1. Marrakech to the Toubkal Refuge
A scenic 1.5-hour drive south from Marrakech brings you to Imlil, the trailhead of Toubkal National Park, where you meet your guide and the mule team before setting off on foot. The trail climbs gently through Aremd village and shaded groves, then steepens on the way to Sidi Chamharouch, a whitewashed shrine beside a waterfall, where a picnic lunch waits with wide valley views. A rocky, steady climb from there leads to the refuge at 3,207 m. After a hot dinner, it’s an early night before tomorrow’s pre-dawn start.
2. Summit Push & Return to Marrakech
Breakfast is served at 5:30am, then headlamps light the way across the south cirque as the route crosses a stream and works through scree and boulder fields. In winter, crampons and an ice axe turn the packed snow into a secure staircase. After three to four hours of steady climbing, the summit plateau opens up and you reach the triangular marker at 4,167 m, with a 360° panorama over the High Atlas, the Anti-Atlas and the Sahara beyond. From there it’s back down to the refuge for lunch, then on through the valley to Imlil, where your driver is waiting for the return to Marrakech.