Itinerary Details
MT Sobek: Morocco High Atlas Mountain Trekking
Day 1 Arrive in Marrakech, Morocco’s Red City
30-minute private van transfer
Welcome to Morocco! Arrive in Marrakech this morning and meet your MT Sobek representative at the airport. After transferring to the hotel, enjoy lunch and a trip briefing with the group. This afternoon, you'll set out on a guided walking tour of the medina, the mesmerizing "old town" of Marrakech. Wander its labyrinthine streets and alleyways, visiting souks selling Moroccan lanterns, Berber carpets, ceramics, and other local crafts. Also visit the Bahia Palace, a beautiful vizier's palace decorated with intricate stucco work, mosaics, and courtyard fountains. Tonight, savor a welcome dinner with your trip leader at a restaurant in the medina, and enjoy the famed buzz of Djemaa El Fna square, with its snake charmers and fire-eaters.
Accommodation: Riad Dar Justo
(L, D)
Day 2 Discover Telouet, Ait Benhaddou & Skoura
6-hour private van transfer
Scenic drive
After an early breakfast, set out for a scenic drive over the dramatic passes of the High Atlas Mountains, rising above a landscape of oases, pastures, poplar groves, and fairy-tale villages. Stop to visit the mud-brick Telouet Kasbah, also known as the Palace of Glaoui. Once the seat of a powerful Berber prince, it's a must-stop on today's journey. Continue on to Ksar Ait Benhaddou. Marvel at this UNESCO World Heritage Site with its earthen houses stacked one on top of the other, protected by a defensive wall, and learn about Berber culture. Drive through the city of Ouarzazate, known as "the door of the desert," and continue eastward through the Dades Valley to Skoura, where you'll spend the night.
Accommodation: Ksar Ait Ben Damiette
(B, L, D)
Day 3 Explore the Dades Valley & Hike M’Goun River Trails
2.5-hour private van transfer
3.5 hours/6 miles hiking with 660' elevation gain
Start the day with a warm-up walk in the lush Skoura oasis with its giant kasbahs, then drive to the Roses Valley and ascend through the foothills of the middle Atlas. Arrive in Tiranimine, where your pack mules await and your hike begins! Set off on river trails toward the gorges of Wadi M'Goun. You will be walking in the water of the M'Goun River for about 30% of the journey from Tiranimine to Tarzout. Camp near Tarzout village (6,235').
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp – High Atlas Mountains
(B, L, D)
Day 4 Hike the Ouzirimt Valley
5.5 - 6 hours/9 miles hiking with 1,000' elevation gain
Spend the day hiking through spectacular gorges that separate high ridges and escarpments of M'Goun massif. Walk in the water for about 2 hours, winding along the narrowing gorges on the riverbed, taking in colorful sandstone and limestone formations that punctuate this dramatic landscape, and undertake several river crossings. Ascend 985 feet, leaving the gorges, and set up camp where the valley widens, near Id Aissa (7,300').
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp – High Atlas Mountains
(B, L, D)
Day 5 Hike to Tighremt n'Ait Ahmed & Oulilimt Valley
4.5-5 hours/7 miles hiking with 1300' elevation gain
Head out on another day-long hike downstream along the river in the remote Ouzirimt Valley. Walking on narrow donkey paths, pass through picturesque clay villages and verdant fields. Reach Tighremt n'Ait Ahmed, ruins of an ancient granary formerly used as a stop for desert caravans. Some rocky peaks dot the bottom of the valley dominated to the south by the M'Goun mountain chain. Camp in the Oulilimt Valley tonight.
(B, L, D)
Day 6 Ascend to Mt. M’Goun Base Camp
4.5-5 hours/7.5 miles hiking with 984' elevation gain and 328’ elevation loss
Leave the villages behind and set out today on a hiking path along the river, ascending up toward base camp. The landscape changes from sheepfolds to a mountain landscape with a small trail used by goats, sheep, herders, and the rare few hikers that come this way. The river gradually turns into a mountain stream and you'll camp near the source of the M'Goun River at the foot of Mt. M'Goun (9,350').
(B, L, D)
Day 7 Summit Mount M'Goun
8-9 hours/10-12 miles hiking with elevation gain of 4,000’ and elevation loss of 5,400’
Set out in the very early morning hours to start the (optional) hike to the peak of Mount M'Goun. The second-highest mountain in Morocco (13,356'), it offers a spectacular trek for seasoned hikers. This is the trip's biggest climb and longest trek. After reaching the summit, return down the same path to the upper M'Goun Valley and down along two mountain passes with breathtaking views of the mountain range. Descend towards the headwaters of the Arous River to the camp below Oumsoud Pass.
(B, L, D)
Day 8 Wrap Up the Trek & Return to Marrakech
3.5-4-hour private van transfer
4-4.5 hours/9 miles hiking with 800' elevation gain and 4900' loss
This morning head out for the last portion of the trek, up Tizi Tinourine pass and Izi Azdremt pass. After the second pass it's a long descent to the sheepfolds of Ikkis shepherd huts and the Arous riverbed. Have a quick picnic lunch before continuing into the Ait Bougmez Valley. Finish the trek here and board the vehicle for the transfer back to Marrakech. Enjoy a farewell dinner and overnight in Marrakech.
Accommodation: Riad Abaka Hotel
(B, L, D)
Day 9 Depart From Marrakech
Say goodbye to Morocco this morning and transfer to the airport for your homeward-bound flight.
Accommodation: Riad Abaka Hotel
(B)
