Winter Toubkal and Ouanakrim Climb (Experienced)

For experienced winter trekker’s only. Climb North Africa’s two highest mountains with a local guiding team. Toubkal is Morocco’s highest mountain and the highest peak in North Africa. In the winter months the ascent route sits under a permanent blanket of snow, making for a fantastic winter trek.

Note: If you do not have any prior experience with crampons or ice axes, we recommend a lovely alternative trek at lower altitude in the valleys and villages surrounding Toubkal

Toubkal National Park plays host to several peaks over 4,000m and is the perfect winter playground for trekkers with stunning scenery, reliable snow cover, great food and often great weather. With a cheap ticket from Ryanair or Easyjet to Marrakech, you are only an hour and a half’s drive from the mountains around the trailhead at Imlil.

The trek attempts the two highest peaks in North Africa, Toubkal and the twin peaks of Ouanoukrim, both stunning climbs in their own right. After a 6 hour walk from the trailhead at Imlil to the Toubkal refuge on the first night your first day is spent tackling the twin peaks of Ouanoukrim. The climb affords stunning views of Toubkal and the surrounding range. The next day, you’ll tackle Toubkal. Toubkal is a 7-8 hour round trip from the refuge. On the final day, you’ll head back down to Imlil and transfer back to Marrakech.

This trek is only for those with good prior experience using crampons and ice axes who accept the risks associated with this kind of winter mountain activity.

The local guide will have completed a six month training school in Tabant with the Royal Moroccan Federation of skiing and mountaineering. This training is a pre-requisite qualification for any Mountain or desert guide in Morocco and qualifies the holder to lead treks anywhere in Morocco (at any time of year). The qualification is the equivalent to the British Mountain Leader summer scheme and whilst it does include a qualification for rope work and some training in snow techniques, it is not equivalent to the British Winter Mountain Leader qualification or the International Mountain Leader qualification.
(For those unsure of your experience we also offer this trek through a team of experienced International Mountain Leaders with similar levels of liability insurance and qualifications that you would expect of an operator in the UK. Necessarily this alternative option is correspondingly more expensive. See LINK)

• Option 1: 5 Day Winter Toubkal Ascent

  PLEASE NOTE: ONLY RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCED USING CRAMPONS AND ICE AXES

  Day 1: Marrakech Airport - Imlil
  Day 2: Imlil - Toubkal Refuge
  Day 3: Toubkal Refuge - Ouanakrim Peaks (4,089m)
  Day 4: Toubkal Refuge - Toubkal (4,167m)
  Day 5: Toubkal Refuge - Marrakech

  Day 1: You'll be picked up from the airport (to meet your flight) and transferred out to the mountaints. Overnight in a comfortable Imlil guesthouse.

  Day 2: Trek Imlil to Toubkal Refuge via Aremd & the Mizane Valley
  You’ll head along the Mizane Valley towards Aremd village and the shrine of Sidi Chamarouch. Then it’s onwards and upwards to the Toubkal Refuge – your stop for the night. Overall, you’ll have walked for four to five hours.

  Day 3: Climb the twin peaks of Ouanakrim
  The 2nd & 3rd highest peaks (Ouanoukrim twins 4089m) in the High Atlas lie at the head of the Mizane valley and provide a fantastic trek with excellent views of Toubkal. Today you'll aim for both summits arriving back to the refuge in time for lunch. This is a good way to acclimatise to the altitude and get used to the conditions.

  Day 4: Trek to summit of Jebel Toubkal and return to Imlil and Marrakech
  Today starts early with an attempt to climb up to the summit of Jebel Toubkal – the highest peak in northern Africa. The walking is relatively straightforward but occasionally difficult in places – however the views are worth it – you’ll be able to see across the Marrakech Plain to the High Atlas Mountains in the north and the Anti Atlas mountains and the Sahara in the south. You’ll retrace your footsteps back down the mountain to the refuge.

  Day 5: After breakfast in the refuge, you'll head down the valley back to Imlil where you'll meet your vehicle and be transferred back to Marrakech.

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