Take a hiking tour from the pink city Marrakech to the Atlas Mountains is one of the very best things Morocco has to offer. The country boasts one of the most rewarding Mountain ranges in the world. Hiking in the Atlas Mountains, you will feel you are moving a country or so back in time. Trekking in the Atlas Mountains makes for an incredible holiday. The tiny villages perched on the sides of the Mountains, the warmth and hospitality of the Berber people and the spectacular views all add up a wonderful experience of lifetime.
Morocco offers a wonderful diversity of culture, cuisine and landscapes including the mighty High Atlas Mountains. This excellent trekking holiday to Morocco follows a genuine off the beaten track circuit through the heart of the mountains, all the way to the summit of Mount Toubkal. Whilst trekking through the land of the Berbers, you’ll explore picturesque mountain villages, hidden valleys and charming lakes surrounded by breath-taking panoramas
Pick up from your accommodation in Marrakech to drive to Imlil via Asni. Imlil is the principal trailhead for walkers, and a busy market town. There is a constant movement of people coming down from the Mountains, and an equal supply of activity from those about to embark on their adventure. We meet our hiking team and once all our gear is loaded we begin walking along the valley towards Tacheddirt beyond Imlil. As the trail begins to rise, we climb up to the pass at Tizi n'Tamatert (2,279m). We then descend to the pretty village of Ouaneskra and continue further to reach Tacheddirt (2,400m), where we generally camp near the river for the overnight with dinner.
After an early breakfast, we start crossing the valley in a long, slow ascent to the pass at Tizi Likemt (3,555m). The walking path is not quite easy as there is a considerable amount of loose scree on the ground. At the top we enjoy our first fine view of the Toubkal massif before a long downhill descent to the village of Azib Likemt, where we camp for the night with dinner.
Today will be relatively easy day which takes us through a variety of contrasting landscapes. From Tizi n'Ououraine (3,120m) we enjoy further views and scenery of the Toubkal massif, including the summit, the east face and the Ifni Dome (3,876m). The trail leads on towards Amsouzert, one of the most striking villages in the region, where we spend the night with dinner – dormitory-style in a simple village Gite.
Today you will explore small villages west of Amsouzert as we make our way towards Ifni Lake, the only lake in the massif. It is a memorable sight, surrounded by Rocky Mountains and giant heaps of rubble, and is unusually deep. We expect to arrive by lunch time and spend the afternoon relaxing at the shore. We camp tonight in this area with dinner.
Today we should be fit, acclimatized and ready to tackle the hardest day of the trek. We make our way along a steep path that leads up a seemingly endless scree slope. At length we reach the pass at Tizi n'Ouanoums (3,664m), a narrow ledge between two shafts of rock. From here it is a long zigzag descent to Nelter Hut, a Mountain refuge where we spend the night with dinner.
Today we should wake up early to follow a well-worn route to the summit. If conditions are good it should take no more than 3-4 hours to reach the summit, where we enjoy an expansive view of the entire Atlas range and Marrakech plains beyond. Afterwards, we start to descend fairly rapidly to the villages of Sidi Chamharouch and Aremd, before following the Mizane River, along a well-forested trail to the village of Imlil where you will meet your driver to make your way to Marrakech.
* These are sample of Mountain hike itineraries, customizable for each customer, prices are on request and depend on dates, accommodations level and activities.
Should be dress according to altitude and the environment you will be located in. The most hikers are in high altitude climate in remote area. Therefore, there are often large temperature swings. Temperatures are usually colder at the high altitudes.
A track suit and a pair of track shoes to wear in lodges
Two pairs of woolen socks for trekking shoes and track shoes,
Warm down jacket and rain proof jacket with hood for protection from rain
Warm hat for the cold and sun hat or cap for sunny days
A pair of woolen gloves and pair sandals
Cotton T-shirts and pairs of long shorts/skirts
Woolen shirts and thick sweaters as well as wind and water proof trousers
Pair of light or heavy weight trouser and one light weight long sleeve shirt
Pairs of thermal undergarments
Big bag to carry trekking gear
Trekking daypack for personal items such as water, snacks, extra layers and camera
Water purification tablet and bottles
Sleeping bag
Travel Pillow
Walking poles
Head lamp
Sun cream
Handkerchief or wiping papers
Money belt
First-aid kit
Sunglasses
Gloves Liner
Gloves (waterproof in winter)
Down or synthetic, windproof outer
Snow Goggles (winter)
Hiking socks
Trekking boots
Refuge shoes - sandals
Rain and windproof jackets
Crampons and ice axes and Gaiters (for winter)
Head torch & spare batteries
Power pack - plugs are available in the refuge for charging
Camera
Sun cream and lip salve
Toilet roll
Ear plugs
Passport, travel insurance details, money, credit cards, plane ticket
Book, cards, games etc
Antibacterial hand gel
Wash kit - there are showers in the hut
Towel
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Antiseptic Wipes
Latex gloves
Plasters
Zinc Tape
Rehydration Sachets
Throat Lozenges
Knee/ankle support egg. Tub grip
Crepe Bandage
Imodium for diarrhea
Sudocrem
Trekking equipments are available. If you do not wish to buy equipment, we can rent them for you the duration of your trek with reasonable prices.
Tripadvisor previous guests reviews
We were booked and had paid a deposit for a trip late March of 2020, which was canceled due to the pandemic. Said, the owner of MD, went to extraordinary lengths to refund the deposits for our travel group of six from the U.S. Apparently the Moroccan banking system is not "user friendly" when it comes to wire transfers for reasons unclear to me. Nevertheless, Said managed to refund all our money using a very creative approach. We would DEFINITELY travel with MD in the future given this level of honesty and effort; but we do hope that MD will accept credit cards rather than wires in the future. Thank You Said & Morocco Discovery!
Three of use booked a 19-day with Moroccan Discovery Holidays for March, 2020 and paid a 50% deposit. When Morocco closed its borders due to Covid. Initially we put our trip on hold and asked Said to hold our deposit. Said agreed to this. When it appeared holiday travel would likely go on for many months we asked for a refund. Said again agreed but the Moroccan banks, being what they are, refused to release all of our deposit. With some pressure on the bank from us and Said's help we did receive 100% of our deposit.
We planned our April-May 2020 trip to Morocco in the late fall of 2019 and worked with Said at Morocco Discovery. We were taking our adult children and their partners and Said was patient and added everything we wanted and more. One month prior to travel we were surprised by the pandemic, with flights cancelled, borders closed and no idea when we could travel again. Said remained as diligent, helpful and honest throughout the arduous process of refunding our downpayment. We were thrilled with Said, and his company's commitment to customer service and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone travelling to Morocco. As soon as it is safe again it is our intent to rebook with them!
From their already outstanding reviews when I started working with Sayd, this was an amazing experience. I got prompt friendly responses to every question I had and as this was our first trip to Africa I had a lot of questions. The price was incredibly reasonable - I don’t know how they can put the trip together on this budget. We stayed at amazing Riads in every city with excellent food every evening and great breakfasts - our driver was AMAZING- he was always ready wherever we were 1 minute before we needed him. The prearranged guides were the best. If you are going to Morocco - you want to go with Morocco Discovery and you definitely want a driver.
I have to admit, when I first started looking at using a local Moroccan tour company for our trip I was very nervous. After having toured Morocco for 11 days with Morocco Discovery Holidays, I would HIGHLY recommend them without any hesitation. Said worked with me for over a year to come up with a customized trip that included everything we (2 couples) wanted to see and more. Every change I made to the itinerary was completed within hours of my request.. and I made many. Said is very prompt at responding to e-mails and questions. Having a private driver was definitely the ideal way to see Morocco. Our driver, Mohamed was amazing. From the minute he met us at the airport (with sweets to welcome us) until he dropped us off at the port for our journey to Spain, Mohamed could not do enough for us. Mohamed is funny, engaging, very knowledgeable and was totally flexible and I felt very safe at all times, even on the curvy, narrow road. If I wanted him to turn around so I could take a picture, he would…and Did!! LOL Our Riads were beautiful and the meals that were included were some of the best meals we had in Morocco. I cannot say enough about the 5* service and attention we received from Morocco Discovery Holidays and Mohamed during our trip.
Mr Said provided us with a very pleasant and safe driver (Mustafa) as well as a new van, so we had a very enjoyable round trip Casablanca-Rabat-Fes- Marrakech-Casablanca. Local guides accompanied us in Fes and Marrakech, and we could have had other tours but we opted to spend more time walking around the towns. The Riads selected for us were very satisfactory and service all round was great. No hesitation at all in recommending Morocco Discovery.
Said arranged an excellent holiday for us. We began with one of the standard trips as our starting point and adapted it to better suit our needs with an added night here and there and starting in Marrakesh rather than Casablanca. Everything went very smoothly from start to finish.The choice of the Riads in which we stayed was great, as were the guides that were arranged for us. Abdoul proved to be a first rate driver - safe, dependable, friendly and very professional. We felt very comfortable being driven by him and we enjoyed his company.