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LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY:
Easy to moderate. Boots recommended. You need to be reasonably confident of your fitness, preferably having had some previous experience of trekking. You should bring a sleeping bag; a list of recommended gear will be provided.
DAY 1: MARRAKECH - IMLIL - TACHEDDIRT
Leaving Marrakech, we drive into the foothills of the Western High Atlas ranges, to the village of Imlil. We set out for a hike up to Tizi n’Tamatert (2272m), through orchards of walnut, apple and cherry trees, until we reach the village of Tamatert (1810m). From here, our path leads us through pine and juniper woods. We stop to admire the Imlil and Imenane Valleys. Through villages set amidst terraced plots of land carved from the hard slopes, we stop for a picnic. The afternoon will be spent hiking for 3 hours up through the valley along mule trails until we reach the pretty – and oldest - Berber village in the Toubkal Massif, Tacheddirt (2291m), set amongst terraced plots clawed from the craggy slopes. We suggest you take a walk through the village and meet the welcoming Berber villagers.
Overnight: Gite d’Etape (Berber House) (LD)
DAY 2: TACHEDDIRT - IAABASSENE - TIMICHCHI
After an early breakfast, we start our 7 hour hike to the terraced village of Timichi (1860m), at the western offshoot of the Ourika Valley. For 2½ hours we hike slowly up to the Tizi n’Tacheddirt (3200m), which offers stunning panoramic views of the Jebel Aksouâl (3842m), Bou Iguenouane (3882m) and Angour (3616m) and a verdant valley stretching way below us. We traverse the pass and continue on down through the rocks for a further 2½ hours until we reach the Berber village of Iaabassene (2030m), where we’ll stop for a picnic. The afternoon’s 2 hour hike takes us down the valley to the old village of Timichi, set amongst ancient nut trees. Overnight: Berber family home (BLD)
DAY 3: TIMICHCHI - SETTI FADMA - MARRAKECH
After breakfast, we set out for a 5 to 6 hour hike through the valley full of cornfields and orange groves with many streams flowing from the upper slopes, passing through the small villages. We arrive at the end of the beautiful Ourika Valley and the renowned Berber village of Setti Fadma, with its ancient nut trees and waterfalls. We stop for a picnic outside the village, before hiking on for a further half an hour to rejoin our vehicle to take us back to Marrakech. (BL)
IT IS RECOMMENDED CLIENTS BRING WITH THEM:
walking boots or good trainers; sleeping bag * (3-4 seasons); windcheater or duvet jacket (seasonal); rambler pole; slicker (seasonal); ski cap or balaclava (seasonal), hat, gloves (seasonal), small First Aid kit’; personal toiletries and towel; hygienic ‘Wipes’; thermal underwear (Dec-Mar); day pack; filled water bottle/gourd (bottled water or water purification drops - usually iodine); insect repellent; LED head lamp or torch with batteries, drinking chocolate if preferred, nibbles (muesli). Camera and extra toilet rolls could come in handy!
* For those persons who do not wish to bring sleeping bags with them from abroad, please advise us so as to make the necessary arrangements of providing extra blankets locally. A Sheet Sleeping Bag may be brought with you as a matter of personal preference.
* * Bottled water may be purchased en-route and carried by the mule.
N.B: Meals are normally:-
Breakfast - mint tea, coffee, milk, bread, butter, jam, cheese, cereals.
Picnic lunch - fresh Moroccan salad, cheese, tinned tuna fish *, bread, fruit, mint tea.
Dinner - Tagine (chicken or mutton *), couscous or spaghetti rotated during the hike; bread, coffee, mint tea, cake, fruit.
* Dietary requirements must be pre-advised
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