Getting to Morocco
Outside the airport (there is only one exit) look for your driver who will be holding a card with a familiar name. Our driver was Idris and was holding a card clearly saying ‘Alan Ward’. It is a good idea to have some water for the nearly 2 hour drive up to the Kasbah du Toubkal, winding up and up into the Atlas Mountains but your driver will stop and purchase some if you’ve been unable to get some. Some of the road surfaces are very rough and bumpy but on the whole it is an interesting and scenic drive. There were 4 of us in the taxi and each tipped our driver 50 MAD (approx.. £5) total 200 MAD on arrival in Imlil. Here we waited at the Kasbah office for our mules and muleteers to take us and our kit bags up to the Kasbah. It is about a 30min walk on a rough path (would advise trainers or equivalent ie not flipflops) Money and Tipping
Accommodation - The Kasbah du ToubkalFood and DrinksWhile at the Kasbah this is what you will be typically served. There is no menu, so relax and immerse yourself in the culture. Breakfast: Sweetened yoghurt with honey or Amlou (a ground almond, honey and argon oil paste), dried fruit to mix in. Fresh bread Boiled eggs Pancakes Lunch/Dinner: Soup Tagine of any kind (usually with prunes, figs and apricots) with a vegetable tagine too, salad, rice or cous cous, bread. Freshly prepared fruit Drinks – you cannot purchase alcohol but you can drink it if you have brought it with you. I decided to take the opportunity not to drink any alcohol while on my stay in Morocco. Drinking water is always brought to the table. A jug is provided in your room to fill up from the tap outside which supplies filtered drinking water. You use this tap to fill your hydration systems and water containers. Food on the moveIf you need snacks often like me – bring your own, that’s essential and it‘s good manners to share with your guide so bring some for him/her too. As far as lunch goes, you are in for a surprise, you wouldn’t believe what they cook for you up in the mountains – a picnic like you’ve never had before! Bottled water is supplied at lunch time and Berber tea of course. Terrain of the Walking Routes
Making purchases at the local stallsIn the village of Imlil, the Oued Rheraya valley and the route up to the Mouflons Lodge are stalls selling typical Moroccan wares eg tagines, rugs, jewellery, and argon oil. Many of the stall holder will tell you that they live in the community and are part of the co-operatives but it's wise to ask your guide for advice on which stalls are genuine and really do support the community. We had time to visit a stall that had been recommended - it was a great experience, ran by a very entertaining stall holder. They expect you to bargain with them so don't accept the first price. I couldn't resist a tea pot! NB - there is a huge variety of gifts and items to spend your money on at the airport in Marrakesh but it's all very expensive and most of the shops only takes Euros, so get rid of your spare cash in Imlil!! Jbel Toubkal (4167m)Our guide sorted out our visas for the Aroumd checkpoint in the valley base (copies of our passports) and we set off from the Kasbah, after a filling breakfast, at 0900. The route takes you up the Oued Rheraya valley, then at Sidi Chamharouch - a welcomed tea stop (approx. 2300m) and then at Azib Taouount - lunch (approx. 2700m). We felt very smug that Alan Ward had arranged a two night stop for us at Les Mouflon Lodge (3100m). This meant that we started our summit day at 0700 and returned to the lodge at 1500 to relax. Most summit treks start at 0300 and trekkers return to Imlil on the same day. The day that we set out for the summit, the clocks had changed – apparently there had been chaos at the early start as some people were aware of the time change, but some weren’t, some people’s phones had changed automatically and some hadn’t. We had arranged with our guide to stick to the old time until Monday morning. At Les Mouflons Lodge the electricity is on a timer, something like 1900 -2130 depending on the time of year so a head torch is essential. The food is unbelievably good, so long as you feel well enough to eat it. There was snow at the lodge so we packed our crampons (for the descent). The sun was very warm and there was very little wind, lucky in this respect. The trek up is a slow plod, but you really couldn’t walk any faster, it’s all up, steep and the air is thin. Time is limited at the top (4167m) to about 20-30 mins because of the high altitude, enough time to absorb the fantastic views of the Atlas Mountains and to take a few photos of course. The warm sun made the snow very slippery on the way down but we had exciting and varied terrain, it was great fun. Arriving back at the high lodge Les Mouflons, 8 hours later, we could relax and rest before dinner. Once the mules were ready the next day we made an early start and headed back down the valley. As the sun got hotter the dust in the air made views very hazy so we had happened to get the timing perfect on our summit day. On reaching the valley base the muleteer and cook tethered the mules and relieved them of the heavy load and then set up their mountain kitchen, producing yet another fabulous meal and Berber tea. We weren’t going to see Mohamad and Youssef after this so we tipped them 500MAD each and Abdul 1000MAD. What I’d bring next time in additional to what I had More buffs Trainers – I only brought sandals and walking boots A lot more socks Another pair of walking trousers Envelopes for tips (thankfully one of us had some this time) More Imodium – there are only 6 tabs in a pack and if you are inconvenienced in that way, 6 don’t go very far. Business cards What's nextAlan Ward and I will be at the Kasbah in January 2023, as volunteers, training local mountain guides. I will be here in February 2023 with Bryn Walking for Women - ‘Trekking in Style’ and I’m planning a trip for May 2023 too. These two treks, although not summiting Toubkal, are more interesting and varied - from the Kasbah we trek over to a lodge in a remote village in a neighbouring valley (for 2 nights) having a day there to trek up the valley to some beautiful cascades. THE END
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