berber villages and Mount Toubkal Trek

DAY 1: Marrakech – Imi oughlad – Tizi n'tachte – Tiziane :

Departure from marrakech at 9h00 and drive to arrive at the higher foothills of the western high atlas mountains and our trailhead of imi oughlad (1450m) . here we alight from our vehicle and meet up with berber muleteer crew . We set off up in north-westerly direction for a 2hour acclimatisation hike up switchback mule tracks , passing by cornfields woods pine and juniper to the tiz n'tachete (2000m),where we shallstop to look back down on the imlikl and ait oussaden valleys before carrying on for another half hour to imi n'ifri and our field picnic .thence a slow hike for about 2 and half hours south-west down along a dirt track to assif n' ait oussaden and the red clay terraced village of tiziane ( 1750 m )for our accommodation in our bivouac or gite...

DAY 2:Tizziane Village – Tizi n'taghrhourte 1995m – D'knt Vaalley:

After breakfast we now set off on our hike up along the assif n'ait oussaden valley , passing through the wallnuts groves , up to tizi n'taghrhourte (1995m )and through to a rare almost flat strecth to arrive at assaka spring, where we will stop for our field picnic amidst and awesome silence after some 2 and half hours relatively easy walking .our afternoon's hike takes us down along the edges of the forest untill we reach the berber village of D'knt (1870m) or agouns n Assoul where we will have our dinner and spent the in a bivouac or git.

DAY 3:D'knt Valley – Tizi n'tagdalte 2000m – Azib Tamsoult 2550m :H

we set off for our morning's 3 hours hike up through groves of walnut trees, fields of corn and barley to greet the many sheep and goatherders – and women and children bent over with 20kg loads of faggots and dried herbs. We traverse the tizi n'tagdalte to the descent amongst the juniper trees till we come to a small spring set amongst the trees , where we will stop for our picnic .once refreshed , we are off down winding tracks of upper slopes for some 3hours to come to a small river at the beginning of the valley of assif n'ait oussaden . from here we enter the village of tizi oussem (1850m) then up to the summer village Of Tamsoult for our camp or at the refuge.

DAY 4:Tizi oussem village – Aguelzim pass – Refuge Toubkal 3207m :H

Today involves a fairly stiff climb out of the Azzadene Valley to the Toubkal Refuge over the Aguelzim Mountain pass at 3,560m. Lunch will be taken with spectacular views over the Atlas Mountain Range. Overnight in the Toubkal Refuge (Niltner Hut) where you’ll likely be sharing a bunk room with other trekkers tackling Toubkal early the next morning

DAY 5: Refuge Toubkal - Toubkal Summit 4167m - Imlil - MarrakechH

Up early for the climb up Toubkal (4,167m) from where, clouds allowing, you’ll have wonderful views over the Atlas Range and the Sahara Desert then a long way back down past the refuge and the well-worn path back to Imlil. This is a fairly long day with 8-9 hours of trekking, involving 900m up then almost 2,500m back down to Imlil then transfer buck to Marrakech