Toubkal Summit and Sahara: 5-Day Tour from Marrakech
- Duration
- 5 Days / 4 Nights
- Tour type
- Private
- Tour category
- Desert Tours
- Availability
- Quote requests are answered within 24 hours. No deposit is required. The best windows are spring, April to June, and autumn, September to November.
- Languages
- English, French, Spanish
North Africa's highest point and its biggest dunes, inside five days. Summit Toubkal at 4,167 m with a licensed guide and a mule team, then trade the refuge for a night on the Erg Chebbi.
About this tour
North Africa's highest point and its biggest dunes, inside five days. Summit Toubkal at 4,167 m with a licensed guide and a mule team, then trade the refuge for a night on the Erg Chebbi.
Tour highlights
- Standing on the summit of Mount Toubkal at 4,167m, the highest point in North Africa
- A licensed mountain guide, a cook, and a mule team carrying the luggage on the trek
- A night at the Toubkal Refuge, 3,207m
- The walk in through the Aït Mizane Valley, the village of Aremd and the shrine of Sidi Chamharouch at 2,310m
- Sandboarding at Erg Chebbi, boards provided
- Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset, with an optional sunrise ride
- A luxury ensuite desert camp: private tent, real beds and a hot shower
- Todra Gorge and its 300m limestone cliffs, reached through the Tinghir palm oasis
- The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, and the Dades Valley at the end of it
- Aït Ben Haddou, UNESCO-listed, and a set for Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones
- Ouarzazate and the Atlas Film Studios
- The Valley of Roses, and the palm grove at Skoura
- Rissani and Erfoud on the road to Merzouga
- The Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260m over the High Atlas
Route at a glance
5 Days / 4 Nights · Marrakech → Merzouga
- Marrakech Starting point
- Merzouga
About this tour
Five private days out of Marrakech that put the highest mountain in North Africa and the Sahara back to back. The first two days are the trek: up from Imlil through Aremd and Sidi Chamharouch to the Toubkal Refuge at 3,207m, a pre-dawn start for the 4,167m summit, and the descent to Imlil, with a licensed mountain guide, a cook and mules to carry the luggage behind you. Days 3 to 5 change gear entirely, crossing the Atlas by private vehicle for Aït Ben Haddou, the Skoura palm grove and a night in the Dades Valley, then Todra Gorge, Rissani and Erfoud on the way to Merzouga, where sandboarding and a camel trek at sunset lead to a night in a luxury ensuite camp before the long drive home. Meals run full board while you are trekking and half-board once you are in the desert. You need moderate to good fitness for this one.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary- Day 1 of 5
Marrakech - Imlil (1,740m) - Aremd - Sidi Chamharouch - Toubkal Refuge (3,207m) (1h drive + 5-6h trek)
Collection from your Marrakech hotel at 08:00, then a 90-minute drive south over the Haouz Plain and up into the High Atlas to Imlil at 1,740m. This is the trailhead village, and it is here that your licensed mountain guide, your cook and the mule team are waiting. The mules take the main luggage, so you walk with a daypack. The trail follows the Aït Mizane Valley past Aremd, a terraced village of stone houses set among walnut groves, and climbs on to the shrine of Sidi Chamharouch at 2,310m, where the cook has a picnic lunch ready. Above the shrine the path steepens into switchbacks, scree and rock for another 2-3 hours until the Toubkal mountain refuge appears at 3,207m. Accommodation is dormitory style with separate showers. The cook prepares a Moroccan dinner, and you turn in early for the pre-dawn start.
- Day 2 of 5
Toubkal Refuge (3,207m) - Toubkal Summit (4,167m) - Imlil (1,740m) (6-8h trek)
Up at 05:00, packed breakfast in hand, walking by 05:30. You cross the stream above the refuge and climb the south cirque, over boulder fields and scree, the guide setting a pace you can hold. After 3-4 hours you reach the summit of Mount Toubkal at 4,167m. The view runs 360 degrees: Sahara plains eastward, the Atlantic side to the west past the peaks of the Nfiss Valley, and the whole High Atlas chain in between. You get 30-45 minutes up there, which is when the packed breakfast gets eaten. The descent takes the same line back to the refuge, where the cook has a hot lunch waiting, and then continues down to Imlil for a late afternoon arrival. Check into the mountain lodge, which has ensuite rooms and hot showers, and dinner is a celebration. Overnight at the Imlil lodge, dinner and breakfast included.
- Day 3 of 5
Imlil - Tizi n'Tichka - Aït Ben Haddou - Skoura - Dades Valley (6h drive)
Breakfast, then east over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260m and down the far side to Aït Ben Haddou. You cross the river, walk the earthen alleys and go up to the top of the ksar for the panorama; lunch can be taken nearby. A short stop follows at Ouarzazate for the Atlas Film Studios, and then the road runs east by way of the Skoura oasis and the Valley of Roses, which holds its rose festival in May. The Dades Valley comes late in the afternoon, by way of the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. Dinner and the night at a Dades hotel with ensuite rooms, air conditioning and views over the valley. An alternative Dades hotel is available for a supplement of 40 EUR per person.
- Day 4 of 5
Dades - Tinghir - Todra Gorge - Rissani - Merzouga - sunset camel trek - luxury camp (5h drive)
After breakfast the route drops to Tinghir, where you walk out into the palm oasis, and then enters Todra Gorge, a narrow canyon walled by limestone 300 metres high. Lunch is at the gorge. Heading east you pass Rissani, where Morocco's Alaouite dynasty began, and Erfoud, a town built on fossils, before reaching Merzouga. Sandboarding on the edges of the dunes is included and the boards are provided. Late in the afternoon a camel carries you into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset, ending at a luxury ensuite camp with a private tent, real beds, quality linens and a hot shower. Dinner is Moroccan, eaten under the stars, with Berber drumming at the fire. Overnight at the luxury camp at Merzouga, dinner and breakfast included.
- Day 5 of 5
Merzouga - Ouarzazate - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (approx. 9h drive)
Wake before dawn if you want the optional camel ride over the dunes at sunrise; breakfast is at camp afterwards. The drive back to Marrakech runs through Ouarzazate, the gateway to the desert, and there is a lunch stop en route. You recross the High Atlas at Tizi n'Tichka, 2,260m, and drop onto the Haouz Plain, reaching Marrakech in the early evening, somewhere between 18:00 and 19:00, and you are set down at a hotel, a riad or the airport. Be aware that the whole of Day 5 is spent in the vehicle, roughly 9 hours of it, and that an extra night at Ouarzazate or Dades will split the journey.
What's included
Included
- Private air-conditioned transport from Marrakech to Imlil and for the rest of the tour
- An experienced, licensed mountain guide on Days 1 and 2
- Mules to carry the luggage on the trek
- Night 1: the Toubkal mountain refuge at 3,207m, dormitory accommodation, full board
- Night 2: an Imlil mountain lodge with ensuite rooms, full board
- Night 3: a Dades hotel, ensuite rooms with air conditioning, half-board
- Night 4: a luxury ensuite camp at Erg Chebbi, hot shower, half-board
- The sunset camel trek on Day 4
- the optional sunrise ride on Day 5
- Sandboarding at Erg Chebbi on Day 4
- Every meal and all water throughout the Toubkal trek on Days 1 and 2
Not included
- Lunches and drinks on the desert days, Days 3 to 5
- Site entrance fees, settled on the spot
- Your own trekking kit, which can be hired in Imlil
- Crampons and an ice axe for winter conditions, both hireable in Imlil
- Gratuities for guides, drivers and muleteers
- Travel insurance, which we recommend and which has to cover altitude
What to bring
- Sturdy boots
- Warm layers
- A hat
- Sunscreen
- A small daypack, since the mules take the main luggage
- In winter conditions, crampons and an ice axe, both hireable in Imlil
Frequently asked questions
How hard is the trek up Toubkal?
You need moderate to good fitness. Summit day is 6 hours or more on steep, rocky ground, but there is no technical climbing involved. Winter adds crampons, which are hireable, and a licensed guide keeps the pace safe.
When is the best time to do this combination?
Spring, April to June, and autumn, September to November. Summer is hot out in the desert. Winter treks call for more gear, but they are far quieter.
What if I do not want to attempt the summit?
That is fine. A gentler walk around Imlil can replace it, and you pick the tour back up for the desert leg from Day 3.
What kit do I need?
Sturdy boots, warm layers, a hat, sunscreen and a small daypack; the mules take the main luggage. In winter you also want crampons and an ice axe, and both can be hired in Imlil.
How long is the drive on Day 5?
Roughly 9 hours, Merzouga to Marrakech by way of Ouarzazate. If that sounds like too much, add a night at Ouarzazate or Dades to split it.
Is the luxury camp part of the price?
It is. At Erg Chebbi you sleep in the luxury ensuite camp as standard, with a private tent, real beds, quality linens and a hot shower.
Which meals are covered?
Full board across the trek, Days 1 and 2. Half-board on Days 3 and 4 in the desert, meaning dinner and breakfast. Lunches on the desert days are not covered.
How long do the camel rides last?
About an hour at sunset heading into the dunes and about an hour at sunrise coming back to Merzouga. Both are included.
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