Morocco
We decided to go to Morocco for the Eid holiday, booked our flights and a rental car and that was all the preparation we did. Jon found an old Moroccan guide book in our friend Jerome’s book case, and started reading it on the flight there. Despite our lack of research, we had a great time in Morocco and managed to see a few beautiful spots of this large country.
The highlight of our trip was hiking up Mt Toubkal, although due to our lack of preparation we ended up having to rent some of the gear we needed. As we departed Marrakech, where we wandered the souq and ate delicious tagines, we contacted a trekking company and arranged to meet in the rental gear shop next to the pharmacy in Imlil. Imlil is the gateway to Mt Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains.
our first tagine in Marrakech, it was delicious
the souq in Marrakech
we love these little shops
We borrowed hiking poles, thick gloves, sleeping bags, crampons, and Jon added boots as well. Half an hour later we were on our way. The hike up was easy, the trail good and we only had one minor panic moment when Hassan (our guide) asked us after a few hours of hiking if we had brought our passports for the police check. No, we hadn’t as nobody had mentioned this. Oops. Luckily we were allowed to use digital copies of our passports so Jude quickly downloaded them on her phone and took a screenshot. We were good to continue.
Jude in the gear shop in Imlil as we didn’t plan to go for a hike at altitude…
Jon and Jude at the start of the hike up Mt Toubkal, look at the different alphabets used!
Two hours after leaving Imlil we reached our lunch spot. There are several makeshift restaurants near a small shrine, and we enjoyed another excellent tagine. It was only another short two hours later when we reached the refuge. It was huge, reminding us of our time hiking in the Pyrenees with Marty. We were lucky it was Eid when we arrived, as the refuge was only half full. And our luck continued that night with not a single snorer in the room (rooms sleep about 30, it was about half-full), so we actually got some sleep.
Jon and Jude having lunch at a small restaurant halfway up on the first day
many yellow-billed choughs flying around on the way to the top of Mt Toubkal
Jude in the valley on the way to Mt Toubkal, a very easy trail
Jude in front of the moutain refuge, we would spend the night here in a huge dormitory
In the morning we let everyone get up and away first. We didn’t want to start our hike at 3.30 or even 4.30 and hike up in the dark. We preferred to start later, especially as the estimates to get to the top is only between 3-4 hours, to get back to the refuge 2-3 hours, and back to Imlil another 3 hours. So at 5am we rolled out of bed in an empty dormitory. We had a leisurely breakfast and were ready at 6. Hassan was ready at 6.15 and suggested we put on our crampons. We decided to wait until they were necessary, but they never were.
Jon hiking towards the peak of Mt Toubkal early in the morning
Jude and Hassan (our guide) have reached the snow but no crampons needed as it is very soft
The path through the ice was soft and we could easily hike up without crampons. It wasn’t long before we overtook the first people trudging up. And we continued to overtake most on the way to the top. The last section was exposed to the wind and bitterly cold. We were very happy with the thick gloves and hiking poles. At the top we found shelter, took photos and enjoyed the views and sunshine.
soon we reach the first groups that started in the middle of the night
Jude near the top of Mt Toubkal
The peak of Mt Toubkal stands at 4,167m and is not only Morocco’s highest, but also the tallest mountain in North Africa and in the Arab world according to Wikipedia. The views were stunning and if you walked to the edge you could even see where we had started, the small village of Imlil in the valley below. We would be back there later that day.
Jon and Jude on the top of Mt Toubkal
Jude having a snack on top of Mt Toubkal, great views
In the end it only took us 2.5 hours to get to the top, and 1.5 to get back to the refuge. The hiking was easy and no crampons required despite there still being plenty of snow and ice. Back in the refuge we packed our bags and enjoyed a relaxed early lunch before heading down the mountain slowly, looking for birds, with a short stop at the same restaurant for a fresh orange juice. It had been a very enjoyable walk, and it was nice to realise we weren’t that unfit (compared to many others).
Jude on the way down, we are already nearly back at the refuge
Jon hiking down Mt Toubkal, stunning scenery
We only had a week in Morocco and managed to explore two more gorges. Dades Gorge was stunning and much, much better than we anticipated, with hardly any people going beyond the lookout over the ‘monkey fingers’. The hike around Todgha gorge was also lovely. Here we only saw the herder living in the mountains with his goats, after leaving the carpark next to the narrow section of the gorge.
we spot 2 cute mediterranean turtles in a creek when we drive out of Imlil
Jude heading towards Ksar Ait Ben Haddou – an ancient fortified village on the historic caravan route from the Sahara to Marrakech
Mohammed has cooked us some delicious tagines for dinner in his kasbah el Mehdaoui near Ouarzazate that has been turned into a guesthouse
Jon hiking in Dadés gorge, we had the place to ourselves after leaving the lookout
it gets narrow in Dadés gorge in a few places
stunning landscape
Jon and Jude at the end (or start) of the Dadés gorge, we turned around here and walked back on a trail outside the gorge
the view from our guesthouse near Todgha gorge
Jon on a hike near Todgha gorge
It had been a pleasant week in Morocco with excellent food and fun adventures. Jude also managed to spot 17 new birds in Morocco which was a lovely bonus.We understand why it is a popular holiday destination and hope to be back one day to explore some more of this stunning country.