Climb Mount Toubkal (4167m): The Winter Edition
Don your crampons and trek your way up the mighty Mount Toubkal in the height of winter
What's Included?
Activities & Certified Guides
All itinerary activities with expert, local, English-speaking guidesRiad & Mountain Refuge
2 nights in a riad and 2 nights in a mountain refugeMeals
4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 dinnersTransfers & Porterage
Airport transfers, transfers to/from Imlil, plus mules and muleteers to carry your overnight luggageEquipment
Your crampons, ice axe and sleeping bag will be providedSmall Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 14 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
…
What's it like?
Summit North Africa’s highest mountain in the peak of winter – all 4,167 metres of her
Fuelled by tagine, hike to the roof of North Africa via traditional Berber villages and scenic pitstops
Cosy down in a mountain refuge and homestay in the Atlas Mountains and a traditional Moroccan riad in the heart of Marrakech
Key Information
Day 1
Check out the sights and smells of Marrakech
Your host will meet you at the airport and drive you to your traditional riad accommodation in Marrakech’s historic medina. The day is yours to explore 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 for the drive through the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Imlil, where you'll meet your support crew. Gradually ascend the Toubkal Valley, passing 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. Wrap up warm, get in your sleeping bag and head to bed looking forward to the high altitude days ahead.
Day 3
Take a day to acclimatise
Hiking
Wake up to an incredible view of snow covered mountains followed by a hot breakfast. After trying out your crampons and ice axe, set out to summit some of the lower peaks around the refuge in preparation for the final ascent of Toubkal tomorrow.
You’ll be back at the refuge by late afternoon to eat, relax and dream about the views from the summit.
Day 4
Rise early to summit Toubkal
Hiking
Rise when it's still dark, head torch on and start climbing up and out of the valley. You’ll soon face steep, snowy slopes, ice and high winds on the way to the summit, but once you attain the ridge, your goal is in sight. Once you get there, scope the view from the top, give yourself a pat on the back, then escape the whipping wind as you begin the long descent back to Imlil.
Say farewell to the Atlas Mountains and drive back to your riad in Marrakech, where the night is yours to find a restaurant for couscous or a tasty tajine to celebrate, before collapsing into bed.
Day 5
Time to head back to reality
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)
Catch any flight on Day 1
Ends
Marrakech Airport (RAK)
Catch any flight on Day 5
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 5, 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 regular, daily flights to Marrakech from airports in the UK and Europe. Day one 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 and you will need to present a printed boarding pass on departure.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 5
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Moroccan food has a unique blend of sweet and savoury flavours. Local specialities include tajine (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 include:
- 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).
This trip has been rated as Tough
This trek requires a very good level of fitness.
As this trip takes place during the winter, you must be capable of hiking all day up paths of moderate difficulty and be prepared to face rain, snow and high winds. During the lower parts of this trek, the walking is relatively straightforward, but the loose footing and high altitude will make the going quite difficult in parts. You should pack enough personal food and snacks to power you through 3 full days of hiking at altitude. Towards the summit, you will encounter steep snowy sections where crampons and ice axes will be required; Your guides will give you a full safety briefing on how to use these. However difficult it gets, the views along the way make the journey more than worthwhile. On any winter hike in a high mountain environment, you will potentially encounter high winds, rain, snow, ice and steep slopes. The Atlas Mountains are no different and you should be experienced and prepared to face these conditions. For the higher parts of the trek, you will use crampons and have an ice axe to hand.
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.
January, February and March are the best months to do winter treks in the Atlas Mountains. January sees the lowest temperatures - average 6 °C throughout the month - but it's still pleasant for hiking.
Fantastic Jebel Toubkal Experience
The whole experience was wonderful and well organised and I'd particularly like to mention our main guide Said.
Said was excellent and professional and made sure we were well informed, well fed and was very attentive and responsive to everyone's needs and questions.
Excellent trip. Everyone in the
Excellent trip. Everyone in the group was successfully guided to the summit of mount toubkal. Great food and great company. Fantastic value for money.
Epic trip!
An awesome trip! Unfortunately we didn't get the snow I'd hoped for - I booked a late April trip so end of the winter season anyway but wanted to use crampons! The trek was challenging especially in parts where it's very steep and loose, but so rewarding. Incredible views. Our guides were brilliant and the food was exquisite! Recommend bringing card games for the refuge!
Amazing Few Day
Amazing few days in the mountains with all the food, pickups, guides, organised very well. What I will say is I done the trek in April and there was no snow so didn't get the full winter experience we paid for. However thats the weather and you cant predict it, but was told there's been no snow since Febuary. So if you want the full winter experience be sure to check the weather before you book it.
Great time climbing toubkal
Just got back from climbing Mount Toubkal, from the get go everything was extremely smooth, from airport pick up to hotel check in. Well fed throughout full trip and the guides were great. Always a variety of food so something for everyone. Summiting was as picturesque as it gets and good first introduction into higher altitude peaks. Due to us having little snow for our ‘winter edition’ we did an optional sun rise hike to a near mountain pass to make up for the lack of snow. Would definitely book through this company again.
Excellent guides, special thanks to
Excellent guides, special thanks to Abdul for getting me to the summit when I didn't think I'd be able to make it. Food is super tasty and varied every day,
Faultless experience
Absolutely fantastic trip from start to finish! No stone left unturned by both Muchbetteradventures and the guys in Morocco. Great value, great food and unbelievable hospitality from start to finish. Can't wait to book my next adventure. Thanks 😊
Great Weekend in the Atlas Mountains
Had a great weekend in the Atlas Mountains, the guides were knowledgeable and friendly we had a good group of people whom I was meeting for the first time. For anyone who is thinking of doing this trip, I would thoroughly recommend it.
Great value for money
Really well organized, food was good guides were very knowledgeable. Would recommend.
Mount Toubkal Winter Edition
Fantastic Trip!
Bring on the next adventure!
This was my first Much Better Adventures trip, and I was so glad that I made the (somewhat last minute) decision to book it. Having read other reviews and researched how strenuous the Mount Toubkal climb is, I wasn’t sure if I was going to feel out of my depth (as someone that had done only one other multi-day trek in the last 3 years). I think it’s fair to say I had to dig deep, but the pace was well managed, the advice and care from the guides was brilliant and the route was adjusted based on democratic votes from the whole group depending on how we were feeling. We battled heat in the valley, snow at the refuge, a wind chill of -20 and freezing fog at the summit - the weather certainly played a part in making this an adventure! From a culture perspective this trip was a fantastic intro to both the beautiful craziness of Marrakech and authentic rural mountain life. We were incredibly well fed considering how basic the mountain refuge facilities were.