Mt. Toubkal: Morocco
Mt. Toubkal: Morocco
Tara Shupe January 23, 2020
Welcome to the highest point in the Atlas Mountains and all of Northern Africa. Located 63 km South of the city of Marrakesh, it’s a popular addition for outdoor lovers visiting Morocco. We decided to add the trek to our March trip and it ended up being one of our favorite adventures to date! So here are some photos from the trek along with a few insights to inspire your next adventure!
THE HIKE:
Mount Toubkal
LOCATION:
Imlil, Morocco
DISTANCE:
12 km from the trailhead to the Refuge and 4km one way from the refuge to the summit.
A total of 32 km (20 miles) roundtrip.
TIME NEEDED:
Recommended at least 2 days.
ELEVATION GAIN:
7931 ft / reaching 13,671 ft
HOW TO GET THERE:
There are many different ways to get to Imlil, but after haggling at the taxi stand over a ridiculously high price, instead of negotiating all day we called our trekking company and they offered to transfer us for 50 euros round trip. For us it was a good deal to get there quickly and without a hassle with bags. They also let us stop at an argon oil shop. It’s overpriced and the women stage making the oil, but it’s your first day in Morocco - so enjoy it!
Also, don’t make the mistake of asking for the tea without sugar. Again, it’s Morocco so embrace it!
WHERE TO STAY:
One of the best things about Morocco is the ability to stay in charming little places for responsible prices. We used Airbnb everywhere else, but Booking.com for Imlil and I loved the location up the hill overlooking the mountains and small city.
Our first evening we sat outside our lodge watching the kids play while the shepherds brought their herds down the mountains and we drank MORE sweet Moroccan tea. We were eager to start our uphill trek early the next morning, but enjoyed the simplicity of Imlil.
GUIDING COMPANY:
There are numerous guiding companies for every type of adventure in Morocco and somehow we landed on: High Atlas Hiking
They didn’t have a website that I could find, but we read somebody else used them and they responded quickly to emails and ended up being great! They ended up being helpful our entire trip answering questions over WhatsApp, sending the car to pick us up and sending the guide to our lodge the morning of the trek so there was little confusion.
Also, did we mention we LOVED them! We still stay in touch with Hassan and laugh about the kiss Mohammad gave us after we arrived back so quickly from our summit!
TREK INCLUDED:
Ascent of Toubkal (2 days/1 night)
Mountain Guide: Hassan
Cook: Mohammad (the best smiley old man)
Baggage Mules: So your day packs can be lighter
Drinks and Meals during trek and at Refuge
Night at Refuge organized
TOTAL: EUR 170 per person
IS A GUIDE NEEDED?
We had read mixed things with people saying you can’t climb without a guide since a recent murder of two women along the trail. However, we met a few young men on their own during the trek and I’m not sure how they passed the check points without a guide, but they were proud to say they were climbing without a guide.
Examples of why a guide was the ethical thing to do:
The guides have relationships with the mountain refuge and when individuals show up without a guide and expect to find a place to stay, it’s not like asking a hotel for a room that night. I saw a few young men struggling to find a spot that night because they thought if they arrived early enough it would be fine, but beds had already been reserved from guides.
We hiked Toubkal in Mid-March and the entire mountain was covered in snow. Our guide provided crampons and I couldn’t imagine doing the summit day without them because everything was a solid sheet of ice and snow. I saw the same individual from the night before and a few other young men that were proud to say they were doing the mountain without a guide…yet they stuck with one guide the first half and then tagged onto our guide the other half. It didn’t seem fair that because these young men didn’t want to pay, they were climbing irresponsibly and while taking the attention off other people’s paid guides.
I think traveling on a budget is a great goal, but supporting the local economy is too! You support guides, mule porters and cooks by hiring a guiding company and it’s a wonderful way to ask more about the culture and have a personal experience with locals.
SUMMIT DAY
We took off from the mountain refuge at 5:30am.
When we met our guide Hassan we told him we were training for Nepal and although Toubkal isn’t known for its elevation, reaching just shy of 14,000 ft, Hassan smiled and said, “let’s get you ready then!”
Pushing my body and camera to the limits, we moved up the icy incline for two hours passing almost every group that had started before us. My legs were dead from the crampons but it was one of the most invigorating experiences being surrounded by the star-filled sky as it slowly started to fade to light.
I pulled my camera out about 30 minutes below the ridge and captured our guide Hassan, he was getting held up helping other individuals that didn’t have a guide and I was grateful for a second to breathe.
I remember him getting up to us and saying we needed to go faster to not miss the sunrise.
I shoved my camera back in my bag and we pushed past another group just in time to see the most amazing sunrise.
We sat for a moment as the sunrise flooded the Atlas Mountains and into the valley below us. We still had one more ridge before the summit, but we took in the views and removed our crampons for the final climb. At the top we enjoyed a snickers with our wonderful guide Hassan and chatted with our newly acquired freeloader friends.
Guide or not, we all did it! And despite my small battle with my legs, lungs and constant question of why I decided to climb another mountain… Every second was worth it!
Thank you for taking the time to read this photo story from my time trekking to Toubkal in Morocco.
Please leave any thoughts, questions or other tips for this trek below!
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- Tara Shupe
TARA SHUPE
Tara Shupe is a Humanitarian Photographer and Video Storyteller, constantly traveling with a camera attached to the hip and a notebook in her pocket. With over 10 years of experience in the field, Tara approaches each story intimately with a hope for inspiring others to think beyond their comfort zone.
