Climb Mount Toubkal and Sleep in the Sahara (2020, archived)
Trek across the beautiful Atlas Mountains to North Africa's highest peak (4167m) and sleep in the desert
Duration
4 nights
Annual Leave
3 days off work
Group Size
Up to 14 people
Season
May—Oct
Location
Morocco
Meeting Point
Marrakech Menara Airport
Accommodation
Mountain hut · Hotel · Campsite
Customer Reviews
4.7
Difficulty
Challenging
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What's it like?
Experience the best of Morocco - from the highest point in North Africa, to the wild scenery of the northern Sahara
Climb to the summit of Mount Toubkal and be rewarded with the sunrise of a lifetime
Take a road trip to the desert and trek by camel to a Berber village to sleep surrounded by rolling sand dunes
Day 1
Hike to the Toubkal Refuge
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. Ascend the dramatic Mizane Valley, passing Berber farming villages and stop for lunch on the trail. In the afternoon you’ll arrive at the refuge where you can 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 2
Summit Mount Toubkal
Hiking
Wake while it’s still dark and begin your ascent. Reach the final ridge and finish the climb to the top (4167m) in time to watch the sunrise over the mountains and the distant Sahara. Rest up and then begin the descent back to Imlil where you’ll sleep soundly in a comfortable hotel.
Day 3
Road trip to the Dades Valley
Take a scenic drive over the Atlas Mountains and descend toward the unworldly landscape of the Sahara Desert, passing Kasbahs (fortified homes) and oases. You'll also have the option to stop at the Ouarzazate Film Studios and Ait Benhaddou, famous as the filming location for movies and TV shows including Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Arrive in the Dades Valley and take a hike to explore it or just relax back at your hotel.
Day 4
Road trip to Todra Gorge and camel trek to the Berber camp
Drive through Todra Gorge, an impressive canyon with sheer, 160m cliff walls and then take a short hike to a date palm oasis. Rendevous with your camels in Merzouga, gear up and ride into the desert. Arrive at a traditional Berber camp surrounded by dramatic dunes and enjoy dinner around the fire before sleeping under the stars or in a comfortable, carpeted Berber tent.
Day 5
Sunrise camel trek and road trip back to Marrakech
Wake early and enjoy a sunrise camel trek back to Merzouga. Eat breakfast, shower off the desert and then drive back to Marrakech, stopping along the way for photos, exploration and food.
Included
Guides
Local, professional, English-speaking guide
Accommodation
1 night in a mountain refuge, 2 nights in hotels and 1 night in a Berber camp
Meals
All meals in the mountains and breakfast and dinners in the desert
Transfers
To and from the airport and everything in-between
Porterage
Mules and muleteers to carry your overnight luggage during your climb
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Tips for your guides
Some meals as described
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 5
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Moroccan food is 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 fresh, healthy and cooked by your Berber muleteers. Breakfast will usually feature bread, jam, cookies, fruit, juice, coffee and milk, while lunch will feature salad, tomatoes, carrots, lentils, beans, rice or pasta, fish (sardines, tuna) and seasonal fruit. Dinner meanwhile, will usually include soup, a classic Moroccan tajine, couscous, olives, nuts and fruit.
Most dietary requirements can be catered for, just let your host know in advance.
What is the accommodation like?
The Atlas Mountains
You'll stay in a mixed dorm in a mountain refuge en-route to the top of Mount Toubkal. Facilities are basic, however, there is a fun, social area where you can meet other climbers from all around the world.
Imlil and the Dades Valley
You'll stay in a twin room in small but comfortable hotels with unique decor and ensuite bathrooms.
The Sahara
You'll stay in a traditional Berber camp in the desert in permanent, carpeted tents with full beds, or, if you prefer, blankets for sleeping under the stars.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room and single tent can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability). This is only available for the nights in Imlil, Dades and in the Berber camp, not for the night spent on the mountain.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Marrakech City Centre or Marrakech Menara Airport
09:30 or 10:40
Ends
Marrakech Menara Airport or Marrakech City Centre
17:30 or 18:30
Transfers
You'll picked up on arrival or from your accommodation in Marrakech and dropped off in time for departure or back to the city centre if preferred. You are free to book any flight home that departs after 20:00.
Travel options
There are regular flights to Marrakech from airports across the UK and Europe.
What about all the carbon?
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
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 provided?
- Sleeping bag (you can bring your own if you like)
What do I need to bring?
- Warm jacket
- Waterproof jacket
- Warm hat and light gloves or mittens
- Light-weight, breathable hiking shirts and trousers
- Broken-in hiking boots of hiking shoes
- Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sun block)
- First aid kit
- Personal toiletries
- Sanitary supplies (toilet paper, wet wipes, and ziplock baggies to carry stuff out)
- Head torch
- Day-pack
- 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
…
Our guides Hussain and Hassan were excellent.
The well-organised trip, great group & beautiful country.
Friendly helpful hosts. Houssaine was brilliant. Lovely group of travelers who all got on. Morroco was beautiful and the tour got to see so much of it.
Our other guides Houssaine and Abdul were fantastic. Mount Toubkal was breathtaking and we got to see so much of the country in such a short space of time.
Great experience with a lovely group. Excellent guides, Hussain and Hassan, who were very helpful and supportive during the climb up Mount Toubkal.
The trip was really well organised and squeezed a phenomenal amount of experiences into a short space of time. The guides were friendly, helpful and professional. The mountain and the desert are both breathtaking landscapes and the trip feels like a good work out.
The organisation of the trip as a whole and in particular our guide Hussain was great. Everything happened as planned and on time.
Really great trip with some lovely people. Such a diversity of fascinating landscapes...
The personal highlights were: being part of the mountains, climbing in the dark with head-torches, and also the early morning camel trek, with the rich colours of the sand and sky contrasting beautifully; all set within the unique deadened silence of the desert. So peaceful.
The organisation was outstanding from start to finish and everything ran very smoothly.
Great accommodation and plenty of good food which seemed to appear on the table as soon as we sat down.
A special mention to Houssaine, our guide, who was so attentive, considerate, and sensitive to everyone's needs - as well as having a great sense of humour.
Highly recommended and very good value for money.
The only improvement could be extending by a day, so that the last day could be broken up more - and not just a functional drive back to Marrakech.
I'd definitely consider returning to area to see more at some point.
Everything was great.
Well organised, the guides were lovely, the scenery amazing.
The sunrise on Toubkal was great.
It’s a challenging hike, I would even say difficult. The first part is steady long ascent, but after the hut, it was a pretty hard to climb, scrambling up for 3 h. It was a really amazing experience to climb the summit at night with head torches to meet the sunrise. We had a great team of 7 girls and had amazing time. MBA always brigs together adventures soles. Unfortunately one of the girls didn’t reach the top. Great fun in the desert, although we had cloudy days and no sunset, but enjoyed having sandboarding, dancing and playing drums.
Well organised, lovely staff, amazing experiences.
The tour guide was brilliant. Everywhere we stayed was really nice, the mountain hut was entertaining.
The hosts were very friendly and constantly looking for feedback and ways they could improve. The places we stayed and the food we were provided were all great.
I met a great group of people on this trip and had the most amazing experiences. Climbing Mount Toubkal gave me a great sense of achievement once completed. I did suffer from some altitude sickness but the guides Ibraham and Abdul made sure we rested regularly and ensure we were safe at all times. The trip felt like two halves and the desert experience was fab too.
Everything was amazing, I really enjoyed the variety, the people, the guides, the weather, accommodation and the food.
The experience was amazing. Some long days as the trip had a tightly packed schedule. The guides were really helpful and the accommodation and food were all good. The best part was the people you meet on the trip. All like minded individuals as well as some couples and everybody got along and there was a real sense of achievement and togetherness. An amazing trip and lifelong memories were made.
The group was great - we shared so many laughs. The guides were phenomenal, their knowledge and genuine care got us all up to the mountain safely.
Our hosts took great care of us and were a great help in climbing Mount Toubkal. The trip fits a lot in and you really feel like you achieve something in climbing Toubkal and experiencing the desert. The wide range of landscapes is amazing.
The guides Mohammed and Hussein were brilliant. Really friendly and sorted all the arrangements out effortlessly. The guys who also sorted the food on the mountain were unsung legends. The food was brilliant and we were well looked after.
Organised transfers were on time. Guides were informative and knowledgeable. Whole trip was well organised and efficient. Offered a great experience of Morocco in the time we were there. A tough trip but well worth the effort.
Hussein took good care of us and the pace of walking was spot on for the group. He fielded all questions politely and in great English. He and Mohammad also had a good sense of humour but also obviously enjoy their work and of course their Atlas mountains home.
I loved every bit of the trip. The guides were friendly. The crew I had was amazing.
Mohamed and Hussain were amazing hosts, we were so well looked after and well fed. Everyone summited and the desert experience was amazing.
Our guides, particularly Hassan, were excellent. They spoke English well and answered any questions we had. Hassan also told us the history of the places we visited. The hospitality and food at the various places we traveled to was very good as well. The mountain was exhilarating (although certainly hard work), and the desert camel trek was breathtaking. There's no doubt, you get a lot for your money with this trip.
The trek up Toubkal was amazing, including the refuge and the hotel in Imlil and the food.
The whole trip was truly amazing! The guides were so professional, too amazing food and accommodation along the route! The sites and experiences we had along the way were breathtaking!
Seeing so much of Morocco in 4-5 days! Way more than we would have seen on our own!
The whole experience was great.
No technical climbing experience is needed, however, the elevation, loose footing and time involved in climbing Mount Toubkal means a moderate to high level of fitness is required. The camel trek, though potentially a little uncomfortable, is easy for most travelers.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
From April to October, daytime temperatures in the Atlas Mountains are typically warm (25 - 30°C) but cool off considerably at night, and the higher you go, the cooler it gets. In the winter, daytime temperatures are still warm (10 - 20°C), but nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing. Afternoon storms are always possible, but the amounts are small and generally don’t prevent anyone from enjoying the trek.
View detailed weather for the climb here on Mountain Forecast
The desert is considerably hotter than the mountains, though nighttime temperatures drop significantly and can even approach freezing in the winter.
If you have extra luggage and would like to leave it in Marrakech your host will look after it for you.
We recommend checking out the country specific information here and also talking to a travel nurse.
For current advice about travelling in Morocco, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages 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.
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 always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
Our team of Adventure Hunters create exclusive adventures with highly vetted, specialist hosts. We only work with independent, local in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. See here for more info about the local teams we partner with.
TRIP DEPARTURE DATES
Go private and split the bill with ease.
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