
DURATION
LOCATION
ANNUAL LEAVE
SEASON
GROUP SIZE
MEETING POINT
ACCOMMODATION
Riad · Mountain hut
DIFFICULTY
You’ll need to be fit and capable of hiking for up to 10 hours a day up paths of moderate difficulty, with some steep, loose sections.
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 Atlas Mountains and a traditional Moroccan riad in the heart of Marrakech
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.
Included
Guides
Expert, English-speaking Berber guides from Imlil
Accommodation
2 nights in a riad and 1 night in a refuge at 3200m
Meals
All your food on the mountain will be taken care of
Transfers
Both airport transfers and transfers to and from Imlil
Porterage
Mules and muleteers to carry your overnight luggage during your climb
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Tips for your guides
Some meals as described
Visas where required
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
What is the food like?
Moroccan food has a unique blend of sweet and savoury flavours. Local specialities include tajines (a stew cooked in an earthenware pot), couscous, and pastilles (flaky pastries stuffed with meat and dusted with cinnamon and sugar). Food is often spiced with cumin, turmeric and ginger.
Meals on the trek are cooked by the Berber muleteers. The food is fresh and healthy. Example meals:
- Breakfast: Jam, bread, cookies, fruit, juice, butter, coffee, milk
- Lunch: Salad, tomatoes, carrots, lentils, beans, rice or pasta, fish (sardines, tuna), seasonal fruit
- Dinner: Soup, classic Moroccan tajine, couscous, olives, nuts, fruit
Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request 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).
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.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's included?
- Sleeping bag (you can bring your own if you like)
What do I need to bring?
- Day pack (25-35 litres)
- Rucksack or duffle bag (for the mules to carry overnight kit)
- Warm jacket
- Waterproof jacket
- Light-weight, breathable hiking shirts and trousers
- Broken-in hiking boots or hiking shoes
- Warm hat
- Light gloves or mittens
- Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sun block)
- First aid kit
- Electrolytes/rehydration solutions (especially if travelling during the summer)
- Personal toiletries
- Sanitary supplies (hand sanitiser, toilet paper, wet wipes, and ziplock baggies to carry out)
- Head torch
- Water bottle
- Towel
- Sleeping bag liner
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Double/Twin Room
Payable Before Departure
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Double/Twin Room
… Per Night
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Single Room
Payable Before Departure
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Single Room
… Per Night
Optional Private Room Upgrade
Payable Before Departure
Optional Private Room Upgrade
…
Private transfer between Marrakech Airport and Marrakech City (per vehicle)
Payable Before Departure
Private transfer between Marrakech Airport and Marrakech City (per vehicle)
…
Mount Toubkal
We were picked up from the airport by a friendly guy and taken to a nice Riad in a great location in Marrakech.
The food was fantastic, the city is a great place to visit.
The next morning we were driven to the village of Imlil where our trek was to begin.
A quick kit check with the guide and a rundown of the agenda.
Our guide was incredibly friendly and great to be around.
The group dynamic with the other trekkers was great as well.
It was so well organised and we were fed and watered really well. I felt I was safe and in capable hands the whole time. This allowed me to fully enjoy the experience.
I had such an amazing time and would highly recommend Much Better Adventures to anyone feeling intrepid.
Fantastic adventure, everything ran smoothly couldn’t recommend this enough. Now on to deciding which MBA trip to book next.
Amazing trip, really well organised with superb hosts and knowledgable guides. Excellent value for money and challenging in a good way. Excellent group dynamic, will be booking again soon with MBA.
Fantastic trip with a brilliant group. Couldn’t recommend this adventure anymore. The views up to Mount Toubkal and on the summit are fantastic and our guides went above the call of duty to ensure everyone was safe and well looked after!
The trip was fantastic. I'm amazed at how much was able to be seen and done in 3 days, and without feeling rushed. The highlight was the sense of accomplishment whenever you'd look and see where you've been. The group was a brilliant bunch with an excellent comradary. The recommended kit was spot on, the trip was run efficiently and sustainable, and I always felt safe with the excellent guides. Wouldn't change a thing
What a trip! Can’t believe what we fitted into this weekend. Super well organised with great guides. We found the second day of trekking a lot and our legs are aching now but well worth it for the summit experience. Feeling tired but proud!
Fantastic trip with a great bunch of people! Totally worth the effort to get to the top. The guides, Abdul & Ibrahim, were brilliant - they couldn’t have done more to look after us. Food on the trek was great. Riad in Marrakesh was lovely. Don’t expect to sleep much in the refuge - worth checking if you can get a private room. I’ve never done anything like it before & I loved it!
Would highly recommend, the cost, the experience, the journey with new friends and the expertise of the guides along with food and the time spent in Marrakesh make this trip a must do if you are into hiking and also want a palette cleanser such as exploring Marrakesh
Incredible adventure and a fantastic way to see several different parts of Morocco. The local host was great and while super challenging, the trek was really rewarding. The distance covered is a little more than what is advertised (12km and 20km over the two days) but worth it for the views at the summit!
It was an absolutely incredible experience which gave a huge sense of achievement when we reached the summit. The views all along the hike were fantastic. We met new people and made new friends in our group which ranged from members in their 20's to members in their 60's. We all got on well as a team offering encouragement when needed. The guides (Abdul and Ibrahim) helped us all extremely well, keeping us all safe at all times. Thank you. I loved every minute of the trip, the only low point was the end when we all had to say our goodbyes. But I have returned home with stories to tell and recommendations to others to try this trip for themselves, and I will 100% advise others to use Much Better Adventures and find out for themselves.
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 195kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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!
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
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
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.
Absolutely! We recognise that you may want to leave some of the kit you bring to Morocco somewhere safe before you start your ascent of Toubkal. When you reach Imlil, you will be able to leave any non-essential items you don’t want to take up on the hike with you at your local guide's base there.
Your host works with Muleteers who collaborate with local charity, Spana, (The Society for the Protection of Animals and Nature) on the AMI program (Aid to the Mules of Imlil). The charity provides training, guidance and incentives to mule owners to encourage and support good care for their animals in all aspects of their working lives. The program also provides a monthly clinic which offers free veterinary care to the animals and the distribution of humane tack.
Up to date advice for UK citizens can be found here
Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip for good service. Your guide will help with advice however we suggest a minimum of 150 - 200 Dirham per person.
Of course, you are free to tip more or less and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
Ramadan will take place from 10th March to 8th April 2024. The national holiday of Eid ul-Fitr will follow for 2-3 days. Ramadan is an Islamic festival where the religious do not eat or drink during daylight hours. While this is a really interesting time to travel, especially to witness celebrations where the fast is broken in the evenings, you can expect some business hours will be shortened, alcohol is not permitted during daylight hours and some restaurants will be closed during this festival period. Activities for local people tend to be limited during the day and the nights are very active in cities with lots of different foods being sold and consumed. Ramadan will not affect the inclusions on your trip although you should be aware that dinners will be served after locals break their fast in the evenings.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
Pay In Installments
You can choose to pay for this trip in as many installments as you like, with no interest or fees.
Full Financial Protection
Your money is safe. Every booking is fully financially protected.