Mount Toubkal
Weather: Incredibly hot in the valleys, tolerable higher around 3000m
Conditions on trail:
Dusty trial,lose scree in places,snow field near summit.
Group member: 6 Adults plus guide
Day 1 -9th August
Bus to Imi Oughlad; climb Tizi n'Tacht Pass (2000m) and descend into the Azaden Valley.
Start a 5 hour walk, climbing up to the Tacht Pass (2000m) and then descending into the Azaden Valley,
Day 2 -10th August
A full day walking through the villages on the northern slope of Mt Toubkal. We travel through Azib Tamsoult and the Irhouliden waterfall before we arrive at refuge Tazagharat, which sits at an impressive 3030m. In the late afternoon i took a hike up to a snowfield to take advantage of some cool shade. The refuge although small has a raised sleeping area, if you ask nicely they may let you bring a mattress down to sleep downstairs. This makes the trip to the outside loo in the night a little less perilous!!
Day 3 - 11th August
Today we crossed the Aguelzim pass (3550m)99 tortous switchbacks!! where we eventually enjoyed panoramic views of the Toubkal Massif. We then descend to Toubkal Base Camp. The busy Neltner refuge, which sits at an altitude of 3207m
Day 4 -12th August
We make an early start for the ascent of Toubkal, climbing steeply through scree before traversing the southern ridge to reach the summit at 4167m. After enjoying the magnificent panoramic views, we descend back to Base Camp.
Day 5 -13th August
Not so short walk to Imlil; and return to Marrakech.
Some tips...
In August it is incredibly hot in the valleys and remains so until you gain height above 2,500m.
The trail is good though dusty. To keep the weight on your feet to a minimum, in my opinion if you have strong ankles not prone to twist, you would be much better off wearing a quality pair of approach shoes or lightweight fabric boots. The ascent of Toubkal in summer is not technically difficult. The view from the summit is pretty impressive, especially looking south towards the infinite expanse of the Northern Sahara.
