Family Teenage Toubkal Ascent, M Traveller Reviews

I was slightly apprehensive when setting off on this holiday with my two teenage boys; the thought of a walking holiday was definitely taking second place to the holiday they had planned later in the summer with their dad to a sunny Spanish resort. I wasn’t overly concerned about the fitness needed, having grown up in Wales and trudged up hills from a young age…a pleasure / pain I also regularly inflict on my boys, so I could tick off that worry. It was more the competition; I was up against the’ all-inclusive’ buffets and ice-creams, swimming pools and slides. I just hoped all the different sights, sounds and landscapes would be sufficient to win them over! We arrived at Marrakech airport late in the evening; my first concern there was no-one meet up….hmmm what to do? Thankfully we decided to wander outside of the airport, where we met our guide for the week, Hussein. We were swiftly driven to the hotel, and given the key to our room. Very spacious space, though perhaps a bottle of water in the fridge would have been a nice touch as I had to go searching for water as soon as we arrived. Next morning after our ‘leisurely breakfast’ we set off for the hills at 8am….it’s ok KE I’m a morning person, but this line from the trip notes unwittingly had stuck in my head and did make me chuckle…no surprises then we were going to have a 4am start on summit day! Quick introductions to our fellow participants (we’d arrived too late for the group de-brief) and off we set on our 2-hour journey to the Atlas Mountains. Our first couple of nights were to be spent at a lovely little gite in Imill, with lovely views and after our first taste of the infamous mint tea we settled in and started to chat with the group. It was hot, so we had our first short walk late in the afternoon, returning back in time for a delicious group dinner. Overall the food was fantastic, with lots of fresh veg and spices…just my kind of food! The next day after a consultation with the group we set off on the longer walk option, as the shorter option included a lot of walking on the roads, which we were all keen to avoid. It was a beautiful walk up to a high saddle ridge, with fantastic views. This walk was probably my favourite walk of the holiday, rather than up to the summit of Mount Toubkal, which I realise was probably most peoples. I did enjoy summit day, but landscape wise it wasn’t as interesting, and I am pretty fit as are my boys (must be all those Welsh hills!), so it didn’t present a physical change for us. It was a long walk but we were rewarded with the most fantastic lunch near a little flowing stream underneath the shade of the trees. It was simply perfect, and after a leisurely lunch and a little snooze we set off back to our gite. Following day we set off to walk to the base of Mount Toubkal to stay in a larger refuge; Neltner Refuge. The altitude was getting significantly higher, and the pace may have slowed down a little. A welcome break en route at a little mountain café for a delicious freshly squeezed orange juice gave us the zest we needed to keep going. The refuge was basic, but reasonably clean, and we all turned in for the night in our 12-bunk bed room. It was definitely snug, but comfortable enough though not sure anyone got much sleep! Whether this was all the different breathing sounds, or the anticipation of the alarms going off at 3am! Off we set at 4am, head torches on, boots laced up; fleeces zipped up as we joined the slow snaking line of other grounds winding up the mountain side. There were a few people suffering from altitude sickness, but our guide managed it well, and ensured that the whole group got up to the summit. We were at the top of North Africa’s second highest mountain, and everyone felt great, with a sense of achievement across the group. I think I may have actually found the walk down with all the shree and loose rocks harder! Time to bring that core balance into use! It was a restful afternoon once we returned with everyone retiring to their bunks for a bit of a rest, snooze or sleep. Mid-afternoon we probably had our best snack of the week; home-made donuts…simply delicious! I think I managed four….well I ‘m working on the premises of calories in – calories out! Next morning we set off back to Imil; another lovely walk through beautiful landscapes with lots of chat with the group. We were a group of 12 people; 7 kids (all boys) and 5 adults and friendships were formed through the group. Enough people to move around a chat with, but not so many that it felt too large. Our last night in the hills, before the drive back to the city of Marrakech. It was hot in the city, so a relief that the hotel we were staying in had a pool, which was never particularly busy, so we chilled out and relaxed by the pool the following day. Just venturing into the old town late in the afternoon to experience the souks of Marrakech. This was a great end to the holiday, and a total contrast to the calmness and solitude of the hills. All in all this was a fantastic holiday, and in case you’re wondering; the sights, sounds and people were definitely enough to win my boys over and they too along with me loved the holiday and all the experiences it offered to us. Thank you KE we will back on another of your holidays soon! Cathy, Dylan and Loman

Well planned trip, lots of information pre-trip about what to expect and what we would be doing on every step of the holiday.

We went on a trip to Morocco entitled Teenage Ascent of Mount Toubkal in July this year. Interestingly there were 5 kids in our group who were not teenagers but this was not a particular problem as on the whole they were cheerful good humoured company. Our 15 year old son might have appreciated more teenage company (there were 2 other boys in their teens)The trip was perfectly organised, the walking was well paced for the climate (ie not too far or fast for the summer heat), we ate very healthy local fresh produce and enjoyed absolutely spectacular scenery. The guide was knowledgeable, friendly, capable and caring.

We went with KE Adventure who provided an excellent service. All communication with them was prompt and efficient and our random questions never seemed to be too much trouble. They arranged a calligraphy workshop in Marrakesh for us and helped me with my planning of an extra session of horse riding. Would definitely be happy to book with them again and have recommended to many friends already.