Jebel Toubkal

Toubkal is 4,167 metres and the highest point in North Africa and the Arab world, and the reason it is climbed in such numbers is that in summer it needs no technical skill - the standard route from Imlil walks up the Mizane valley to the refuges at about 3,200 metres, sleeps there, and goes up scree and boulder to the summit in three or four hours the next morning. That accessibility misleads people: it is a serious altitude, the scree is loose, weather at the top changes fast, and in winter the same route is a mountaineering objective needing crampons, axe and judgement. Since 2018 guides have been required by the authorities and are arranged in Imlil. The summit carries a metal pyramid and, on a clear morning, a view over the whole High Atlas with the Sahara haze beyond. Two refuges sit side by side at the base of the final climb.

What you actually see

• 4,167 metres - the highest point in North Africa, walked rather than climbed in summer.
• The Mizane valley - the approach from Imlil to the refuges at about 3,200 metres.
• Two refuges - side by side at the foot of the summit slopes.
• A High Atlas view - the range spread out with Saharan haze beyond it.

When to go

May to October for the walk; winter only with equipment and skills. Two to three days.

Honest expectations

Guides are compulsory and arranged in Imlil - this is enforced. Altitude affects many people at 4,167 metres and the ascent from 3,200 is done fast. Scree on the descent causes most of the injuries. Refuges are basic and book out in summer; winter conditions make it a genuine mountaineering route.

Nearby

Imlil is the trailhead; Lac d'Ifni is over the pass on the southern side.