This was a superbly paced and adventurous trek guided by the brilliant Hamid who took time to be sure that everyone was well looked after.
The trekking itself was well paced by Hamid with Mustafa supporting. The days preceding the summit day allowed time for beautifully prepared lunches and time to relax (but try to push through to get to Aremd early for a Hammam on day 2). Walking was steady (for me as a regular mountain walker, especially on summit day) but I found poles a real benefit, even though I don't usually use them.
Summit day was a cold start in early May, and paced for the whole group to reach the summit together, so more confident walkers were waiting at times. It's a tough day, with very little level walking and a lot of elevation gain (and of course, decent). It feels very different to any UK fell walking, despite the elevation gains not sounding similar to what we have here.
The unplanned interaction with locals, the Hamam at Aremd, local knowledge of Hamid and Mustafa and superb support team of porters and chef added interest to the trip.
Some of the accommodation was slightly different to advertised, with rooms for 4-5 on one night at Tizi Oussem. Tents and provided camping gear was good quality. The hotel was fine at Marrakech to bookend the trip.
I highly recommend bringing one of the Water to Go (or equivalent) bottles. Water is plentiful in streams or other places on the trek, but must be purchased otherwise, and it seems wasteful to rely on this and create a lot of plastic waste.
I was on the trek with Mike and Jacqui, so check out their reviews too.
