Mount Toubkal is the highest mountain in Northern Africa at 13,671 feet (4,167 meters) in height.
Group Size
About 10 to 16 participants.
Overview
Whether you’re a newbie trekker or a well-travelled walker, this hiking trip in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains is sure to lure you in. From colourful Marrakech, this 7-day trip will see you staying in mountain gites and hiking huts, trekking through spectacular mountain scenery and reaching the ‘roof of North Africa’ with an expert crew and some trusty pack mules. Climb to the summit of Jebel Toubkal, or Mount Toubkal, from base camp and discover a renewed love for mountainous landscapes and the adventure of being thousands of metres above sea level. As this trip gives you a day to acclimatize to the altitude and traverse the villages at your own pace, it’s perfect for trekkers of any level.
Highlights
Strap on your hiking shoes and summit the highest peak in North Africa – Mount Toubkal – with your local expert guide leading the way.
Get a real taste of adventure on your trek through the rugged Atlas Mountains and marvel at the spectacular scenery at every turn with views across the mountain ranges, Sahara Desert and Atlantic coast.
Experience local life after hiking to your accommodation in a traditional gite (mountain house) in an Amazigh village nestled high in the Atlas Mountains.
Enjoy a comfortably paced trekking trip – this trip is designed for hikers of all abilities, allowing less experienced trekkers to tackle this fantastic mountain peak and discover a passion for hiking, mountain climbing and exploring.
Embrace the vibrant souqs, sights, sounds and smells of Marrakech on a walking tour of the medina and visit to Bahia Palace. With your local guide leading the way, you’ll uncover all the best spots and learn more about the culture.
Benefit from Lewis & Clark’s network in Marrakech, and professor Oren Kosansky’s years of experience in Morocco.
There will be a couple of coordinated group transfers from the airport to your hotel.
Our Lewis & Clark Mount Toubkal Trek adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6:00 pm in the lobby with our local guide and Lewis & Clark professor Oren Kosansky.
Join your fellow travelers for a non-hosted dinner and to explore Djemaa el-Fna, the lively town square in the center of the Medina. At night, large crowds gather to witness singers, drummers, dancers, fortune tellers, jugglers, and even old medicine men and dentists, creating what has been called the “greatest spectacle on earth.”
Accommodation: Riad Marrakech by Hivernage (Standard room) or similar.
Breakfast at hotel.
Our bus will take us to Amal Training center for a presentation and discussion about career training for impoverished women.
Afterwards, the group will have a tangine cooking lesson with students at Amal. Once we have prepared the meal, we will sit-down to enjoy lunch together.
Return to the hotel for a short rest and break.
In the late afternoon we will go to the Center for Language & Culture. There we will have a class on Arabic greetings and introductions.
We will join an English class with local students and allow them to practice their conversation skills, as we ask questions about Morocco.
Afterwards we will enjoy a delicious dinner together.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Riad Marrakech by Hivernage (Standard room) or similar.
Rise and shine early today for breakfast and a group meeting at 8 am. Your leader will go through everything you need to know about today’s trek before you set off into the mountains. Leave Marrakech behind and drive across the plains towards the ancient marketplace of Tahanaoute, with awesome views of valleys and the Atlas Mountains along the way. Arrive at Imlil, a mountainous village 1740 metres above sea level, then take a 50-minute hike to your mountain base in the village of Aroumd, 2000 metres above sea level. In the afternoon, stretch your legs with a gentle orientation walk around Aroumd. Your accommodation tonight is a mountain gite – a traditional village house. Rooms are furnished in the Amazigh style, with low couches (which can be used as beds), tables, carpets and cushions. On warm nights it’s often possible to sleep out on the terrace under the stars!
Note: Your travel time today will be approximately 1.5 hours. Today’s total walking distance is approximately 3.5 km or 1 hour, with 320 m of elevation gain. Your bathroom at the mountain gite accommodation will most likely be shared with others.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Gite
Today, explore Aroumd on some of the local trails with your group. Get to know the terrain and acclimatise your body for the challenge of the summit ahead. Today’s main hike will depend on the weather and the group’s ability and willingness. Acclimatisation hikes are quite slow, with a relaxed pace. Wherever your trip leader chooses, you’ll have the chance to enjoy the beautiful Moroccan countryside, where children run freely through the valleys and farmers tend to their plots of land. Donkeys provide a mode of transport for both young and old, with stony pathways winding through the mountains to villages hidden from the main roads. When you arrive back in your gite, tuck into a hearty dinner and rest up for tomorrow’s challenge.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Gite
This morning you’ll begin your ascent of Mount Toubkal – North Africa’s highest peak. From Aroumd, the trail crosses the floodplain of the Ait Mizane Valley, before climbing steeply in a zigzag up the mountainside. Along the way, pass the pilgrimage site of Sidi Chamarouch, home to the tomb of the local marabout (Muslim holy man). Only Muslims are permitted to cross the bridge and approach the large white stone that serves as a shrine. From here, climb steeply through a series of switchbacks and traverse the flank of the valley above the river. Arrive at Toubkal Base Camp (3207 metres above sea level) and enjoy a hearty dinner and make sure you get plenty of sleep before the big ascent tomorrow.
Note: Today’s total hiking distance is approximately 10 km or about 5 hours, with 1250 m of elevation gain. All baggage and provisions are carried by mule. Used to plough fields, carry loads, turn threshing machines and ferry people between villages, mules are an indispensable part of Amazigh life. Accommodation tonight is simple, but clean and atmospheric. You will be sharing a room with other trekkers and bedding is similar to large bunk-bed platforms. Dining rooms and other facilities are also shared with other climbers.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Refuge
Embrace an early start this morning as you’ll tackle the rocky terrain that leads to the summit of Mount Toubkal. At 4167 metres above sea level, this is truly the roof of North Africa. Take in the beautiful silence of the morning while you make the final climb, which can involve some scrambling. Your effort is rewarded by superb views from the summit, which on a clear day can include the entire Atlas Mountain range, the Atlantic coast to the west and the Sahara Desert to the east. After a rest at the summit and time spent marvelling at the view, descend to Base Camp. You’ll fuel up with a hearty lunch before heading back to Aroumd, where your local host will be waiting to welcome you back with a homecooked dinner to celebrate your achievements in the High Atlas Mountains.
Note: Today’s climbing distance is approximately 3.5 km, with 1000 m of elevation gain. Summiting and descending back to Base Camp will take anything between 6 and 8 hours and hiking back down to Aroumd will take further 4 hours.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Gite
After breakfast, take one last glimpse at the valley and marvel at those high summits you conquered in last couple of days. Then head back to Imlil and make your way back to Marrakech. In the afternoon, embark on a guided walking tour of the medina, including souqs devoted to different trades such as pottery, woodwork, carpets or spices. Then, continue to the 19th-century Bahia Palace and spend some time admiring the architecture. The rest of your time in the city is free for you to make your own discoveries. If you’re keen to experience a traditional Moroccan bath, your leader can advise you where to find the nearest hammam.
If you’ve enjoyed your taste of Moroccan cuisine so far, tonight we will indulge your inner foodie with a Taste of Marrakesh food tour.
Meals Included: Breakfast, and Dinner. Lunch on your own.
Accommodation: Riad Marrakech by Hivernage (Standard room) or similar.
Your Marrakech adventure ends this morning after breakfast at the Riad. Oren Kosansky will lead one last morning neighborhood walk.
For those extending their stay or with later departures and interested, we will head to Amal for lunch.
We will coordinate transfers to the airport for those leaving today.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Extend your trip a day or two and take in all that Marrakech has to offer. Typically we will be able to secure additional nights at Riad Marrakech by Hivernage for an additional fee.
Oren Kosansky, our in-country guide, and the CLC staff can make suggestions for your extra days in Marrakech or onward in Morocco.
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Is this trip for you?
This is a trekking trip. In order to reach the summit of Mount Toubkal, you need to be reasonably fit and healthy. Previous mountain climbing or hiking experience is recommended, but this trip is suitable to those with little experience, too.
The summit of Mt Toubkal is 4167 metres (13,671 feet) above sea level. At this height you may experience symptoms of altitude sickness. If you are concerned, please consult with your physician.
You are interested in learning about Morocco and have an adventurous spirit.
Total Cost is $2,295 per person signing up as a pair.
If you are a solo traveler wanting your own room in the hotels Day 1, Day 2, and Day 7, the single supplement is: $150 (limited number of single rooms available). You will be in shared accommodations the other days.
If you are a solo traveler wishing to be paired up in a double room with two beds, please let us know.
Transfer to hotel on Day 1 and to airport on Day 8 will be arranged and are included. Transfers on other days are not included.
Tipping is always optional. Tips for loading buses, and at group meals are included. Having $60 to $100 USD equivalent in Moroccan Dirhams is recommended for tips to your local guide and driver. Lewis & Clark Group Facilitator will collect tips at end of trip.
Includes most meals Day 2 through Day 7, and breakfast on Day 8.
We highly recommend you purchase traveler’s insurance.
Lewis & Clark Group Facilitator
Oren Kosansky
Dr. Oren Kosansky, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Program Director of Middle East and North Africa Studies.
Professor Kosansky has published widely on topics of religion, language, colonialism, and nationalism in North Africa, with special focus on Morocco. He is the director of The Rabat Genizah Project, which brings together an international team of community representatives, scholars, archivists, and information technologists to develop a digital archive of Moroccan Jewish documents. Dr. Kosansky was the co-founder and inaugural leader of the Lewis & Clark Morocco program. Oren led a group of alumni, parents and friends on a Grand Tour of Morocco in 2018 and again in 2022.
Amala nonprofit association, empowering women through culinary skills.
Oren with members of the2018 LC Morocco Group.
Accommodations
Three nights at a Riad in Marrakech.
Three nights countryside mountain Gite (guesthouses) in shared rooms. These may be rooms with two people/ two beds, or as many as six beds with bathrooms down the hallway.
One night in Mountain Refuge - simple, but clean and atmospheric. You will be sharing a room with other trekkers and bedding is similar to large bunk-bed platforms. Dining rooms and other facilities are also shared with other climbers
Questions?
Andrew McPheeters, Associate Vice President of Community Education & Travel Programs at mcpheete@lclark.edu or 503-841-7657
