5 days combined Berber Villages & Toubkal Ascent Treks

Early morning departure from marrakech for a pleasant drive south winding our way up through the moulay brahim gorge and upper valleys to arrive at the higher foothills of the western high atlas mountains and our trailhead of imi oughlad (1450m) with the jbel toubkal, at 4167m the highest peak in north africa, aglzim 3650m and aksoual 38847m ,looming before us. Here we alight from our vehicle and meet up with berber muleteer crew. We set off up in north-westerly direction for a 2 hour acclimatisation hike up switchback mule tracks, passing by cornfields woods pine and juniper to the tiz n’tachete (2000m),where we shall stop to look back down on the imlil and ait oussaden valleys before carrying on for another half hour to imi n’ifri and our field picnic. Thence a slow hike for about 2 and half hours south-west down along a dirt track to assif n’ ait oussaden and the red clay terraced village of tiziane (1750 m) for our accommodation in our bivouac / gite.

After breakfast we now set off on our hike up along the assif n’ait oussaden valley, passing through the wallnuts groves, up to tizi n’taghrhourte (1995m )and through to a rare almost flat strecth to arrive at assaka spring, where we will stop for our field picnic amidst and awesome silence after some 2 and half hours relatively easy walking. Our afternoon’s hike takes us down along the edges of the forest until we reach the berber village of D’knt (1870m) or agouns n Assoul where we will have our dinner and spent the in a bivouac / gite.

We set off for our morning’s 3 hours hike up through groves of walnut trees, fields of corn and barley to greet the many sheep and goatherders – and women and children bent over with 20kg loads of faggots and dried herbs. We traverse the tizi n’tagdalte to the descent amongst the juniper trees till we come to a small spring set amongst the trees , where we will stop for our picnic .once refreshed , we are off down winding tracks of upper slopes for some 3hours to come to a small river at the beginning of the valley of assif n’ait oussaden. From here we enter the village of tizi oussem (1850m) then up to the summer village Of Tamsoult for our camp / hut.

After breakfast, we now set out eastwards on a moderately difficult hike up winding mule tracks to the Tizi Aguelzim (3550m) , thence a further 3 hours south-east to the Toubkal Refuge which marks the spring snowline at 3207m, where we shall have our dinner, in bivouac around the Refuge.

A very early breakfast to set out around 6am., to attain, after a three hour steep climb, the highest peak in the Maghreb (4167m). The panorama from here is simply stunning. Whenever you are ready, we shall take the Ikkhibi Sud or South Cirque for a straightforward - with your guide - 2 to 3 hour descent back to the Refuge for a picnic.

After lunch We shall now set off towards the north along steeply descending, zigzagging trails of the higher slopes of the Valley of the Assif n'Isouhouanem n'Ouagounss towards the Shrine of Sidi Chamharouch. Set beside a waterfall, there is a pilgrimage 'marabout' shrine here, probably the remnant of a pre-Islamic culture, but forbidden to non-Muslims. another 2 hours downhill will allow to get to the village of Imlil from where most of the treks start prior to take the taxi back to Marrakech.