Climb Mount Toubkal (4167m) in a Weekend
A classic. Trek and sweat your way through the Atlas Mountains and catch sunrise from North Africa’s highest mountain
What's Included?
Activities & Certified Guides
All itinerary activities with expert, English-speaking Berber guides from ImlilMountain hut & Riad
2 nights in a riad and 1 night in a refuge at 3200mMeals
All your food on the mountain will be taken care ofTransfers
Both airport transfers and transfers to and from ImlilPorterage
Mules and muleteers to carry your overnight luggage during your climbSmall Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 14 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
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What's it like?
Climb to the summit of Mount Toubkal and be rewarded with the sunrise of a lifetime
Earn the views from the Marrakech Plain and High Atlas peaks all the way to the Anti-Atlas and the Sahara
Stay in a mountain refuge in the High Atlas and a traditional Moroccan riad in the heart of Marrakech
Want to tackle Toubkal at a more relaxed pace? See Climb Mount Toubkal in a Week to get an extra couple of days on the mountain, plus time to explore Marrakech.
Key Information
Day 1
Check out the sights and smells of Marrakech
Your host will meet you at the airport and take you to your traditional riad accommodation in Marrakech’s historic medina. You'll then get the chance to spend the day exploring the city’s colourful souks, wander the UNESCO-listed main square and indulge in some amazing Moroccan food.
Day 2
Travel to the Atlas Mountains and hike to your refuge at 3200m
Hiking
Wake up early and drive through the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Imlil, where you'll meet your support crew and start your trek. Gradually ascend the Toubkal Valley, pass Berber farming villages and stop for lunch on the trail. In the afternoon you’ll arrive at the refuge. Settle in, meet other hikers and refuel with a well-earned dinner cooked by your support crew. Sleep well before your summit attempt tomorrow!
Day 3
Rise early to summit Mt Toubkal
Hiking
Wake up while it’s still dark and begin your final ascent, which will include some steep and loose sections of terrain. Reach the ridge and finish the climb to the top (4167m) in time to watch the sunrise. Rest up and then begin the long descent back to Imlil. Say farewell to the Atlas Mountains and drive back to Marrakech. You’ll arrive at your riad in the early evening in time to find a restaurant for couscous or a tasty tajine before collapsing into bed.
Day 4
Time to go home. Weekend well spent
Relax over your last Moroccan breakfast, explore the town some more if you have time, then transfer to the airport to catch your flight home.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Marrakech Airport (RAK)
Arrive any time on Day 1
Ends
Marrakech Airport (RAK)
Leave any time on Day 4
Transfers
Private transfers between the airport and your riad are included for any time you choose to arrive on day 1 and depart on day 4, or if you have booked additional pre or post trip accommodation with your host.
If you are making your own arrangements to extend your stay in Morocco, private transfers between Marrakech airport and Marrakech city are not included but can be arranged with your host for an additional cost. Please see Optional Extras for details.
Travel options
There are daily flights to Marrakech from major airports across the UK and Europe. Day 1 is yours to explore Marrakech: you'll meet your guide and fellow travellers the next morning.
Please note that mobile boarding passes are not accepted at Marrakech airport. You will need to present a printed boarding pass on departure.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Moroccan food has a unique blend of sweet and savoury flavours. Local specialities include tagine (stew cooked in an earthenware pot), couscous, and bastillas (flaky pastries stuffed with meat and dusted with cinnamon and sugar). Food is often spiced with cumin, turmeric and ginger. While on the trek, your meals will be cooked by the Berber muleteers. The food is fresh and healthy, and will consist of things like bread, jam, cookies, fruit, juice, and coffee for breakfast; salad, tomatoes, carrots, lentils, beans, rice or pasta, and fish for lunch; soup, classic Moroccan tagine, couscous, olives, nuts, and seasonal fruit for dinner.
Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for – please just request this on your passenger info form.
What is the accommodation like?
Marrakech
In Marrakech, you'll stay in a beautiful riad - traditional Moroccan houses with an interior garden or courtyard. The exact riad you stay in will be confirmed nearer the time based on availability and group size. All are chosen for their excellent reputation, location, beautiful decor and welcoming service.
Mount Toubkal
During the trek, you'll stay in either the Mouflon or Neltner mountain refuge depending on availability and group size. The rooms are basic shared dorms with bunk beds. There’s a common area to relax in the evening and chat with other climbers from around the world.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge for the nights in Marrakech, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability and they are very limited due to the layout of traditional riads).
This trip has been rated as Challenging
This trek requires a good level of fitness. You must be capable of hiking all day up paths of moderate difficulty with steep, loose sections. The walking is relatively straightforward, but the loose footing and high altitude will make the going quite difficult in parts and can be mentally challenging. The views along the way make the journey more than worthwhile!
What will I need to carry?
Mules will carry your main overnight luggage during the trek and you will need to carry your daypack with your daytime essentials (extra layer, snacks, water etc.). For the welfare of the mules, please ensure your main overnight luggage is in a soft-sided bag and weighs no more than 15kg.
Spring and autumn temperatures in Marrakech average 10 - 25 °C, and it rains a small amount roughly 7 days each month. From June to September it gets quite hot in the city, averaging 15 - 35 °C, and it only rains a few days each month. In the height of summer, daytime temperatures in Marrakech have been known to approach 45°C on occasions so please ensure that you come prepared with sun protection, light and airy clothing and electrolytes/rehydration solutions if travelling at this time of year.
In the Atlas Mountains from March to October daytime temperatures average 25 - 30°C but it cools off considerably at night, and the higher you go the colder it gets (you may even need gloves on a summit day in August!) Nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing at and above the mountain refuge. Afternoon storms are always possible, but they are usually quick and generally don’t prevent anyone from enjoying the trek.
View detailed weather for the climb here on Mountain Forecast
First 4000’er
An Experience of a Lifetime. Conquering my first 4,000m peak on this trip was absolutely incredible—but it wasn’t easy, especially doing it in August. The heat is intense, so you really need to take that into account. The days are long, the exhaustion is real, and the altitude hits harder than you’d expect (even for members of our group who didn’t feel it until that last few hundred metres). Having a solid fitness level is absolutely key.
Luckily, our group had two guides, which was a game-changer. One guide could stay back with anyone struggling a bit, so the rest of the group could keep pace without feeling rushed or held back. That setup worked perfectly and kept the whole group dynamic positive and in the end all 9 of us summited!
The food was consistently good—proper fuel for long days—and the guides were incredible. They made sure we always had water, shared helpful tips, and genuinely cared about getting us through it. Quick pro tip: bring earplugs for the mountain huts and pack loads of high-energy snacks. I fell over a lot on the summit day, mainly on the way back down with it being sheer scree for ages but all part of the fun!!
The last day? Brutal. The hardest, longest stretch by far. There were moments where I seriously questioned if I’d make it, especially on those never-ending, winding tracks in the heat. But a lot of it is mental and the reward is worth it if you dig deep. I would highly recommend- just make sure to train hard before hand to be in good shape.
Thanks to Aztat Treks - Mohammed & Samir for your support
Toubkal in a weekend
Had a fantastic weekend hiking Mount Toubkal. Much better adventures were great at communicating, and nothing was too much bother. Aztak Treks were great, the two guides were very friendly and supportive.
Mount Toubkal October 2024
I had a great experience hiking Mount Toubkal and still highly recommend it, but there are definitely areas for improvement. If this is meant to be a two-day, one-night hike, it's crucial for the group to depart on time or even start earlier to accommodate varying trekking paces. Our group was among the last to arrive at the lodge, resulting in a late dinner at 7:30 p.m. This timing was less than ideal, given that breakfast was at 3:00 a.m., followed by over 12 hours of hiking.
While I understand the importance of keeping the group together, if there are three guides, allowing the faster hikers to move ahead would enhance the overall experience. It seemed to put undue pressure on those who needed more time and led to frustration for faster hikers who were frequently waiting. This resulted in more time on the mountain than necessary.
Overall, it’s a fantastic hike, but I found the logistics of how it was run more challenging than the hike itself. It’s a significant physical effort (which I love), but it was frustrating not to be able to move at a reasonable pace. Many fellow hikers shared this sentiment.
Excellent Trip!
Very well organised trip from meeting at the airport in Marrakech, all the delicious food along the hike to waving goodbye on the last day. Thanks to guides Sa'id and Abdullah for running around after us and making sure the whole group made the summit. This is a mixed ability tour which is a challenge for some - so don't expect to be steaming up the mountain at a fast pace! Plenty of stopping for the group to catch up. Sunrise over the Atlas is worth the trip! Highly recommended 👍
THE BEST WEEKEND
I can not even describe how much I appreciated this trip. It has been officially my best weekend to date. Absolutely every minute of this trip was perfect… the guides were amazing, the accommodation was amazing, the food was amazing and last but not least… the mountain was AMAZING! I am 100% booking again with MuchBetter, literally just tossing up which one to do!!
Memories to last forever
The Mount Toubkal trip was so much fun.
Everyone we met was so friendly. It was a good level of challenging and rewarding. The guides were friendly and we learnt lots about the local culture. I definitely recommend this trip to anyone trying out the atlas mountains for the first time!
Mount Toubkal 2 day trip
A fantastic trip, well organized from start to finish, kept in touch and helpful when needed. An amazing trip I will never forget!!! I couldn't recommend this company any more, don't think about it, just do it.
Once in a lifetime experience!
A fantastic and challenging hike! Seeing the Atlas mountain range from low level, to sunset and star gazing at the refuge to the sunrise at 3800m all the way to the 4167m summit, I couldn't have done it without the company on the trip but especially Abdul literally guiding me on the last 100m. Cannot fault the organisation, communication, transportation or the trek in any way. The mules are clearly well looked after which was nice to see and hear about. Excited for more from MBA and grateful to have booked myself some time to explore Marrakech. Any advice I'd leave is: eat little and often between (scrumptious) meals provided, drink more than you think you need and go at your own pace.