Mt. Toubkal hike in Morocco

 

(Translated mostly by Google)

Mt. Toubkal or locally Jebel Toubkal is located in the Atlas Mountains, a couple of hours' drive from Marrakesh, where my incoming flight was via Amsterdam. KLM had finally got a bag drop counter in Helsinki (of course, I've flown so little in recent years that it must have been there for a while) and things worked much smoother in the morning than a few years ago, when my baggage was stuck in Helsinki due to the slowness of check-in. This time, a slight uncertainty was caused by the ground handling strike that fell on Friday, so I had packed pretty much everything possible in my hand luggage. I also tried the so-called Priority Lounge services for the first time, which credit card companies have been offering in increasing numbers in recent years. In Helsinki, things worked well, but in Amsterdam the volume was so much higher that the lounge was practically completely clogged the whole time I was waiting for my flight to Marrakesh. Therefore, I would say that at least in any larger airports, the value of this membership needs to be re-evaluated. All connections were on time, the service was as expected, and so was the transportation to the hotel in Morocco, where I arrived shortly before 6pm. From there, I immediately went to the group meeting (11 people) and then to the local Chez Ouassan for dinner.

The first actual day of the hike took us first by bus from Marrakesh, about an hour away, to Imi Oughlad, where we picked up our backpacks and started the approximately 13km/4.5h hike to Tizi Oussem. The hike started at an altitude of about 1300m and first climbed about 700m and descended then back to about 1700m, where we spent the night in a modest guesthouse. The first half of the hike was especially enjoyable, progressing through the lush, rural landscapes of the mountains. Lunch was enjoyed at pretty much the highest point of the day's route, where the strong wind also caused some difficulties with things flying around. The second half of the day's route was mostly on the road, so it wasn't a special experience in itself.

There is always time for tea in Morocco!

As for logistics, most of the stuff are transported here by mules, except for daypacks. Bottled water is also brought from the villages for the needs of the hikers. The Tizi Oussem guesthouse had shared rooms, toilets and showers, and for a small additional fee, a hammam-style steam room. The night was quite warm and the sounds of the animals were also very present.

The second day took us from Tizi Oussem to Aremd, first heading south and then northeast, a total of about 15km/6.5h. The first 4.5h hours slowly climbed to about 2500 meters and then the last couple of hours we finally descended to about 2000 meters for the night. The landscapes were varied, but beautiful – green mountain valleys and more rugged steep slopes covered in red gravel, low vegetation and rocks. The Aremd guesthouse was significantly cooler than our previous accommodation – the style of accommodation was the same, of course. For some reason, we had to wait until around 2:30 for lunch, when the start was already at 08:30. I don’t know why lunch couldn’t have been had at least an hour, even two hours earlier.

Tizi Oussem guesthouse

As for meals, lunches and dinners were sufficient, but breakfasts were invariably too light for my taste compared to the day’s activities. In practice, the only thing available in the morning was bread, sugary spreads and an egg or two. It was the same in Crete, but there you could also buy bacon or eggs from the guesthouses – here the only option was to supplement your breakfast with protein bars, for example.

On the third day, we turned back south and climbed steadily up about 1200m to Toubkal base camp at 3200m, where we camped for the next couple of nights. At the beginning of the day, we first checked in to Toubkal National Park and climbed the trail in the shadow of the mountains for about a couple of hours and 400m to a small village, where we enjoyed a break for fresh orange juice before continuing in the hot sun all the way to base camp. After lunch, part of our group went on a voluntary hike to a viewpoint in the afternoon, which turned out to be some kind of miscalculation on the part of the guide, as this little hike took almost 4.5 hours and climbed to somewhere around 3600 meters. Fortunately, I didn't go along.

Registering the group at the park entrance

The next morning, we got up early only to find that most of the groups were already on the slope. A group of Moroccan army recruits were also leaving with us at the same time, so the climb to Toubkal was quite crowded. The climb was about 4km/1000m and it took about four hours. The first couple of hours in complete darkness and then with the sun giving its first rays to the wall that rose behind us. We reached the summit with the first members of the group at around 08:30 and the others followed in about an hour. The hoopla at the summit was at an incredible level, as a pack of army recruits took selfies around the summit triangle. I walked around the peak myself, taking pictures of the scenery in different directions, before we set off to try to get our own group photo at the top, which we eventually got. After that, it was time to head downhill with a few photo stops. I pretty much descended independently, as the group’s pace was too slow for my taste. I was finally at camp about 1.5 hours after leaving the peak, and the others arrived at base camp 1-1.5 hours later.

Mt. Toubkal basecamp view

We enjoyed our last day in the mountains in a good, positive spirit – everyone had made it to the summit and back to camp without any major problems.

Our positive group at the summit of Mt. Toubkal

The last day of hiking then included a 12km/4.5h descent to Imlil, about 1400m below, where we enjoyed a delicious restaurant lunch before jumping back on the bus to Marrakesh. The route was largely the same as on the third day of the trip, of course, with the difference that the direction of travel was the opposite and we descended from Armed to Imlil in the shade of walnut trees. Descending is harder on the muscles and joints than climbing up, and I was starting to feel it in my own heels. In general, however, the hike went pretty smoothly, except for a couple of minor sunburns and blisters. The spirit of our group was really positive, and no one made a big deal out of any potential problems – otherwise, the team spirit was good and that's why it was enjoyable to travel in this group. The landscapes of Toubkal were beautiful, the weather was favorable, and the hike was great anyway – thank you & see you again Morocco!