The great thing about Morocco’s Atlas Mountains would be that the hospitable climate can make the alpine range handy for climb year round.
The greatest of these mountains is definitely the mighty Mount Toubkal, residing in Toubkal National Park. At a spectacular 4,167m, it is actually the highest peak in North Africa, which makes climbing this specific hiker’s favourite is no small feat.
Choosing when to go on your Mount Toubkal trek means considering that season appeals most to what you are searching for. Both summer and winter provide a range of varied advantages for the passionate adventurer. We thought we’d lay them out plain and simple so you are able to make your mind up yourself.
Trekking Mount Toubkal in Summer
The very first quality of summer which causes it to be markedly different from a winter hike up Mount Toubkal could be the weather condition. Summer promises calmer climes so could provide your ice axe at the door. Although the Toubkal ascent remains challenging (4,167m, let’s not forget), the heat of the Moroccan sun takes away the extra challenge of hiking through snow and ice. Peaks that lay beneath piles of rain only a couple of months prior are entirely exposed in a lovely earthy palette.
On our summer climb up Mount Toubkal, the day treks are going to start soon, so we are able to get the days distance in before the peak heat of the Moroccan sun. This means the evenings of yours are spent enjoying the food prepared through the tour’s personal chef, taking in the other worldly scenes.
Ascending through the centuries old villages of the Berber Valley, rustic clay edifices are layered atop each other, with lush green farmland rolling out beneath and great stretches of mountain soaring above. We’ll camp by the crystalline Lake Infi which, against the backdrop of the rust coloured landscape, appears even more azure.
The ascent will have you paying nights camping on blissful Moroccan meadows and take you past amazing waterfalls. Though frozen through winter, you will audibly hear the torrent of them before you see them on our summer hike to Mount Toubkal’s summit.
Piqued your curiosity? We thought so. Well, you are able to enjoy our popular 8 day Mount Toubkal trek between May and June.
Trekking Mount Toubkal in Winter
A winter trek through Mount Toubkal is a completely unique experience, and there’s absolutely no better approach to enjoy it than on our Mount Toubkal in Winter holiday. The adventure on the climb, first by the peaceful foothills of the tranquil valleys, merely consuming the summits as a spectator, then hiking through the crunching snow to Toubkal’s peak, is astonishing.
Given the extra difficulty of trekking through the winter conditions, the trails are populated only by sharp winter trekkers and tend to be quieter than in some other seasons. This quietude contributes to the serenity of a hike through the silent, snowy peaks and passes.
Though the farmlands could possibly have lost the colour of theirs towards the winter, or maybe be blanketed in a layer of sharp snow, Berber Valley’s evergreen Juniper trees intersperse verdant flashes at the foot belonging to the range. Additionally, a winter trek will mean that you’ll encounter uninterrupted views of the Atlas Mountains that are made even more awe-inspiring from the beautiful alabaster white away from the snowfall.
In order to see a winter sunset from Toubkal is unbeatable. The effusion of colours across the skyline burns in stark contrast to the niveous landscape all around. This white gets dyed with the sun’s yellow and amber rays before an exceptional evening skies is revealed.
Spread across eight days, you can appreciate this winter adventure holiday between November and April.
Hopefully this has helped you select that Mount Toubkal trek is right for you. But, if you still cannot make up your mind (we don’t blame you), there is, of course, another alternative: you might do both…