5-Day Mt Toubkal Trek and Merzouga Desert Tour from Marrakesh

• After an early breakfast at the hotel in Marrakech, our driver will pick you up and take you to the heart of Morocco's High Atlas Mountains.
• The trek starts from Imlil (1740 m), a small Berber village located 67 km southwest of Marrakech.
• Here, you will meet the team who will accompany you during this fantastic adventure.
• The driver will drop you off in the village, where the muleteers will take care of your luggage, food, and all other equipment that we usually provide for our clients.
• Within half an hour, you will start the walk with an experienced mountain guide through the Berber villages, following a mule track that leads to the mountain hut via the shrine of Sidi Chamhrouch (2500 m), where you will have your picnic lunch prepared in advance by our cook.
• After lunch and a short break, continue towards the refuge (3200 m). As the mules walk faster, the muleteers and cook will go ahead and wait for you at the hut or camp. Upon arrival, enjoy a tasty mint tea while taking in the scenic mountain surroundings of the base camp. A hot shower is available so you can freshen up and be ready for the next day.

Option: the night could be spent in the tent, but only during the summertime.

• Wake up early to avoid the strong sun. Breakfast is around 5:00 am, and the ascent climb starts at 5:30 am. Each of you may need to pack your lunch as you go, until you reach a point above the hut where you will have a short break with nuts, water, oranges, and more.
• After 3 to 4 hours of walking uphill, you will be able to see all the High Atlas Mountains as if from the air, with stunning views of the green valleys and Berber villages.
• A 45-minute break on the summit will allow you to take pictures and enjoy the views before heading back down to the hut.
• A diversified lunch will be ready for you there.
• After lunch, you walk downhill towards Imlil.

Overnight in a guesthouse in a Berber village.

• We depart from Imlil village at 0800 hrs in modern, air-conditioned transportation.
• We travel over the Atlas Mountains, enjoying the magnificent views of the surrounding countryside below.
• We visit the Kasbah of Aït Benhaddou. This journey takes approximately 3 hours.
• From there, after our break, we continue to Ouarzazate, which takes about 1 hour, for a lunch break and sightseeing. Lunch will be available in the local cafes.
• After lunch, we continue along the route of the Dadès Valley to reach our guesthouse, where we will stay for the night. The guesthouse offers private en-suite rooms, and an evening meal and breakfast are included.

• The next morning, we continue along the Dadès Valley, visiting Dadès Gorge, Todra, Todra Gorge, and other interesting sites as we make our way to Merzouga.
• At Merzouga, we explore the village and meet our camels, which will take us for 1 and a half hours into the dunes to reach our desert camp at Erg Chebbi. Each person rides their own camel. The camel trek is usually timed just before sunset so that you may enjoy the sun setting over the landscape from the top of the dunes.
• Once we arrive at the desert camp, we are greeted with a cup of delicious hot mint tea.
• We will spend the evening under the stars, on the dunes and beside the warmth of the fireside. We will enjoy a locally cooked meal of tagine or couscous, while vegetarians are catered for with vegetable tagine, followed by a drum party and story swapping. The camp has toilet facilities.
• Those who wish can sleep directly under the stars, but there are bivouacs for everyone. The stars in the desert are a great opportunity to admire the sky, as there are no artificial lights around and you can fully appreciate the glory of the skies above.

• Wake up early, just before sunrise, for a 1 hour and 30 minute camel ride to explore the area further, then head back to Merzouga on your camels.
• After reaching Merzouga, we will enjoy breakfast and have the opportunity to shower.
• Then we begin our journey through the stony desert and over the Atlas Mountains, with plenty of stops for photos, exploring, and lunch as we return to Marrakech.

The usual arrival time in Marrakech is between 17:00 hrs and 18:00 hrs.