5 Day Combined Toubkal trek and desert trip
5 Day Toubkal desert combined tour
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE TRIP
5 Day Combined Toubkal trek and desert trip: during this combined tour we discover Berber villages, the sublime landscapes of the Atlas with the ascent of North Africa’s highest peak, Toubkal 4167m, and the fascinating world of the desert with its golden dunes. With this combined trek we achieve two goals in one trip: the Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert.
This trip alternates between the Toubkal National Park, named after Mount Toubkal in 1942 as the Kingdom of Morocco’s first national park, and L’erg Chebbi, better known as the Merzouga dunes, one of Morocco’s two great Saharan ergs.
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program of :
Combined Toubkal trek and desert trip
Today, we meet our guide and driver, 1h30 drive to the Imlil village (1800 m), where we meet our team of muleteers and cook, we start our trek in the Ait Mizane valley towards the Toubkal refuge. We stop for lunch at the Chamarouch shrine, which is a place of pilgrimage, before continuing on to the Toubkal refuge, ideally situated at the end of this wild valley. Ascent: + 1400 m; - 50 m Hiking time: 4h00 to 5 hours.
Dinner and overnight at the refuge
Early in the morning, we set off for the ascent of Mont Toubkal; around 3h30 and 940m ascent to the summit, however the views along the way are well worth the effort, that offers a 360° view of the Sahara desert to the south, the Marrakech palm grove to the north, and the Atlantic to the west. After that we return to the refuge for lunch, then head for the village of Aremd, at 1900 m altitude. 9-hour walk. Dinner and overnight at the guesthouse. Altitude difference: + 1000 m; - 2000m
Walking time: 9 hours
At 8:00 am, with our guide and driver, we head south towards Ouarzazate. On the way, we cross the incredible Atlas landscapes over the Tizi n'Tinchka pass, at 2,260 m altitude.
We then descend to the Kasbah d'Ait Ben Haddou, where scenes from Ridley Scott's epic film Gladiator were filmed. We'll have around two and a half hours to explore Morocco's most astonishing walled town and have lunch.
We'll then head for Ouarzazate, where we'll stop for half an hour to take photos of the impressive Kasbah Taourirt.
We'll follow the Thousand Kasbahs Road to the Skoura palm grove, cross the rose Valley and finally reach the fantastic Dades Valley, where we'll spend the night in an authentic kasbah.
After breakfast, we'll head for Boumalen and cross the incredible Todra Gorge, to walk and enjoy the scenery.
We continue on to Merzouga, passing through the Jorf palm groves, home of the best dates, lunching in Tinjdad before reaching Erfoud, a small village known for its fossil fragments.
Once in Merzouga, we leave the vehicle and enter the desert by camel or Quad, in search of the camp where we'll spend the night. Here, in the silence of the desert, we'll enjoy one of the most authentic dinners in Morocco, with live music around the campfire.
If there's one thing you'll never forget in the desert, it's the sunrise. After contemplating this moment, we'll have breakfast at the camp and start the last day.
We'll leave the desert behind us on our way to Marrakech, passing through the Tafilalat palm grove and the village of Rissani, origin of the Alaouite dynasty. We cross the Accacia raddiana plateau and the stony desert to reach Alnif, where we take the road through the Anti-Atlas mountain range, via Tizi N'tfarkhin. We continue through the Draa valley and its kasabhs and ksours.
We'll arrive in Ouarzazate at midday, where we'll stop for lunch and a rest before continuing on to Marrakech, passing through the High Atlas Mountains. We'll be back at your Marrakech hotel by 8:30 pm. End of our 5 Day Toubkal desert combined tour.
■ Private transfer from Marrakech to Imlil
■ Certified Berber mountain guide.
■ 1 night at the Toubkal refuge
■ 1 night in a guest house in Armed
■ All meals included during the Toubkal trek. (Full Board)
■ Mules and staff included.
■ Pick-up in Armed on third day.
■ Private transport: air-conditioned minibus or 4×4.
■ Accommodation: Night of 3rd day in a Dades Valley hotel and night of 4th day in a luxury desert camp.
■ Meals: dinners and breakfasts included.
■ Activities: camel rides, visits to palm groves, gorges, an ancient underground irrigation system, fortified villages, a women’s cooperative, etc.
■ Berber musical evening around a campfire in the desert under the stars.
■ Return to your accommodation in Marrakech. .
■︎ Accommodation in Marrakech
■ The Lunches and drinks during the desert trip.
■ Travel insurance.
■ Tips and personal expenses.
This program of toubkal desert combined tour may suffer some variation at the discretion of the guide depending on the weather conditions, the physical / technical conditions of the participants or for any unforeseen event that may be detrimental to the safety of the group and the proper development of the program. You have to accept the guide's decisions on matters of organization, logistics and security. Any extra expenses for accommodation, meals, transportation and others as a consequence of this variation, will be borne by the participants. .