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6days/5nights Ourika valley and
Toubkal summit Trek from 260 Euros per person
DAY 1: MARRAKECH – OURIKA VALLEY
– SETTI FADMA – AGADIR N’AÏT BOULMANE – ISHOUARNE - TIMICHCHI.
Departure from Marrakech at 8 in the morning for a pleasant 2-hour
drive south towards the beautiful, sinuous Ourika Valley, passing
through Souq Tnine de L’Ourika with its Monday souq, passing
through a series of hamlets, lush terraced fields, steep-sided
gorges, palmeraies, groves of apple, orange, olive and peach trees
towards the little riverside village of Setti Fadma, nestling at the
end of this valley, dominated by the stark, overwhelming Jbels of
Tidili (3844m) and n’Tarourt (4001m).
Here we alight from our vehicle to meet up with our mountain guide
and muleteers to strike out upon the far side of the river, through
100-year-old walnut trees for some 30 minutes to visit the six,
sometimes seven cascades. Returning via the first of these
waterfalls, we swing back via Setti Fadma’s twin village of Zaouia
Mohammed to take our picnic in the village. Suitably refreshed, we
now start the serious part of our hike of between 5 and 6 hours
towards the west along the western branch of the valley, the Adrar
n’Oukaïmeden and Jbel Angour in front of us, drawing us like a
magnet past streams flowing from the upper slopes, through the tiny
hillside villages of Isghouarne, Agadir n’Aït Boulmane, Tadrart,
Tiourdiou and Izouggaghene with their cornfields, terraced irrigated
plots and groves of orange and olive trees, to finally arrive at the
village of Timichchi, set amongst ancient walnut trees, where we
shall have our Berber dinner and accommodation for the night in the
home of a Berber family.
DAY 2: TIMICHCHI – IAABASSENE - TACHEDDIRT.
After an early breakfast we start our morning’s superb 2 hour hike
towards the west along well-defined mule trails in the lush upper
valley to the Berber village of Iaabassene (2030m), set beside a
spring. From here we traverse the rocky lower levels of the Tizi n’Tacheddirt
(3200m) of mighty Jbel Angour range (3616m), the stunning panorama
of Adrar n’Ineghmar (3892m), Jbels Bou Iguenouane (3882m) and
Aksouâl (3842m) in all their immense glory before us. We’ll stop for
our field picnic after some 2½ hours incredible hiking before
setting out once more for a further 2 hours down to the terraced
village of pisé homes called Tacheddirt (2291m), set amongst
terraced, irrigated fields clawed out over the centuries from the
surrounding mountainside. Tacheddirt is easily the oldest and
quaintest of all the Berber villages in the Toubkal Massif. Tonight
we’ll relax and enjoy our dinner and accommodation in a Berber Gîte
d’étape set amidst some awesome countryside.
DAY 3: TACHEDDIRT – IMENANE VALLEY – Tamguist – Ikkis – Agersioual -
IMLIL
After breakfast , we set off down the assif imnane valley , passing
throught several berber hamlets and thence up to the tizi n’ageursiwal
(2000m).once through the col we shall now go down more winding mule
tracks leading to the village of aguersiwal (lunch spot ) set off in
river bed of imlil , allow another hour to get up the valley to
imlil . 6 hours walking.
Day .4 : Imlil – Tizi M'zzik 2450m - Aazib Tamsoult
start of a 6 hour trek up via long, winding mule tracks to Tizi Mzik
(2664m) giving an awesome panorama of the Imlil Valley and of Jebel
Toubkal (4167m). From here you descend to Aazib n'Tamsoult (2145m)
for a picnic by a stream. Thence, on up to the Tamsoult Cascade,
also known as the Irhoulidene Cascade (2200m) and return down for
dinner and overnight in a basic refuge.
DAY 5: ÂAZIB TAMSOULT -TIZI AGUELZIM - TOUBKAL REFUGE.
After breakfast, we now set out eastwards on a moderately difficult
hike up winding mule tracks to the Tizi Aguelzim (3104m) with our
picnic taken en route, thence a further 3 hours south-east to the
Toubkal (ex Neltner) Refuge which marks the spring snowline at
3207m, where we shall have our dinner the Caf Refuge.
DAY 6: TOUBKAL REFUGE - SUMMIT JBEL TOUBKAL- SIDI CHAMHAROUCH -
AREMD – IMLIL - Marrakech
Early this morning we make our attempt on the summit of Jebel
Toukbal, the
highest peak in Northern Africa. Our route takes us up the south
cirque,
crossing the stream above the refuge and then heading across one of
the
mountains numerous scree fields, where we will have to negotiable a
seemingly
endless carpet of boulders and rocks. The walking is relatively
straightforward,
but the scree and the altitude will make the going quite difficult
in parts,
however, the views along the way make the journey more than
worthwhile. Cresting
the ridgeline we find ourselves on the plateau, from where it is a
short walk to
the summit From here there are unrestricted views in every
direction, from
the Marrakesh Plain to the High Atlas in the north and as far south
as the
Anti-Atlas and the Sahara. After taking enough pictures and had some
food we then turn back to the hut for lunch then head back towards
Imlil where we will meet with the car prior to drive back to
Marrakech
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