Mountains and deserts of Morocco
The group is full! It is possible to register for the waiting list.
A simpler kind of mountain trip in the Atlas Mountains with a climb to the highest mountain in Morocco, a trip to the Sahara Desert, and local cultural experiences!
The trip is also suitable for those who have never been to the mountains before and who do not have great mountaineering ambitions, but would be happy to hike along mountain trails in beautiful places with a small backpack. A good way to jump out of the dull autumn for a while!
This trip will feature mountains and deserts.
🗻 First the mountains - in the first half of the trip we will hike in the Atlas Mountains and climb to the top of Jebel Toubkal. This mountain is also the highest peak in North Africa. It is currently quite high - 4167 m - but it is more of a "hiking mountain", meaning no mountaineering equipment or knowledge is needed. We can probably even get through the snow. All you need is hiking boots, walking poles and an enthusiastic mood. The view from the top is worth at least a million euros.
🐪 Second, the desert - in the second half of the trip we will do a longer road-trip'i, or a trip to the Sahara Desert. It gives you a taste of the real desert, where you can ride camels and hike on high sand dunes.
NB! The trip is within the reach of the average office worker.
Overview - short & sweet
Goal: climb Jebel Toubkal (4167 m) and travel to the Sahara Desert
Dates: 08.-16.11.2025
Activity: mountain hiking + desert trip
Adventure guides: Kaarel ja Kelli Kuslap
Technical difficulty level: 1/5 (easy mountain hike without special equipment)
Physical difficulty: 2/5 (moderate effort, also suitable for an office worker)
Group size: min 8, max 12 (including 2 guides)
Early bird (until 30.04.2024) — €1290
Late Registration (from 1.05.2025) — €1419
Please note: For community members discount of -5% applies (1225 € / 1345 €)
Travel cost
Price includes - the entire mountain and desert program
Entire trip organization and on-site guidance
Two experienced EKR 3 mountaineering coach certificates Elamus+ locomotive
Local guide services on mountain and desert days
Local transport in Morocco
All overnight stays throughout the trip (riads, guesthouses, mountain huts)
All breakfasts and dinners in the mountains and desert
Stylish Elamus+ sports shirt for each participant
Group pharmacy (including medications for altitude sickness)
Elamus+ mountaineering preparation package (valued at €200)
Access to online mountaineering webinars
Winter mountaineering training day
Summer trial hike/training
Price does not include - flights, personal belongings and optional activities
Flight tickets Tallinn-Marrakech-Tallinn (~400 €)
Insurance (travel insurance and mandatory sports insurance suitable for mountain hiking)
Personal hiking equipment and, if necessary, climbing crampons (can be rented on site)
Drinks and lunches on mountain and desert days, dinners in the city
Tips for on-site helpers
Unscheduled excursions, transportation, etc. (or if you want to do something extra)
Registering for the tour
Before registering, please read travel conditions. To secure your place on the trip, a deposit (20%) must be paid within 3 business days of receiving the confirmation and invoice by email; if there are less than 30 days left until the trip, the total cost (100%) must be paid. Read more: frequently asked questions ja package tour information sheet.
Schedule and activities
Although the goal of the trip is to climb Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco and North Africa, it is not exactly a classic mountaineering trip. There is no hard climbing involved, but rather a hike up the mountain.
In addition to the mountains, we will dedicate part of the trip to driving to the Sahara Desert. See the huge sand dunes, ride camels on them and spend the night among them under the starry sky. We will also leave time to explore the cultural and tourist attractions of Marrakech.
Since Marrakech is relatively close to the Sahara Desert, it is pleasantly warm there all year round. April is a good time to go, as the temperatures are not yet scorching like in summer, but the weather is pleasantly warm, averaging 25 degrees during the day, so shorts and a T-shirt are completely appropriate. Higher up in the mountains it is cooler and windier, but you can still see more sun than in some Estonian summers!
DAY 1 – Arrival and getting settled
Morocco is well connected by air to Western European cities and several low-cost airlines also operate there. On the first day, we will find accommodation and take a short city tour with dinner in the evening. For accommodation in Marrakech, we will choose Moroccan riads - these are traditional houses with courtyards, where pleasant courtyards, swimming pools, fruit trees and stylish interior design are hidden behind an inconspicuous door at first glance.
DAY 2 - HEADING TO THE MOUNTAINS
After breakfast, we will take a two-hour bus ride to the village of Imlil, located at an altitude of 1700 m. This is the main starting point for climbers of Jebel Toubkal and hikers in the mountains. There we will put on our small backpacks and have a six-hour pleasant hike. For dinner and overnight stay, we will reach the Tamsoul mountain hut (2250 m). The mountain huts are simple huts, but you can eat properly, sleep on bunk beds on mattresses, and blankets and pillows are also available on site.
DAY 3 - HIKING TOWARDS JEBEL TOUBKAL MOUNTAIN
Breakfast at the Tamsoult hut, then pack up and set off. Continuing along the mountain hiking trail, but now the direction is more upward. On the way we cross the Tizi Aguelzim pass (3560 m), so there are still plenty of meters of ascent. On the pre-pass climb, some people may want to call it quits on mountain hiking, but this thought fades after a while. In total, it will take 8-9 hours of hiking to reach the mountain hut at the foot of Mount Toubkal (3207 m). Then a proper dinner again and an early night's sleep to be in shape for tomorrow.
DAY 4 - SUMMIT DAY
If we want to see the sunrise at the top of Jebel Toubkal, we start walking towards the top early, even at 4 am. It is difficult at first, because sleep, ascent meters and cold play their part. If it is snowy and cold weather, we may put on crampons, but generally hiking boots and walking poles are enough. After a few hours of walking, we happily reach the top (4167 m)! And then back down to the mountain hut, where we rest for a while, have lunch and continue descending. The descent route is not the same as when we came up, so there is a change. But it is still a nice hiking trail - now in a downward direction (people usually like it more). All in all, it will be a long day, we have to move for 8-9 hours. We will stay overnight in a village where there is still a beautiful mountain view - Aroumd village at an altitude of 1940 m.
DAY 5 - DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF MARRAKECH
Civilization is already visible! In the morning, a short one-hour hike back downhill to the village of Imlil. There you can relax and wait for the bus ride back to Marrakech. We plan to be in the city by lunchtime, so there will still be plenty of time to explore the city. A warm and peaceful day. If we want, we can walk around the city. If we want, we can visit the sights. If we want, we can shop with the market vendors. There must be a vacation, too! Our itinerary will definitely include the labyrinthine old town of Marrakech, the Medina, with its countless markets, and the main square near the old town, Djemaa El Fna, where restaurants, musicians, snake charmers and countless other activities take place in the evening.
DAY 6 - JOURNEY TO THE DESERT
Starts road-trip towards the desert. To reach the real desert, with real sand dunes and real camels, we have to drive a long way out of Marrakech. The bus picks us up from the riad in the morning and heads towards the desert. At first, we cross the Atlas Mountains from the northwest to the southeast over the Tizi N Tichka mountain pass (2260 m), where we can still remember the measured days in the mountains and enjoy the last mountain views. The cultural program includes a stop in the historic village of Ait Ben Haddou (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
DAY 7 - NIGHT IN THE SAHARA DESERT
Breakfast at the guesthouse and then the drive continues along the Dades Valley. Lots of rocks and cliffs, some of which are also popular destinations for rock climbers. Our bus destination is the village of Merzouga, located in the southeast corner of Morocco. From there, the desert begins. We meet our camels, who take us on a one and a half hour ride through the desert over the sand dunes to the Erg Chebbi desert camp. There we eat and sleep. At night, you can sleep both in a tent and under the open sky, looking at the stars - since there is no light noise, the starry sky is unusually bright.
DAY 8 - RETURN
We wake up early to see the sunrise in the desert and ride camels back to the village of Merzouga. From there, our long drive back to Marrakech begins. On the way, we make several stops to look back at the Sahara Desert, admire the views of the Atlas Mountains and simply take pictures, explore and have lunch. We arrive in Marrakech around 6-7 pm, then there is still enough time to organize a final holy supper to conclude the trip.
DAY 9 - DEPARTURE HOME
That's all. The warm Moroccan adventure is over and we have to return to the Estonian spring. Richer in experiences and adventures.
NB! There may be minor changes to the schedule and planned activities - for example, due to weather and conditions or passenger requests.
Travel documents and other footnote information
The participant is responsible for the validity and orderliness of their travel documents. The following documents are required for this trip:
pass (visa is not required for Morocco);
suitable for mountain hiking sports insuranceA suitable sports insurance policy must be carried and is a prerequisite for participating in the mountain hike;
travel insurance (including travel disruption, baggage, medical assistance);
Read more also Elamus Pluss OÜ travel conditions.
Don't worry, let's do it!
Is this mountain hike within my reach?
Jebel Toubkal is a fairly easy mountain and no prior mountaineering experience is required. Previous hiking experience and active exercise in Estonia will of course be beneficial.
But I don't have any hiking gear, who can afford to buy it?!
You'll have to spend a little money, but not much. For Jebel Toubkal, you'll mainly need standard hiking clothing and basic hiking gear (walking poles, backpack, headlamp, etc.). The only climbing gear you'll need (maybe) is crampons, which can be rented on site if needed. We'll sleep and eat in mountain huts under a roof, so there's no need to carry camping gear.
Okay, I registered. Now what?
To make your mountain hike more enjoyable, we recommend that you participate in our preparatory events before the trip - it's also part of the fun. We organize preparatory hiking training, give advice on suitable insurance and equipment, where to rent cheap equipment, what to train for, etc. We will definitely check the collected equipment just before the start of the trip and send reminders about important things.
Read more also frequently asked questions.
