The 2026 Morocco Trek

Our journey from Marrakech into the Atlas Mountains brought our first exciting glimpse of Mount Toubkal, spotted from a scenic bridge along the way.

After arriving in Imlil, we refuelled with a light lunch before a helpful briefing from Smyrff to prepare us for the trek ahead. A short walk into the village gave us a chance to explore our surroundings before heading back for a delicious dinner - lamb tagine, minestrone soup and fruit - leaving us ready and excited to begin our ascent in the morning.

We started early with a 5am breakfast after what had been a restless night for most – thanks in part to some rather impressive snoring! With porridge, fruit and eggs fuelling us once again, we did our final kit checks before setting off at 6:30am.

Today’s route was noticeably different, with much heavier snowfall than last year. We spent much of the morning walking through snow and crossing several rivers before reaching the famous 99 Zig Zags in the Aglzim Valley. The ascent was tough, especially as the sun began to beat down on us, but spirits stayed high with plenty of encouragement – and even a creative rendition of the “12 Days of Christmas,” featuring favourites like “99 zig zags” and “12 hikers hiking,” to keep us going!

We stopped for lunch at the Aglzim saddle, where we enjoyed tuna sandwiches and salad while taking in our first distant view of the Toubkal summit and its trig point.

However, the day didn’t go exactly to plan. Due to heavy snowfall, it wasn’t safe to descend via the north peak as intended. Instead, we had to reroute up and over the south ridge, adding an extra 100 metres of climbing. From a distance it looked steep, narrow and quite daunting, but the team took it on brilliantly. As a bonus, this unexpected detour meant we were able to summit Mount Aglzim - a peak last year’s group didn’t reach.

The descent that followed was rugged and required some scrambling, making for a long and physically demanding day. After around 10 hours on the move, we finally reached Mouflons Refuge, where we’ll be based for the next three nights.

It was a challenging day, but one that felt incredibly rewarding - and we’re all looking forward to a well-earned rest this evening.

Today was all about getting used to the snow and preparing ourselves for tomorrow’s summit attempt. After breakfast and a good rest at the refuge, a few of us headed out on an acclimatisation walk to help adjust to the altitude.

There was snow everywhere – far more than expected for this time of year – and it made for a completely different experience. Some of the team fully embraced it, with James even stopping to make snow angels!

The walk itself was incredible. For the first time, we put on crampons and tackled the steeper snowy paths heading up towards the saddle. Normally these routes would be clear gravel, but today they were completely covered, making it the most technical hiking we’ve done so far. We zig-zagged our way up the mountain, carefully finding our footing, but the effort was more than worth it when we reached the top and took in the stunning views.

At the summit point, we were treated to a special moment as our guide, Ibrahim, led a well-earned sing-song before we began our descent. The way back down was slow and steep, requiring plenty of concentration, but we made it safely back to Mouflons Refuge.

It’s been a rewarding day of preparation, and spirits are high as we rest up and get ready for tomorrow’s Toubkal summit attempt.

We did it!!

Summit day! We were up well before sunrise after a 4:00am wake-up call, followed by an early breakfast, a briefing, and some much-appreciated words of encouragement from Smyrff. Emotional good luck messages from family back home gave everyone an extra boost as we set off at 5am, feeling motivated and ready.

We began our ascent in the dark, making our way steadily through steep, snowy terrain. After around six hours of climbing, we reached the saddle at approximately 4,000m, where we caught our first glimpse of the famous triangular trig point in the distance.

With just 167 metres to go, we pushed on together for the final stretch to the summit - Mount Toubkal, standing at 4,167m, the highest peak in North Africa. Reaching the top was an unforgettable moment, filled with cheers, tears, hugs, and an overwhelming sense of pride.

We took time to capture photos and soak in the incredible views, but with the weather beginning to change, we soon started our descent. Snowfall and rain followed us on the way down, making conditions challenging, but we all made it safely back to the refuge.

After an incredible achievement, dinner that evening felt especially rewarding (chips included!), and spirits were high as we looked ahead to returning to Marrakech for some well-earned celebrations and a proper shower.