Summit North Africa’s highest mountain in the peak of winter – all 4,167 metres of her
Fuelled by tagine, hike to the roof of North Africa via traditional Berber villages and scenic pitstops
Cosy down in a mountain refuge and homestay in the Atlas Mountains and a traditional Moroccan riad in the heart of Marrakech
Day 1
Your host will meet you at the airport and drive you to your traditional riad accommodation in Marrakech’s historic medina. The day is yours to explore the city’s colourful souks, wander the UNESCO-listed Jemaa el-Fna square and indulge in some amazing Moroccan food.
Day 2
Wake up early for the scenic drive through the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Imlil, where you'll meet your support crew. Begin your trek by gradually ascending the Toubkal Valley, passing Berber farming villages before stopping for lunch on the trail. In the afternoon, you’ll arrive at the refuge. Settle in, meet other hikers and refuel with a well-earned dinner cooked by your support crew. As night falls, wrap up warm, get in your sleeping bag and head to bed looking forward to the high-altitude winter days ahead.
Day 3
Wake up to incredible views of snow-covered mountains followed by a hot breakfast. After trying out your crampons and ice axe, set out on an acclimatisation hike to summit some of the lower peaks around the refuge in preparation for the ascent to Toubkal's summit tomorrow. You’ll be back at the refuge by late afternoon to eat, relax and dream about the views from the top.
Day 4
Rise when it's still dark, turn your head torch on and start climbing up and out of the valley. You’ll soon face steep, snowy slopes, ice and high winds as you make your way along the trail, but once you attain the ridge, your goal is in sight. Once you make it to the summit, soak in the view from the top, give yourself a pat on the back, then escape the whipping wind as you begin the long descent back to Imlil. From here, say farewell to the Atlas Mountains and drive back to your riad in Marrakech, where the night is yours to find a restaurant for couscous or a tasty tagine to celebrate, before collapsing into bed.
Day 5
Relax over your last Moroccan breakfast, explore the town some more if you have time, then transfer to the airport to catch your flight home.
Our trips do not include flights, trains or other travel to the start point and back from the end point.
Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion but there is a cultural expectation to tip for good service. Your guide will help with advice; however, we suggest budgeting for a minimum of 300 Dirham per person, to be split and offered directly to the following individuals:
Of course, you are free to tip more or less and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
You know your own spending habits best, so please budget an appropriate amount for things like optional meals and drinks, shopping, optional activities, and laundry.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness. Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine (opens in new tab), as their insurance offers all of the above.
Visa requirements often change, and you are responsible for obtaining any required visas for this trip. Please check with your nearest embassy or consulate for up-to-date advice.
Looking for a private room? See Optional Extras for details and pricing.
Moroccan food has a unique blend of sweet and savoury flavours. Local specialities include tajine (a stew cooked in an earthenware pot), couscous, and pastilles (flaky pastries stuffed with meat and dusted with cinnamon and sugar). Food is often spic…
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge for the nights in Marrakech, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability and they are very limited due to the layout of traditional riads).
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Our most demanding trips, the ultimate test for seasoned adventurers
This trek requires a very good level of fitness.
As this trip takes place during the winter, you must be capable of hiking all day up paths of moderate difficulty and be prep...
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You will be provided with safe drinking water whilst on the mountain. We recommend you bring a flask to fill up with hot water (or mint tea!) at the refuge each mornin, it will help to keep you warm while trekking through the snow and ice later.
Absolutely! We recognise that you may want to leave some of the kit you bring to Morocco somewhere safe before you start your ascent of Toubkal. When you reach Imlil, you will be able to leave any non-essential items you don’t want to take up on the hike with you at your local guides base there.
Your host works with muleteers who collaborate with local charity, Spana, (The Society for the Protection of Animals and Nature) on the AMI program (Aid to the Mules of Imlil). The charity provides training, guidance and incentives to mule owners to encourage and support good care for their animals in all aspects of their working lives. The program also provides a monthly clinic which offers free veterinary care to the animals and the distribution of humane tack.
Your guides are from the local Berber community in the Atlas Mountains and have spent their whole lives hiking these slopes. They will guide you up the main path towards the Toubkal Refuge and use their experience and knowledge to safely navigate you up the steep snowy slopes to the summit. They will decide the best day to attempt the summit and make all decisions based on conditions at the time. You should follow your guide’s advice at all times. You’ll also be accompanied by a support team of muleteers and mules to prepare your meals and carry heavy bags.
Ramadan is expected to take place from 17th February to 19th March 2026. The national holiday of Eid ul-Fitr will follow for 2-3 days. Ramadan is an Islamic festival where the religious do not eat or drink during daylight hours. While this is a really interesting time to travel, especially to witness celebrations where the fast is broken in the evenings, you can expect some business hours will be shortened, alcohol is not permitted during daylight hours and some restaurants will be closed during this festival period. Activities for local people tend to be limited during the day and the nights are very active in cities with lots of different foods being sold and consumed. Ramadan will not affect the inclusions on your trip, although you should be aware that dinners will be served after locals break their fast in the evenings.
This trip visits locations at or above 2500m, where some people may experience symptoms of Altitude Sickness, also known as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).
Previous experience at altitude doesn’t guarantee the same response again – your body can react differently on each trip. However, having been at altitude before is still valuable: it gives you a better understanding of how your body might respond, what symptoms to look out for, and how to manage your pace and energy levels.
Your guide is trained to manage the risk of altitude sickness by controlling the rate of ascent, monitoring group wellbeing, and responding appropriately if anyone feels unwell.
Before booking, we recommend considering your personal health, particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions, and consulting a medical professional if you’re unsure. Arriving early to allow your body to acclimatise can also make a big difference.
Your travel insurance must cover the maximum altitude reached on this trip and include emergency evacuation.
This trip includes locations or elevations where conditions can be extremely cold. Daytime temperatures may drop below freezing (0°C/32°F), and nights are often significantly colder. These conditions can affect physical performance and increase the risk of exposure-related issues, such as frostbite or hypothermia.
Your guide is trained to manage these risks, adapting activity intensity and monitoring group wellbeing. However, it's important to take personal responsibility – bringing the right cold-weather gear (see Kit List), staying hydrated and well-nourished, and recognising early signs of cold stress.
We recommend assessing your personal comfort and resilience in cold environments, and consulting a medical professional if you have health conditions that may be affected. Arriving early can also help you acclimatise to the colder conditions, especially if you're coming from a much warmer climate.
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
January, February and March are the best months to do winter treks in the Atlas Mountains. January sees the lowest temperatures - average 6 °C throughout the month - but it's still pleasant for hiking.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 221kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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