|
Grade: Challenging
4
to 9 hours walking a day and up to a top altitude of 4167m. Most
ascent gain in one day: 1061m. Basically the going is moderate to
strenuous and rough underfoot; gravel paths and
scree slopes. The ascents of Toubkal and Oukaimden are
steep and tough; but fine for normal reasonably fit hill
walkers. Altitude problems may effect some people on Toubkal,
although our carefully managed trek itinerary enables most people
to acclimatize very well for the final ascent.
Climate
Our
tours to go trekking in the Jbel Atlas Toubkal region are between
mid May and late September; outside these months there is a high
chance of late or early snow obstructing high passes or peaks.
Expect average daytime temperatures to vary between 15-35 C,
depending upon altitude etc. There can, however seldom, be some
grey skies, rain and even snow at the highest altitudes of the
trek. Night time temperatures can vary from warm to cold. At the
highest points, temperatures may drop below freezing overnight.
The summit ascent will normally commence in near freezing
temperatures during the early morning (Even colder with wind
chill). Note that on occasion Marrakech ( at 475 metres)
has a heat wave and has recorded summer temps. Of
approaching 50 C! Of course this is unusual and it is a dry heat,
but it is possible. Such high temperatures are not found in the
mountains where you will be at an altitude of around 1900m (Aremd).
Accommodation
2
nights bed and breakfast accommodation in Marrakech
normally in the pleasant Hotel Foucauld boasting a good restaurant
(alcohol not available but can be brought in)
which on warmer days serves
a buffet on the hotel roof, overlooking
the majestic minaret of the Koutoubia
mosque. Rooms are simple ensuite.
In
Oukaimeden you stay for 1 night in a Club Alpin Francais
Hostel with multiple bunked rooms, there is a comfortable living
room area. Warm water for showers, Beer and wine is available at
reasonable prices.
In
Tacheddirt, depending upon availability, you will stay
either in the Kasbah, or in the (very basic) CAF refuge. No Hot
water available.
On
Toubkal, 1 night in the Toubkal (Neltner) Refuge in
dormitory accommodation. Basic hot showers, but a busy site.
In
Aremd you will stay in a simple restaurant Hotel for 2
nights during the tour on a full board basis. Rooms are simple
hostel style, several beds
to a room. Some people decide to sleep on the terrace
on hot nights under the stars.
Hot water is erratic, but the food is great!
Equipment & Clothing
In
addition to a good pair of broken in (but not breaking down)
walking boots, a 3 season sleeping bag, a fleece, sunglasses a hat
and a couple of water bottles (with water purification) are
essential. The sun can be excessively strong, and cotton long
sleeved shirts and Sunbloc are very important. A detailed list of
recommended clothing and equipment is included in our
pre-departure information, which is sent with confirmation of your
reservation. Also bring with you books and games; you have plenty
of time to use them!
Food
All
food is included whilst on trek. In Marrakech you will be
staying on a Bed and breakfast basis.
The
food that you will eat is very healthy on trek, including
Couscous, Tagine, olives, sardines, nuts and fruit; but there is
generally little meat. Please decide as soon as possible once you
arrive on trek whether you are going to be a vegetarian. This
however is not normally a problem for our Berber cook crew, as
apart from the fish (Tuna and Sardines) often served at lunch time
with vegetable salad; there is not normally a lot of meat and when
meat is available separate dishes such as vegetarian tagine, can
always be prepared. Many people bring their own treats and food
supplements if they have special dietary requirements. It is very
difficult or impossible to get a lot of common western items
actually once on trek, but things are improving.
Average
lunch or dinner costs are about 60-100 Dirhams without drinks. *
£1=16 Dirhams approx.
Soft
drinks cost between 5 Dirhams and about 10 Dirhams for a Coke.
Freshly squeezed orange juice is also highly recommended 5 D - 7D
and only 3 D in the Djema el Fna. Berber tea varies between 2 - 9
D. Small bottle of Flag beer (available in only a very few places:
15 –22 Dirhams).
*Alcoholic
beverages are normally impossible to obtain out of the big towns
and even then are not particularly good by Western standards. We
really recommend making use of your duty free allowance to obtain
your favourite tipple. Remember that if you belong to an E.C.
country, USA, Aus or NZ then when you fly to Morocco, you are
entitled to duty free shopping.
Tipping
Rather
like in Nepal (if you have been) the Berbers expect a tip for good
service. We do stress this is voluntary, but more and more they
see it as part of their income. On the last night on trek your
leader will quietly encourage you to make some kind of
presentation; any monies or material items will be gratefully
received and shared between the crew.
Local
Customs and Laws
In
Morocco, access to Mosques and holy places is forbidden to
non-Muslims. A few exceptions are the Hassan II Mosque in
Casablanca, the Mohammed V Mausoleum in Rabat, the Moulay Ismail
Mausoleum at Meknes and the Moulay Ali Cherif Mausoleum at Rissani.
Homosexuality
is considered a criminal offence in Morocco. Sexual
relations outside marriage are also punishable by law and there
have been a number of arrests in 2007.
Avoid
provocative clothing.
Accept
mint tea when offered, it is a sign of hospitality
Avoid
drinking, eating and smoking in public in daytime during the
period of Ramadan
If
you want to photograph somebody, don't forget to ask for
permission.
|
Outline
Itinerary
The
following itinerary is intended as a working guide and is subject
to variation as a result of weather, local conditions and group
progress. We reserve the right to alter (lengthen or shorten) any
trek at any time if necessary.
Local
time: GMT-1 BST AND GMT as British winter time..
Note below that ascents and descents are
accumulative on
each day.
q
Day 1: Arrive
Marrakech. Wednesday (see below under Escorted departures’) depart Gatwick for the flight to
Marrakech. The included flights are with G.B Airlines. But you can
make use of Easyjet or Ryan Air flights
(lower cost) if you are a ‘LandOnly’ Customer. Transfer
to the Hotel Foucauld. Land Only Customers will need to make their
own way to hotel (15 mins by taxi). Lunches and dinners are not
included in Marrakech, but you might like to eat the popular
buffet dinner at the hotel for around 110 Dirhams, or take
advantage of other
restaurants around the ‘Djema el Fna’, the famous central
square.
q
Day 2: Drive
Marrakech to Oukaimeden. Morning or lunchtime departure and
drive across the Haouz plain and up to Oukaimeden (2,668m).
Enroute, from the dusty scrub, palm, citrus and olive plantations,
you pass through a landscape that supports a thriving rural
community, as their extensive cultivations and terraced fields
indicate. This has
been the result of centuries of laborious irrigation by the
Berbers. Oukaimeden mixes the traditional and modern. Hotels and
microwave antenna jostle with stone built Berber huts and food
shacks. This is Morocco’s premier Ski resort in winter, but when
you visit it there will probably be sheep and goats grazing on the
ski runs. The settlement is interestingly placed on an extensive
terrace, fashioned by rock strata and scouring glacial action… A
rather incongruous settlement.
We
stay at the licensed Club Alpin Francais (CAF). Beer and wine is
available at your own expense. Dinner is prepared by your Berber
ground crew. There is dormitory bunk accommodation; usually good
warm showers and a living room. The building is under French
management.
q
Day 3: Oukaimeden to Tacheddirt Leaving Oukaimeden we have the choice of either
contouring round the grassy valley of Assif-a-Ait Irene or, for
the more experienced, a steep ascent of Jbel Oukaimeden (3273m)
(2.5hrs). There are great views from here over to Toubkal, the
serrated massif of Angour and the Imighilene Valley.
After a break on the top, there is a long rocky and scree
descent to a small azib (grassy area with a spring) perhaps you
will be offered mint tea there? Then a track walk to reach the
Tizi-nou Addi pass (2957m). From the Tizi there is a steep descent
through crags to the classic Berber village of Tacheddirt, here we
stay either at the Refuge (alot simpler than the CAF last night)
or at the refurbished Kasbah. Ascent: 987m / Desc 1164m.
5-6 hours approx.
Day 4: Tacheddirt to Aremd From
Tacheddirt we walk around the terraced valley, under a huge circle
of mountains, until we start to ascend up to the pass called the
Tizi – n – Tametert (2279m). This is a great view point, back
over Mount Oukaimeden, and forwards down to Imlil. At the pass you
can usually get soft drinks from a tiny shack. From here we
descend through a small pine forest into the terraces skirting
Imlil and then up to the Berber town called Aremd. The terraces
are often occupied by Walnut trees, walnuts being a great cash
crop, thrashed out of the trees in September by villagers with
long sticks. This actually stimulates the growth of new buds
for the next spring. Aremd
seems to grow out of the ice melt breached terminal moraine
that it occupies. It is then a short
cross over to the hotel. Views of Toubkal from the terrace.
Ascent: 300 metres / Descent 600m. 5 hours approx.
Day 5: Aremd to Toubkal
Hut. After
breakfast we begin the walk up the
broad Ighighayene Valley. We then
cross the Valley and start the
steep, but well
graded mule track ascent up to the Toubkal
refuge (Also known as the Neltner
refuge after the first man to climb
Toubkal In 1923). On the way there is a drink stop at
a little touristy village on the river called Sidi
Chamharouch. This is a sacred site. ‘Sidi’ means a saint, so
Saint Chamharouch came to the area to bathe. There is a big white
washed rock marking the place, and muslim pilgrims come here still
to bathe in the waters…They probably wouldn’t if they realized
that ‘everything‘ from the Toubkal Hut comes down this way!
Continue up to the Toubkal Hut. Dormitory accommodation,
usually very busy, but there is a warm lounge area and limited
warm showers. Ascent:
1200m / 5 hours approx.
q Day
6: The ascent of Jbel Toubkal (4167m) & return
to Aremd. At dawn
we start to stagger up the peak. The ascent takes about three and
a half hours from the refuge and we aim to be back at the Toubkal
refuge for our picnic lunch. We make an early morning (around
05:30) rising traverse over grass and rocks, then a short scree
scramble up to the base of the South Cwm. We continue the ascent
to Tizi-n-Toubkal (3941m), and then traverse a rising crest to the
summit plateau. The ascent of Toubkal is at times tiring, but not
technically difficult. From the top there is normally an
unobstructed view in every direction over craggy peaks, sweeping
to the Jebel Sirowa 50 km away, far in the south, the Mgoun to the
East and the Jebel Sahro to the south east. The village of Aremd can be seen over 2000 metres below.
Return to Toubkal hut for
lunch, then limp back
down the valley to our accommodation in Aremd, and perhaps
a celebratory tagine and some cokes! Note that today is
hard on the knees! Ascent: 1093m.
Descent: 2250m.
Approx: 9 hours.
q Day
7: Aremd to Imlil (transport to Marrakech). Walking down to
Imlil, a mid-morning (Descent:
200m, 45 mins). Probably time for an orange juice before
the drive brings us back to Marrakech and the Hotel Foucauld.
Afternoon at leisure. It is well worth spending some time in the
Djemaa-El-Fna, the busy main square of Marrakech, and the souks
for last minute shopping. Particularly good are the products that
are made of wood and leather, but you will find plenty of
interesting items including ceramics, musical instruments, dates
and walnuts. You could visit the other attractions such as the
Saadian tombs and maybe if you still have clothes to look smart (ish)
in, attempt to get into the famous Mamoumia Hotel for a drink...at
a price! This was the hotel that Sir Winston Churchill often
stayed in, and is still, by world standards, excellent.
Lunch
and dinner today is at your expense. You may like to eat in the
Djemaa El Fna, which at night takes on vibrance and personality
that is unique in the World, (just watch your pockets though).
Quite a few Westerners eat in the square, where there are many
barbecues lighting up (and smoking up) the place. The advantage of
the place is that you can actually see how your food is being
cooked and get them to redo it if necessary. Otherwise try to book
a restaurant for perhaps a celebratory group meal. Note that very
few places do alcohol in the city.
q Day
8:
Depart Marrakech, most flights are quite early in the
morning, but our hotel can cope with basic breakfast arrangements
for early departures. Land only customers will need to make their
own way to the airport. If you have a later flight, you can have
more time to explore the city and do some more shopping. Transfer
to the airport (15 minutes) and Fly Marrakech to London Gatwick
(Note that most the duty free shops sell items in Euros or
Dollars, although if you do have a few Dirhams left the airport
cafes will serve you drinks for them).
Escorted dates 2008
Wed
21 May – Wed 28 May
Wed
11 June – Wed 18 June
Wed
24 Sept – Wed 1 Oct.
|
