A challenging family holiday for children aged 12+. Spend four days trekking in the Toubkal National Park, culminating in a summit attempt of North Africa's highest mountain, followed by two days exploring the bustling medina of Marrakech.
Tailor-made 8 days
'From Price' is the average price per person for ground arrangements for a family of four (two adults + two children under 12).
Flights are typically an additional £200 per person economy class from London
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After your four day trek, you will spend the remainder of your holiday staying in a boutique riad in the heart of Marrakech. From here, you will be able to explore this fascinating city, taking in the chaotic souks, beautiful mosaics and the buzzing Djemaa el Fna, where food stalls, musicians and snake charmers congregate at dusk - grab a table with a view and sip on a mint tea as the sun sets and watch the show from a fantastic vantage point.
DAY 2: TREK DAY 1
Imlil – Tizi Oudite - Tiziane After breakfast, you will meet your guide and muleteer. Once you have loaded up your bags, the mule and cook set off together, taking a head-start to pick a perfect picnic spot and start cooking your lunch. Your first day of walking starts gently. Your trek follows the curve of the valley, passing through the Berber villages of Taddert, Aguersioual and Matate. You continue on to start the ascent of the Tizi Oudite mountain pass. On your way up you will find yourself in beautiful Mediterranean-esque scenery; surrounded by juniper trees, low shrubs and wild rosemary and thyme. On reaching the top of the pass you will have great views over the Azzadene valley, known locally as the valley of colour. From this point its downhill, through the Berber villages of Ait Aissa, Agouinane and Tahaliouine before reaching Tiziane, where you will be spending the night. Approx. 4-5 hours walking time (479m ascent & 850m descent)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Village gite
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 3: TREK DAY 2
Tiziane – Lepiney Mountain Refuge After breakfast you’ll start the day by walking through the Azzadene valley. As you trek, you will pass through many small Berber villages clinging to the mountain sides. On walking through these functional settlements you can catch a glimpse of Berber life; children playing, neighbours chatting and people going about their daily business, from washing clothes in the river to cultivating the land on the terraces. You continue to following the curve of valley towards the high peaks until you reach the valley head where you will start your traverse to the Lepiney mountain refuge. On your way up you will pass by the scenic D’Irhoulidene waterfalls, as you ascend don’t forget to look back for some spectacular views of the Azzadene Valley. Approx. 7 hours walking (1,681m ascent)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lepiney Mountain Refuge
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 4: TREK DAY 3
Lepiney – Aguelzim Pass - Toubkal Refuge This morning you will embark on a fairly stiff climb out of the Azzadene Valley, heading towards the Toubkal Refuge where you will be spending the night. On the way you will pass back via the D’Irhoulidene waterfalls before climbing the Aguelzim Mountain pass (3,560m). Lunch will be taken in a spot with panoramic views over the Atlas Mountain Range. After taking in the scenery you’ll begin a descent to the Toubkal Mountain Refuge (Neltner Hut) at 3,200m. The dorms at the refuge tend to be crowded with other trekkers aiming to tackle Toubkal early next morning so in the summer and when the weather allows we typically camp at the Refuge. Approx. 7 hours walking (600m ascent & 443m descent)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Camping / Toubkal Refuge
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 5: TREK DAY 4
Toubkal Refuge – Toubkal summit – Imlil Today you will be up early for the ascent of Toubkal (4,167m). It’s a challenging trek to the summit, but, weather permitting, you will be rewarded for your efforts with incredible views over the Atlas Range and the Sahara Desert. After the glory of the summit, you will retrace your steps to the Toubkal Mountain Refuge and then follow the well-trodden path back to Imlil, passing the holy Muslim site of Sidi Charmmharouch. You will arrive back in Imlil in the late afternoon, where you will then be able to have a hot shower and then relax on the roof terrace, taking in the views of the mountains you have just been trekking amongst. Approx. 10-12 hours walking (960m ascent & 2427m descent)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Dar Adrar
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 6: IMLIL - MARRAKECH
You will be picked up after breakfast and transferred to Marrakech (about 1 ½ hours). Once you have settled into your riad, we suggest you set off and explore Marrakech's medina. You can spend all afternoon exploring the souks and taking in the atmosphere or you could relax on the roof terrace on one of the sun loungers. In the evening, be sure to head down to the main square where food stalls, acrobats, snake charmers and story tellers congregate creating an unforgettable atmosphere which is compelling for adults and children alike.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Dar Hanane or similar
Transport (where relevant): Private Transfer
DAY 7: DAY AT LEISURE IN MARRAKECH
Today you might want to see some of the main cultural sights of Marrakech, including the Medersa Ben Youssef, Palais el Badi and the Bahia Palace, interspersed with a leisurely lunch watching the storks nesting on the ramparts of the ancient city or perhaps some people watching at a cafe in the Spice market. In the evening, you might want to enjoy dinner in one of the restaurants over-looking the main square, or perhaps ask your host to book you a table at the atmospheric Foundouk restaurant, serving up delicious French & Moroccan fusion food.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Dar Hanane or similar
Transport (where relevant): n/a
DAY 8: DEPARTURE
You will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: n/a
Transport (where relevant): Private Transfer
Guide price is based on recommended accommodations. Alternative accommodations and upgrades are available. Please get in touch for alternatives and upgrade options.
Flying from the UK... Marrakech has an international airport (RAK) which is serviced by several airlines flying direct from the UK. The flight time is around 3.5hours. On average it takes around an hour to clear airport security and then around 15 – 20 minutes to drive to the Medina or 1 – 1.5 hours to reach the Atlas Mountains.
From the South East:
Gatwick: Easy Jet, British Airways, Royal Air Maroc &Thomson
Luton: Ryanair
Stansted: Ryanair & Easy Jet
From the South West:
Bristol: Easy Jet
From the Midlands:
Birmingham: Thomson
From the North:
Manchester: Easy Jet and Thomson
From Ireland:
Dublin: Ryanair
Price is based on four people and includes all transfers, accommodation and trek.
For the trek, you will need to bring your own sleeping bag (or you can hire €3 per person per day on trek. If hiring, please bring a sleeping bag liner)
Marrakech is on a Bed and Breakfast basis with one double and one twin room. The trek includes all meals, bottled water, mountain guide, cook and mule (to carry equipment and kit bags.)
This trip can be enjoyed from May - October. If you want to climb Toubkal during the winter months, then it is imperative that you all have winter climbing experience.
This is one of our most popular treks in the Atlas Mountains. It offers an excellent balance of valleys, peaks and passes giving you a taste of the high altitudes and the Berber Villages.
Toubkal is a strenuous climb, and you will all need to be fit, that said it is not a technical climb so you needn't be a hardened mountaineer. If, on the final day of your trek, some of you want to attempt a summit and others don't, the climbers can climb early in the morning and then pick the rest of the family up on the way back down.
If you are planning on tackling the mountain in the winter months (November to April), then it is imperative that you have suitable prior experience using crampons and ice axes. Your guides are experienced mountaineers usually with many years of winter ascents under their belt. They will all have undergone extensive training at the Royal Moroccan Federation of skiing and mountaineering (equivalent to the British Mountain Leader Summer scheme), however they are not qualified winter mountain leaders according to International qualifications.
As with all out Atlas Mountain treks, your cook will prepare all your meals and your baggage will be carried by mule, so you don't need to worry about carrying all of your belongings with you. Accommodation is in a mix of village guesthouses, refuges and camping, so expect basic but comfortable conditions.
Tourdust trek grading: Challenging
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
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We had a great holiday. Our guide on the trek , Yousef, was brilliant. All our accommodation was good, especially the riad in Marrakech. All the arrangements went like clockwork. I am happy to give Tourdust 5/5.
Dawn H reviewing Challenging Atlas Mountain Family Trek on 15 August 2013
We had a brilliant trip!
An amazing experience for parents, children and grandparents alike.
We are already planning a trip to Vietnam next year
Kate B reviewing Morocco Family Holiday: Kasbahs, Mountains & Souks on 10 January 2024
We had a fantastic time. Thank you for all your help, advice and guidance in organising our holiday. As this was not our first booking with Tourdust we were confident that all our transfers would work perfectly and they did - everything ran so smoothly! The riad in Marrakesh was stunning - a truly beautiful oasis of calm in such a busy, bustling city. As you can imagine, we were very grateful for the air conditioning in our room as outside was so hot! I was nervous about walking through the souks at night, but as they were well lit we felt perfectly safe and found our confidence grew in navigating the journey home each time we ventured out. When we arrived at our lodge in the Atlas Mountains we were blown away by the scenery. The views were amazing and the beautiful lodge gardens were the perfect place to sit and relax before taking a dip in the pool. Our day trek was truly amazing - no small thanks to our guide Rashid, who was so helpful and knowledgable. The lunch in the traditional Berber village was delicious and we were were made to feel so welcome. The home owner showed us how to make bread and then cooked it for us in her traditional clay oven. This was a memory we will never forget as we stood surrounded by her chickens and goats watching her use her bare hands to prepare the fire! Our night in the desert was breathtaking. The camel ride at sunset was so incredible and the quad biking the next morning was brilliant fun. I am so glad we added in these extras as they really made the experience! We finally made it to our hotel at the coast, where the surf lessons were a hit and the hotel was a great place to relax and read! Thank you again for all your help. We would definitely recommend Tourdust to all our friends and family. Tanya
Tanya G reviewing Marrakech, Mountains & Coast Family Holiday on 18 August 2023
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