Trip Report: High Atlas, Jebel Toubkal

[KnightErrant]

Recently did an amazing and challenging trip up to Jebel Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, and I thought I'd share.

Friday night a friend and I took the train to Marrakesh. 8:30am we caught a shuttle to Imlil, the nearest village to the mountain. There we met our guide and he explained the route to us over tea, because in Morocco, if you're sitting, you must be drinking tea.

Then we loaded up our bags onto a mule (we were spoiled this trip) and hit the road. We had 3 days, so we didn't go straight up the valley like all the climbers on a 2 day itinerary. Instead, we went up and over a 2600m pass and back down to 2200m to sleep in a refuge. Other than 3 Russians and their guide also taking shelter from the thunderstorm in the little hut on the pass, we didn't see anyone the first day, and we had the refuge to ourselves.

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The second day, we ascended through a valley past some waterfalls and then up up up to a 3600m pass where we got our first glimpse of Toubkal. Then we descended to the Toubkal refuge at 3200m. We didn't see a single person on our route all day, but there were a lot of hikers at the base camp refuge, mainly Spanish and French. Perhaps 30 in all, but it's typically a lot more crowded, because the hike is popular with Moroccans, but they're all fasting now for Ramadan. (Our guide Hamid did the trip without eating or drinking anything between 3:30am and 7:45pm. I'm convinced he's a superhuman. He's pictured climbing on the summit sign.)

On the third day, we woke up at 3:15am and departed at 4 to start the ascent to Toubkal. We only needed headlamps until about 5am. There was lots of scrambling, then a lot of switchbacks on this steep mountainside of scree, then more scrambling, then more scree, and eventually we reached the summit at 4167m (13,671ft). We made it back down to the refuge at about 11am for lunch, then hiked out the more common trail back to Imlil.

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All in all, it was about 65km in 3 days. I had zero prior experience at high altitude (highest hike before was just 8,000ft) but was thankful that our itinerary eased us into it enough that I felt great, other than finding myself short of breath faster than at sea level. If anyone is ever in this part of the world, give me a holler and I'd be happy to recommend some hikes for you. This was my third trip in the Atlas and it's a really incredible place. Plus, way cheaper than the Alps!

[Siestita]

Thanks for posting about this interesting trip!

[Leo L.]

Thanks for this interesting report.
You were very lucky to not meet the masses that go up there at times.

[KnightErrant]

^Definitely! At least for the next few years while it falls in May/June, I definitely recommend other non-Muslim hikers do the trek during Ramadan like we did. Favorable weather and it felt pleasantly isolated.

Also, not much litter! Morocco doesn't have the same culture of considering litter to be shameful, so both cities and popular natural spaces are often filthy compared to what you see in the U.S. or Europe. The more or less pristine wilderness we saw on this trip was such a nice reprieve from my daily life in Casablanca.

Also I noticed your location under your username. I did some hiking in Bad Ischl two years ago and loved it. You live in a beautiful part of the world!

[Dogwood]

We(I) need to hear more international trip reports on this site.

[Leo L.]

OK, so may I invite you to have a look at my blog (will open another thread here)

@Knight:
So, you're living in Casablanca?
I'm a long-time Middle East traveller myself and, and will be aiming towards Marokko for the next year(s), will give you a note when around the corner.

[KnightErrant]

I did a longer write-up of this trip on my TEFL/travel blog and I figured I'd post the link here in case anyone wanted to read a more detailed account with more photos. Cheers!

(Day 1-2)
https://ucfknighterrant.tumblr.com/p...ing-toubkal-12

(Day 3)
https://ucfknighterrant.tumblr.com/p...ing-toubkal-22

[Leo L.]

Thanks for this nice report.
Really great fotos!