Location
Terrain
Difficulty
Accommodation and Meals
Wild Camping, Riad
Duration
5 days
Meeting Point
London
Annual Leave
3 days
Group Size
16
Seasons
March to End of October
Walking Distance
50km
Ian has worked extensively in East Africa and also Nepal, South America and South East Asia and travelled to over fifty countries. His favourite places in the world include; Mount Elgon National Park, the Drakensberg Mountains, Snowdonia and the National Parks of the American South West.
Beginning in the Imlil valley, this circular 50km trek takes you through stunning valleys, over high passes that will test your stamina, and through Berber villages where time has stood still.
You will wild camp for two nights, in two beautiful mountainous locations
Have a celebratory meal with your team mates in Marrakech and explore the famous Medina and souks
All the info you need
Trip Details
You will cover an impressive 50 kilometres of the High Atlas Mountains over three days. You will spend two nights wild camping under the stars. After completing the trek on the final day, you'll be transported back to Marrakech to enjoy a celebratory dinner and immerse yourself in the vibrant sights, smells, and sounds of the famous souks.
Trip Details
The excitement begins at the UK airport when you meet our Tribal Tracks UK leader.
Upon your arrival in Marrakech, you'll transfer to Imlil, a scenic two-hour drive into the mountains. Imlil, is a vibrant market town and the main gateway for trekkers exploring the High Atlas mountains. This evening, we'll enjoy dinner together and review plans for the trek, which begins tomorrow morning.
Accommodation and Meals
Gite, dinner
The trek will begin from Imlil (at 1740m) over the pass of Tizi Tamatert (2279m) and heading to Foussarou to camp near the village of Tachddirt.
Tonight marks our first experience with wild camping. We’ll settle into comfortable, high-quality tents equipped with sleeping mattresses. A large dining tent serves as our mealtime gathering spot and the social hub of the evening. We’ll sit around an open fire—an idyllic setting to share stories while gazing up at the vast North African night sky.
Accommodation and Meals
Wild camp, full-board
After an early start and a filling breakfast, we trek from Foussarou and pass by the villages of Tachddirt, Ouanskra, Tamguist, Tinoughrin and Ikkis.
We walk through walnut groves then begin to head upwards, reaching the Aguersioual Pass (2050m) and trekking down the other side, to get to Aguersioual village. Just through the village, we reach a river, where we have lunch. We then pass by Tisgharin, Matat and begin to ascend our second pass of the day, Tizi Oudite (2200m). The scenery is very different here, with red soils and juniper trees. Descending, we reach the beautiful Azzaden Valley where we camp at Tizi Oussem. We have another chance to enjoy an amazing Moroccan feast, and an evening around the campfire. This is a long and tough day, particularly if it is warm, and you should be prepared for it!
Accommodation and Meals
Wild camp, full-board
Today is the final 15km of our challenge and after a hearty breakfast we trek from Tizi Ouussem towards Azib Tamsoult along the riverbed before heading north towards Tizi Mzik.
Today marks the final 15 kilometres of our challenge. After a hearty breakfast, we set out from Tizi Ouussem, following the riverbed towards Azib Tamsoult before heading north to Tizi Mzik. This will be our last pass and descent before arriving at Imlil village. The route is very steep in places and very challenging at times, but it is incredibly rewarding. It offers stunning views of Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. After reaching the pass, we descend into Imlil, completing our trek.
Following a well-deserved lunch, we transfer to Marrakech, ready to explore the city and enjoy a celebratory dinner together at one of its fantastic restaurants.
Accommodation and Meals
Riad, full-board
This is your last day in fabulous Morocco.
After breakfast, and depending on our flight time, we will have time to do some more exploring and shopping before heading to the airport.
Accommodation and Meals
Breakfast
Trip Details
| From/To | Nights | Total Cost (includes non-refundable deposit) | Non-refundable Deposit |
Single supplement | Fundraising Commitment |
Places | Enquiry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Oct 12, 2026 Oct 16, 2026 |
5 | £995 (excludes flights) | £400 | £175 | £1000 | Places Available |
Trip Details
Please have a good read of these General Notes.
It is important that you read the itinerary carefully, and take account of the rating we have given it.
Although our challenges are not technical, they do require a good degree of physical fitness. The conditions will require stamina and strength, which you should recognise and train for. This will be a much better experience if you are fit and prepared. You should feel comfortable walking 6-8 hours per day.
In setting the maximum size of our groups, we take a number of factors into account.
Altitude, degree of difficulty, the terrain, the climate and time of year, all determine the maximum group size. Sometimes it will be 20, sometimes it will be 8-14, but safety is always our priority.
You will be accompanied by a Tribal Tracks UK Leader, Mountain Leader qualified, as well as supported by our local, in-country guides.
It is a requirement of Tribal Tracks booking terms and conditions that each supporter must hold their own travel insurance, which covers the trip and the activities they are doing. Read more here.
We advise you to put insurance in place as soon as possible, ideally on booking so you are covered immediately. There have been instances where someone has signed up, broken their leg a few weeks later, and been deemed unfit to travel. If travel insurance were in place, the non-refundable deposit could be claimed back from the insurance policy. Without this, your money is lost.
Your insurance must be valid and in date, covering the entire period that you are travelling for, including the return journey home. It must cover medical and personal accident risks, and should include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services, where appropriate.
We will need to know the travel insurance provider, your policy number and the 24 hour medical/emergency assistance number.
Tribal Tracks has 100% Financial Protection and has a trust account with the Protected Trust Service, member number 5566.
This means that all client monies paid to Tribal Tracks are held in our dedicated trust account, which is supervised by an independent trustee. This means that in the very unlikely event that Tribal Tracks ceases to trade, your money is safe. For more information, please visit this link. Any flights booked for you by Tribal Tracks will be ATOL-protected under our own ATOL certificate.
Tribal Tracks considers the safety of all of its participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we have thorough safety systems in place.
In the event of an injury, we have an evacuation plan in place for all elements of the trek route. We do ask that you look after yourself during the trek in the following way, as this will help avoid unnecessary problems:
We know that the unexpected can happen.
While you are away, things can happen at home and people may need to get in contact with you. This can be tricky when you are in remote areas. So, shortly before departure, we provide you with an Emergency Procedure document to distribute to your nearest and dearest. This sets out how to contact Tribal Tracks and the steps Tribal Tracks will then take to get in contact with you.
It is really important that you are well prepared for your physical challenge and that you are confident that you will be able to fully participate.
Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely partake in the trek, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to step out of the trek. Although this is a very rare occurrence, by booking this trip you agree to section 11 of our Booking Conditions which clearly states that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these circumstances, we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred.
At Tribal Tracks, Responsible Travel is enormously important to us, and our commitment to responsible travel is evidenced in every itinerary that we prepare.
Core to our business is the belief that holidays can and should be enjoyable to the traveller but should be conducted in a socially, environmentally and economically responsible manner which brings benefit to local communities. This is implemented through a variety of measures which can be found in our Responsible Travel policy. We encourage you to read this and to play your own part in travelling responsibly.
In a nutshell, almost everything!
This is what you will need to pay for/ buy/source yourself.
Trip Details
One of the most common pre-trip questions we receive is all about what to pack, and what the essential items are. This is a list of recommended kit to take. We have tried to pare down this kit list to the absolute 'musthaves' for your trek, but above all you should use your common sense and your own personal preferences when you are packing. You should know what works for you by the time you begin your trek, as your training treks will narrow this down. The trek is not the time to try new kit!
Trip Details
An Important part of this challenge is the fact that we will hit the ground running as soon as we land. When we land, the goal is to get through passport control as soon as possible so that we can get on the bus, ready to be transferred to Imlil, where we will have a quick lunch, and then start trekking ASAP to get our 10km in before nightfall.
As such, you should think about this as you pack. Wear your trekking clothes and boots on the flight. Take your rucksack on the flight, as ready as it can be for trekking. By this we mean ensuring your waterproofs are in your rucksack, together with an extra, thin layer, sunscreen and sunglasses, plus hat and gloves. You should also have your (empty) water bottles, and any specific snacks, medicines or first aid items you want to take. This means that before we start trekking, it should be a relatively quick exercise to put your kindle, book or anything else you have had onboard the flight and don’t want to trek with, into your main pack, which will be transferred to the campsite by jeep. Please ensure that if you are using trekking poles, they are packed in your main bag for the flight, as they are not allowed to be taken on board the aircraft.
The trek is a challenge. We will be walking for a long time over sometimes challenging terrain with steep ascents and descents.
The best way to build endurance fitness is to start with some gentle walks and gradually build up both the distance and duration over the next few months. In the last 2 months, we would recommend to go out and do long days, ideally in the hills, to build up the strength in your legs. About a week before the trek, limit any training to short walks – you want to have fresh legs at the start!
For the trek you should be comfortable trekking between 6 - 8 hours per day, but remember we have all day to achieve the distances and will not be going at racing snake pace. It may sound obvious, but make sure that you are walking properly, hitting the ground with your heel first, then rolling onto your toe, which pushes you onto the next step (this will help reduce the risk of shin splints and tendon pulls). Walk with your head up, eyes forward and shoulders level.
It is a good idea to develop a level of cardiovascular fitness (exercising and strengthening your heart and lungs). This comes from running, cycling or swimming for between 20 minutes and an hour, and will really help develop your endurance fitness. Three sessions a week is normally advised, increasing time and distance over time.
Replicate conditions in training i.e., use all the kit you will be using and try your walking poles if you want to use them.
You will sleep in shared tents (unless a single supplement has been requested). Mattresses are provided, which makes it much more comfortable! There will be a central dining tent available with rugs and lights where the group can get together in the evening, share stories and enjoy meals. There will also be an open fire wherever it is possible.
There will be early morning starts, typically around 0600 - 0700hrs, so that the team can set off on the trek in good time. It is important that you pack up your kit before breakfast and leave your bag outside your tent or accommodation so that the crew can load them onto the jeeps and/or mules. There will be a freshly cooked lunch provided on your trek route. The aim is to get into camp before sunset if possible, when you can enjoy a hot drink and snacks. It is important that you change into your thermals and put layers on when you get into camp as the temperatures can drop sharply and you need to keep warm.
There will be a toilet tent and water supplied for washing in the morning where we can. There are no shower facilities provided during the trek and there will be no toilets either, but there will be a toilet tent in camp in the evenings and mornings. In the pre-departure briefing, we will tell you all that you need to know about how to deal with this.
We will brief you in the pre-departure briefing as to the catering specifically for your trip. However, as a guide, each morning you will be provided with a very filling local breakfast, usually accompanied by tea or coffee. Lunch will be during your trek and will be prepared by the team of cooks or we will utilise local restaurants or teahouses. Food will always be ample and tasty. If wild camping, dinner will be in the dining tent and will be traditional, freshly prepared food. If you are staying in a hotel or teahouse, dinner will be served there. Water, tea and coffee will be served and alcohol will usually not be available, although there will be some exceptions. We will provide 4 litres of drinking water per person per day. You will need to fill up 2 litres at breakfast and another 2 litres at lunchtime.
Please ensure that you have notified us before departure if you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies as we can cater for most things as long as we know about them!
It is important to pack so that you know where everything is. Here at Tribal Tracks, we are big fans of separating kit into different packing cubes (compression ones are great), or even just individual plastic bags can really help with this.
You can pack by item (e.g., socks and pants in one cube, tops in another, waterproofs in another etc.) or by day, putting your entire outfit for that day together in one place. We recommend taking an extra bag or cube to separate the dirty kit from your fresh clothes, too.
You will have two bags on the trip - your main bag and your back pack.
You should operate on the basis that you will not have access to your main bag during the day and while you are trekking. This means that it is important to have everything you need in your back pack. Waterproofs should go in the bottom, together with an extra layer, sunscreen and sunglasses, plus hat and gloves (if you are in a colder climate). You should also have your water bottles, and any specific snacks, medicines or first aid items you want to take, such as zinc tape and blister plasters. Baby wipes/toilet roll and nappy sacks are also essential for going to the toilet while you are trekking - we will explain more in the pre-departure briefing!
In the event of an injury, we have an evacuation plan in place for all elements of the trek route. We do ask that you look after yourself during the trek in the following way, as this will help avoid unnecessary problems:
Sleeping bags are designed to work by trapping your body heat in the down surrounding you. If you wear lots of layers, your body heat will not escape as effectively, and you will be cold. Wearing a thin thermal layer is ideal. It does sound counterintuitive, but we promise that it works!
Putting your clothes for the next day in the bottom of your sleeping bag will also help with warmth, as it will fill up any spare space around your feet, and it will mean your clothes are nicely warmed up in the morning.
If you find it difficult to sleep without a pillow, we recommend taking a travel pillow and a regular pillowcase with you. Put your pillow in the pillow case, and use your down jacket/layers to fill out the pillowcase. You will end up with a pretty decent pillow!
And as for stuff or roll when it comes to packing your bag away? We are very much in the stuff camp! Read more here.
In the morning, the Tribal Tracks leader will wake up the group. When you hear the call, please begin to get ready, and pack all your kit away in your 'main bag' before breakfast. Put this bag outside your tent or accommodation as the crew can then begin to break down the tents/load the luggage. Ensure that you have all that you need in your backpack for the day, as you will not have access to your main bag until the next camp (see 'What do I put in my backpack?).
When you arrive into camp, it is important to get changed into different clothes, usually the ones that you will be wearing the next day. Even if you have had dry weather, you will have been sweating, and your clothes will be damp. As the sun sets and the air cools, you will quickly feel cold. Before this, you will want to freshen up and we recommend the 'baby wipe bath'. As there are no showers while on the trek, having a freshen up with a baby wipe will help keep you clean and will make you feel much better, before you put your clean clothes on. Unpack your sleeping bag and get everything out that you need for nighttime, such as your warm hat, jacket, head torch and book. Sort out your back pack for the next day by removing rubbish and replenishing snacks etc.
Doing this before dinner will mean you can get into your sleeping bag quickly, when it is likely to feel cold.
We recommend that you bring a multi-region adapter plug with you. There will be no facility to recharge electrical items on the trek, so we recommend you bring a power bank to top up the charge. We also recommend putting your phone on Airplane mode during the day to save on power.
Using your mobile overseas can sometimes attract unwelcome, very high tariffs. We recommend that you check with your network provider before you travel, but if in doubt, keep your phone switched to Airplane mode and use it only when there is WiFi. Reception can also be patchy, and unreliable, particularly in remote areas, which is why we carry a satellite phone with us. Please let your nearest and dearest know about this, and warn them that you may not be able to be in regular contact.
We ask that your luggage is kept to the absolute minimum. We will tell you the weights that you should not exceed, but usually (depending on the airline), your main bag should not exceed 23kgs in weight.
It is important that you wear your trekking boots or take them in your hand luggage on the flight, as they are vital for the trek and cannot be replaced if your luggage is lost.
We recommend leaving behind items such as high-value jewelry, watches, etc. Your passport and money should always be kept on your person.
Trip Details
As standard, this trek is a four day/three night itinerary. It can be extended over five days/four nights in order to spread the distance of Day 2, which can be a long and tough day for some. If you want to do this, please just let us know and we can provide a quote. Similarly, if you want single occupancy in your tent and hotel room, or want to treat yourself at the end of the trek with a longer stay in Marrakech, or upgrade to a 4 or 5 star hotel, let us know.
Have a question? Get in touch, our small team will be delighted to help.
