Toubkal Climb

What an amazing and accessible holiday—easy flight, no time difference, and very affordable. The Kennedy Hotel was comfortable, with a lovely pool and a great massage service. A few members of the group had minor niggles during the stay, but everything was sorted. It was conveniently located for both the airport and the old town, and Jardin Majorelle was within walking distance too. As a solo traveller, I felt completely comfortable exploring on my own, even in the evenings. The walking itself was stunning. The first three days took us through valleys and over passes on the way to base camp, and at the beginning of June the landscape still felt wonderfully fresh, with flowers and butterflies everywhere. We often walked in the cool shade of orchards filled with apples, walnuts and cherries just right for picking. Along the way we stopped for tea, freshly squeezed orange juice and picnic lunches. It was spectacular —snow-covered peaks, fresh green passes, yellow mountainsides full of flowers, and colourful stripes of rock and soil running across the mountains. The supporting team were great. Hicham, our guide, was generous, attentive and knowledgeable, and he made the holiday more than I had expected. Omar’s food was fantastic—plentiful and included a birthday cake. Our porters and their mules joined us on the third day, after Eid, and kept everything running smoothly. Then came summit day. We started at 4am, with a short walk to the refuge in the dark for final preparations before setting off uphill. It was a tough beginning, crossing scree and snow, with a line of head torches ahead of us and the nearly full moon lighting snow pockets in the peaks. The hike up great but was demanding and needed concentration. Stopping to look back was just stunning the path winding through the valley, hemmed in by the dramatic mountains. The rocks were incredible—every colour imaginable and patterned with fossil. Nearing the top, the views opened out to mountain ranges stretching as far as I could see. The final scramble and snow bridge to the summit were exciting and then sheer drops with diving crows, endless mountains in one direction and flat plains in the other. The descent was steady, with a few slips into the softer snow, but all part of the adventure. A finals day walk retraced out steps away from Toubkal then dropped us right into bottom of the valley along the river. Our group was small—just five of us and we all made it to the top together. It included an inspiring couple celebrating a 70th birthday on their first hiking trip! Loved this trip and still buzzing from being in the mountains!!

Hicham our guide was simply excellent. The tour allowed us to learn about our he culture of the berbers and Morocco as well as some amazing walking.

The trip was well described so we knew what to expect, the local guides were knowledgeable and were able to accomidate the range of abilities of the group. Beware that the description, "basic Berber village house" is an accurate one!

This was a very well organised trip with a group of 11 lovely walkers. We spent 3 days walking in the high Atlas mountains acclimitizing to the altitude prior to the final push to the top. Unfortunately the weather changed with 65 mph winds and sleet/snow showers and our attempt to summit Toukbal was cancelled. We were disappointed but all agreed this was the correct decision. Accommodation and facilities were basic as expected in the mountains but acceptable. We had a great gang of supporters: muleteers, chef and of course mules to support us all the way. I will never forget those delicious picnic lunches in the company of a great group and surrounded by the spectacular scenery of the High Atlas.

Loved the whole experience although it was a challenge to me. Was v grateful for the patience of the 2nd guide with me, the slow one always last. Impressed by the standard of meals in spite of v basic facilities. Also impressed that the flimsy looking tents at base camp actually kept us warm and withstood a significant storm. They were v good. I would have liked an even slower pace to allow time not just to recover breath, but to appreciate the views and take photos more frequently. I was sorry for the others’ disappointment that the summit could not be attempted due to dangerous wind conditions, but I was satisfied to have made it to base camp. We were grateful to Explore for flexibility that was required to accommodate us in Aremnd due to a necessary early descent (because of the poor weather). That last place was the nicest. Omar was an excellent guide. Both he and Jamal had a great sense of humour, they did their job well, usually there was v good communication at every stage, and they were totally accountable with the tips. The first night in Hotel Kennedy was not v promising, as the toilet was broken, initially there were no towels or soaps and the room just a bit dowdy, so we were pleasantly surprised that the rest of the expedition met all expectations and upon our return, the room we had was significantly nicer. We were glad we had booked 2 extra nights.