlas. Occasionally, we’d spot a flock of goats meandering across the steep sides of the valleys. The Berber people who inhabit the villages of the Atlas Mountains have a proud tradition of livestock farming and agriculture, dating back thousands of years. The modern world may be encroaching at ever greater speed, but you do not have to look far in these parts to spot a Berber herder and his flock.

The presence of goats and livestock was not exclusive to the grazing areas of the mountain slopes. Every so often, groups would pass us. Some would be wearing unsuitable clothes for hiking in the mountains – jeans, sandals, even designer handbags! Every so often, a single goat would be carried past by one of these groups. But why?!

The answer became apparent when we reached the blindingly white shrine of Sidi Chamharouch. One of our guides, Omar, explained that the ancient shrine pre-dates Islam. It is understood to be the resting place of Shamhurish – King of the Jinns. Believers will bring animals to be sacrificed at the shrine, hoping that Shamhurish will help heal their psychological woes.

As we arrived at the shrine and began to climb beyond it, we heard a distressed sound. When we looked back, two figures were engaged in a frantic battle with a terrified cow, who was making one last desperate attempt at freedom. There was nowhere for the cow to go and nothing we could do except watch as it was strung onto a frame by its back legs. Finally, thankfully, the cow’s suffering was over in a quick flash of crimson.

Exploring Toubkal Base Camp

Eventually, we made it in dribs and drabs to the Refuge du Toubkal. The Refuge provides basic dormitory accommodation to dozens of trekkers and climbers. Bunk beds and mattresses lie side by side, using every spare inch of space. However, if you’re used to having a king-size bed to yourself, you may not enjoy the experience!

The fact that hot meals are available at the refuge somewhat takes the edge off goodbye to creature comforts like space and privacy. A cosy mess room with a roaring fire was another welcome addition.

There’s plenty to explore during the downtime – if you can resist the lure of the fireside. With awe-inspiring views back down the valley and the first formations of ice waterfalls in the nearby streams, it is not somewhere you’d tire of quickly. After taking in the surroundings, it was time for dinner and a final briefing before heading off to pack and grab an early night in preparation for our pre-dawn start the next day.

Summit Night Drama on our Toubkal winter climb

Things don’t always go to plan. This is especially true when you mix high altitude, unusual food, and packed dormitories.

Sleep had been pretty hard to come by, and all the mint tea meant that I needed to tear myself out of my cosy sleeping bag and tiptoe down to the basement toilets two floors below. Sleeping at 3,200m during Winter is not a warm experience, and the bathrooms must have been sub-zero. Unsurprisingly, I was looking forward to heading back into the relative warmth of my bunk.

However, that excitement was short-lived as I began to walk up the stairs. In the pitch black, I found myself suddenly disorientated as the door to our dorm burst open and a frantic parade of head torches shot out.

Unfortunately, one of our group had picked up a stomach bug and was on the top bunk. If you’re reading this, my apologies for reminding you of it! 2 and a half years on, the absolute chaos and confusion of being half-asleep on the stairs and finding our whole dorm clearing out in seconds, desperately searching for a bucket, will probably live long in the memory.

Toubkal Winter Climb Day 5 & 6 – Summit & Descent

When we set off for the summit of Mount Toubkal a few hours later, we were sadly short of a handful of the group after the drama of the night before. Those of us heading up began to zig-zag up scree-slopes, our paths illuminated by the thin light of our head torches.

We may have missed out on the first snow of the season, but the winter temperatures and winds were unrelenting. Gusts rushed across the slopes and right through us. Two layers of gloves were not enough to stop my fingers from going numb.

Eventually, we reached the ridgeline and could spot the faint outline of Toubkal’s famous summit sign in the distance. This was the home straight, and the group took the opportunity for a quick pit-stop to refuel and rehydrate. By this point, I could barely feel my hands at all. Inexplicably, I’d unzipped my down jacket at the start of the break. I can’t for the life of me remember why.

Five minutes later, as we prepared to set off again, I had the most epic struggle with a zip in the history of humanity. Failing miserably to force any feeling into my fingers with which I could grip the zip and do my jacket back up, I had to be rescued by our guide Hassan, who sorted me out within seconds. Indeed, Hassan had been guiding groups up the mountains for years and could probably have sprinted between the summit and the refuge several times in a day.

Reaching the Summit of Mount Toubkal

We were not, however, destined to move at such speeds. Despite this, we kept a good pace for the rest of the journey and eventually made it to the summit in good time.

Of course, the views were immense. The highest mountain in North Africa, looking across at the jagged peaks of the entire High Atlas range. Beyond us, way in the distance, were the rolling dunes of the Sahara. The heat of the desert certainly felt like a world away as we stared down at the vast space in front of us.

We snapped the obligatory summit photos, and the group was in high spirits as we started the descent down to the refuge.

Heading down is always my least favourite part of any mountain climb. Finally, you’ve reached your goal, bagged the peak, and now need to begin the slog down. This often involves (as it did for us) retracing your steps. However, it’s tough on the knees, tough on energy levels, and all you’re thinking about is that first cup of tea at the bottom.

Thankfully for us, we’d be stopping overnight at the refuge again. This meant we only had 2-3 hours of descent to endure. Some of the faster Toubkal trips will see you make the entire descent from the summit down to Imlil in one go. Safe to say, my knees ache just thinking about it.

Once we got back to the refuge and began to warm up by the roaring fire, the gallons of mint tea we consumed could not have tasted any sweeter.

Goodbye Refuge du Toubkal, Hello Snow Storm

After breakfast the next day, around half of us began to descend back down to our original guest house near Imlil. Another sleepless night had put an end to any prospect of bagging a second peak.

The other half of the group set off to try and conquer Ouanoukrim (4,089m) – by all accounts, a spectacular peak. I think I’ve got unfinished business there! But, as it transpired, nobody was to be summitting any mountains that day, as a thick snowstorm began to hit shortly after breakfast.

So, we all stumbled in our different groups back down the mountain in white-out conditions. By the time we reached our guest house, our clothes were sodden enough that we could sit by the fireplace and watch the steam rise dramatically from our socks. Lovely.

We enjoyed one last evening in the mountains, demolishing generous piles of tagine in seconds, before heading back to Marrakech the next day. We celebrated a brilliant week with some farewell drinks at a rooftop terrace (where else?) before heading our separate ways the following day.

Toubkal in winter with KE Adventures: conclusion

Climbing Mount Toubkal with KE Adventures was an excellent trip, which I’d recommend to anybody with an interest in the outdoors and a curiosity for high-altitude trekking.

Finally, the High Atlas mountains have an excellent infrastructure for mountaineering – with guides like Omar and Hassan around, you are in safe hands whilst you explore this beautiful part of the world.

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