dossier

Morocco The Atlas Mountains

Travel Information

Season: Allyear (but with provisions - see below*)

*During the winter months of January/February, youcan expect snow on higher ground, but it normally stays clear in the valleyswhere most of the walking takes place. Thus this time of year should beconsidered by the more experienced walkers, used to winter walking (without iceaxes). During the months of July - August temperatures can soar up to 35C (96F)at Oukaimedene and even into the 40s (100F) in Marrakech. So people who do notparticularly like the heat may want to avoid those months. It is possible toadapt and avoid the worst of the sun and heat by starting early and having along siesta over lunch, although on occasion you will have already reached theday's destination by lunchtime.

Arrival:The start of the tour is in the ancient red city of Marrakech. You can also geta train from Tangiers to Casablanca and then on to Marrakech (the MarrakechExpress of Crosby, Stills and Nash fame!). From The airport 15 - 20 minutestaxi to the first hotel, centrally located.

End of Tour:After breakfast on Day: 8. Taxi to airport. (15 - 20 mins).

Level of Difficulty
The tour, although not particularlychallenging, is designed for people with an adventurous outlook, who can copewith a much different environment to their normal walking haunts, and henceshould appeal to the more experienced walker, who can cope with the general"differences" of traveling in a "developing country,"however one may define it.

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Fitness: Wegraded the tour as Easy - Moderate; i.e. it is harder than 'Easy' with somestrenuous sections. Most of the walking is of a more moderate nature. A lot ofthe paths are gravel or dusty. There are various options on some days and thewalk should present no difficulties for anyone in reasonable condition andaccustomed to walking in hilly areas. As previously mentioned, winterdepartures involving snow are potentially more difficult. We do not anticipatethat in normal conditions, however, this will interfere with the route too muchas there has been less snow year after year due no doubt to “Global Warming”.

Day Stages: Inthe region of 10 - 15 km (6 – 9 mi)  perday, with ascents and descents. Max altitude is 3100m. 2 - 6 hours walking perday (various options on some days).

Waymarks: Thereis no traditional waymarking on this route; it is a walk that we have createdourselves, not part of an organized trail although "The Way" hasexisted for years connecting up various villages and fields. Armed with yourwalking notes and Berber 'friend' you should not have major difficulties!

Please note that although this is a self guidedtour, you will be accompanied by a Berber "minder" or accompagnateur/ Muleteer. He does not have to help you with navigation etc. but is there justin case of difficulties and to move the mule that will actually be carryingyour baggage over the walking sections of the holiday i.e. there is no vehiclesupport once out on the trek. He probably will know only a little English; abit more French and of course Berber will be his first language. However youwill find the Berber indispensable and will be a great help with regards toyour navigation.

How the tour runs
Our "self guided tour" has been running for five years now andpeople who have gone have enthused about it! From being transported fromMarrakech by car to the Haute Atlas villages you soon meet your"crew": The donkey carries your kit to the next accommodation while theBerber will make sure that you do not go too far astray. However youcommunicate with him, we are sure that you will get on well together and thatyou will learn quite a lot about the Berber way of life – Just talking aboutthe wedding ceremony can fill an evening! He will also prepare your lunches onthe trek and will help you get into your accommodations. You should bring alightweight 1-2 season sleeping bag in Summer and a 3-4 season in winter.  This is for: 1) staying at refuges and 2) Onoccasion you may wish to sleep out on rooftops or verandahs. This isparticularly popular at our Aremd hotel during the summer, where there areseveral roof terraces and the stars on most nights are phenomenal!

Accommodation
The range of accommodation varies betweena well-appointed Riad in Marrakech and a Gite in Timichi. The rooms inMarrakech have en-suite facilities. There is no other opportunity for en suiterooms on this tour.  Basic Giteaccommodation in Morocco is more basic than what you would associate in countriessuch as France.  Warm water is usuallynot available and a sleeping bag (1-2 season for summer & 3+ season forwinter) should be brought.

The tour ison a half board basis throughout: Excepton the first and the last nights where you can eat out where you like inMarrakech.

Picnic Lunches: While on trek there are few stores to buy items for lunch.For this reason packed lunches are prepared by your Berber minder while you areon trek (i.e. not in Marrakech). You will be charged approx the equivalent of $8per packed lunch per person. Bear in mind that local stores do not carry therange of snack produce you would expect from those within France and Britainetc.

Please Note: The itinerary suggested below may be modified dependingupon progress and local conditions e.g. snow. Although this is part of our"self guided " program - with all the usual features, (e.g: baggagetransfers, going at your own pace; having a map and a route note package etc.)in effect however you will be escorted by a Berber guide, oh and by his trustymule as well! You can have extra nights anywhere on the trail if you like, orin Marrakech – a flamboyant African city with magnificent craft souks. The costof the tour will just be adjusted accordingly in this case.

Nights 1 &7: You will commence with our beautiful, small "nonbackpacker set" Riad set in a quiet ancient quarter of the Medina inMarrakech. It is approached through narrow streets and the hotel is refinedwith typical Moorish architecture, giving you the chance to sample by day andnight the delights of the Djemaa E'Fna just a few minutes walk away in thisfabled city. Each of the six rooms have their own bath rooms. There is acentral courtyard with fountains shaded by orange trees and from the roofterrace there is a wonderful view over the city and to the haute Atlas,especially on a clear winter's day. English is spoken. This is our preferredhotel; on occasion we have had to substitute another hotel for one of thesenights if it is booked out, but we aim to book one of a similar standardnearby.

Nights 2 &3: In Aroumd (Aremd) village at the foot of the Jebel Toubkalmassif, the hotel is the peaceful residence of Monsieur Lahcen, where a Berberwelcome awaits you. Here, on the threshold of the Atlas, we are in his newwell-appointed small hotel below the brown and emerald terraces of this town,for two nights. T here is a nice terrace restaurant and roof terraces fromwhere you can look up the valley to Mt. Toubkal towering above you. Some preferto sleep out on the terrace looking at the stars on a summer's night. The roomsare simple, non en-suite, but furnishings and bathrooms are clean. If you wantmore than just a shower, why not inquire about the Hamman –Moroccan steam bathin the village? Someone from the staff will take you there.

Night 4: AtTacheddirt we stay in a basic Berber run refuge. Conditions are very simple andbasic (especially in the washing department). You will need sleeping bags forthe night, as you normally will not be provided with blankets. Lightweight 1-2season bags should be fine for most of the year and 2-3 season bags for thewinter months.

Night 5: AtOukaimedene in contrast tonight you will stay either at a small pleasant Berberhotel as you come into the village, or a Club Alpine Francais Mountain Gite;the latter is run by a French couple who escaped here from Paris many yearsago. Both places have a License and thus serve alcohol, nice restaurants andwarm showers.

Night 6: Trekover to a more basic Gite d’Etape at Timichi.

Escorted Departures
Not available for this particular tour.

What's Included
7 nights accommodation, transfers betweenairport and first hotel at the beginning and back to the airport at the end.Road transfers between Marrakech - Aroumd and Setti Fadma - Marrakech, baggagetransfers between the hotels by car and mule. B&B accommodation only inMarrakech (2 nights), half board elsewhere. Route notes and basic maps alsoprovided. You will also have a Berber with you. He is merely for yourconvenience, security and for ‘driving’ the mule carrying your baggage andfixing your lunch! Land only clients begin from the first hotel and depart fromthere on the last day.

Not Included: Meals in Marrakech, otherthan breakfasts. Picnic or packed lunches are not included in the tour price(except at Oukaimedene where the lunch is included), but will normally beprovided on the trekking days by your Berber companion at a cot of approx. $8 perlunch per person (Please pay Mon. Lahcen in advance). You do need to take withyou a light weight sleeping bag: (1-2 season generally and 2-3 season forwinter months) for the Gites en route and if you like on occasion, to sleep outunder the stars on hotel verandas etc. it can be warm at night! Once you areout on trek then a well-trained mule carries your baggage, including sleepingbags for you. – Please supply a robust hold-all for your gear that can becarried by the mule; a suitcase is not really appropriate!  You do need to carry your own daypack etc.including things that you need for the day out on the trail and any valuables.

Tipping
We do recommend that you tip  your muleteer guide: and we don’t mean off acliff either! This is totally discretionary but would recommend something like $4  per person, per day. Oh and if you have anyold Tee shirts…

Singles
This self-guided tour is not available tosingles (Minimum of 2 people only). For singles, we recommend our Moroccan escorted tours (JbelToubkal, Jbel Sahro or Mgoun Massif) !