6 independent reviews for Mount Toubkal climb in Morocco
Reviews for Mount Toubkal climb in Morocco
John Topliss review 7 Jul 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The trekking in the Atlas Mountains was fantastic with ideal weather and a great team of guides, cooks and porters.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared for rough camping on hard ground. The operator was also not as accommodating as one would have expected in offering/booking additional accommodation in Marrakesh after the trip, and they were unwilling to liaise with the Gomassine Hotel in allowing my girlfriend to join me on the last night.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The trip employed local people (guides, cook and porters) but as a group we had a major concern about how much they were being paid and how much was being creamed off by the local tour agent and Exodus.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
I would rate this vacation very highly overall.Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for your review, John - we're very glad to hear that you had a fantastic time trekking in the High Atlas with us! Regarding your stay in Marrakech, our team are always happy to assist in booking post-tour accommodation, though we are unfortunately unable to book shared rooms for those not signed up to one of our tours.
We can also assure you that the staff on your trip, and all our tours, are paid fairly, as their salaries are in keeping with those standard across the Moroccan travel industry. We are confident that this is part of the reason why we are able to attract and retain such great local
staff and leaders, though we apologise if you were given a different impression, as we appreciate why this would have been a source of concern.
Lynda Berry review 26 Jun 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The views from top of mount Toubkal2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Get your legs fit as it’s tough walking!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
In part but not really. The lesser jobs (mule drivers etc) clearly underpaid for all the work they do which the operator really does need to address. Lots of rubbish on mountain. Hopefully ours was disposed of properly by our team! Plastic obviously a major issue that clearly isn’t addressed by government encouraging recycling. And conservation clearly affected by the hundreds of tourists on the mountain in terms of using it as a toilet, leaving litter etc. The water courses were full of rubbish & debris.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very good trip, loved being in the mountains but the tour companies & middle men” (local angencies) are screwing the locals who actually do the hard work. As always the rich get richer & the poor stay poor, relying on hefty tips to make ends meet.Read the operator's response here:
Hi Lynda,
I hope that you are well.
I wanted to give you some responses to your feedback about your recent vacation to Morocco, in particular your comments about the working conditions of the local community and the rubbish in the area.
It is very concerning to us about the rubbish, we have reached out to local authorities to see if there is any program for litter clean up for the mountain but it is proving hard to find any information. I will update you once we have more. What we will do about the litter in the mean time is investigate whether there is anything that Exodus can do in terms of the litter on the mountain once we have ascertained if there is any local program.
As for the muleteers, obviously being a muleteer is not the easiest job out there, so I totally understand why you might feel bad about their situation. However, the judgement is far from the truth in regarding how much they get paid. In the area of Toubkal, the local association has actually set minimum daily rate for muleteers which our provider also respects. We are not sure what you are basing your comment on, but I would like to assure you that all our operations are done 100% under the local laws and regulations.
If you do have any further comments to add they would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards
Alison Price review 18 May 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Using crampons and ice picks in sections of the climb and decent. Reaching the summit and how beautiful the landscape and Berner people were. Finally how amazing our guide Lahcen Idblaid was and his team, they were so attentive, considerate and well organised and produced the most delicious food which was plentiful and certainly kept us all going. They definitely made the whole adventure, the amazing experience it was.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Expect a challenging walk.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes it did, using local guides and porters who were ALL so LOVELY!! During the whole trip I didn't see any rubbish left behind and no obvious evidence that we had ever been there.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Memorable with breathtaking views of natural beauty and enchanting people.Moira Anderson review 9 Aug 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
For me it was the actual summit day and being part of a fabulous group of like minded people who supported each other amidst lots of laughter2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Thought this trip provided a good balance of additional climbs in addition to the main ones which provided time to relax as well which I would definitely recommend.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I believe it would have supported local people but found little evidence of how it reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was a worthwhile experience and made easily accessible by well considered routes. I was slightly disappointed by the lack of information given in the briefing about the following days events and especially as heights reached on certain days did not match that in the itinerary.Anita Howard review 19 May 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The overall challenge of climbing to the summit was wonderful. Waking in the mountains every morning and spending a few hours happily hiking whilst enjoying the fresh mountain air and the views was just perfect. I loved it.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Bring lots of sunscreen, extra layers, and be prepared to rough it out in the mountain refuge - the conditions there are challenging, with guests sharing a room with around 30 people at a time, and with very few toilets and less than hygienic conditions. But it was all absolutely worth it. A brilliant trip!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not sure about conservation, but the team guiding us was all local. The leader explained that for every trip they rotate the support team (porters) so that the income is spread out among local people.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
An experience of a lifetime. I loved it all, and the group dynamic was so supportive and friendly. It was great, as a single female traveler, to feel safe and relaxed in the knowledge that all the arrangements were taken care of, and that we were being well looked after.Pam Harris review 3 Oct 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Reaching the peak of Mount Toubka, of course! But equally the lovely new friendships I have made from a great group of people to travel and climb with and the absolutely stunning and spectacular scenery of the High Atlas Mountains.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
For the Mount Toubkal climb, I would say GET FIT. Do lots of climbing practice - both ascents and descents and practice with a day pack on your back. Also bring a camera that can take good photos - the scenery is stunning.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It certainly benefitted local people as it is the local Mountain Berbers who guide us, run the pack mules and host us in the towns when we stay in gites. With the others I am not so sure, as Morocco still has a terrible problem with litter and it was sad to see all the rubbish - plastic bottles, papers, discarded items lying all over the countryside and all around the little villages. We could try our hardest to use local water with purification tablets, but it is still much easier and it is encouraged by the locals to buy bottled water. I always gave my empty bottles back to a shop or our guide to ensure they were disposed in a more environmental manner (at least I hope so). There are other examples but that is the most obvious.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Fabulous vacation. I achieved my goal of climbing Mount Toubkal (with a bit of help from the guide/porters), met some lovely people, (now new friends), learnt a lot about the Moroccan culture and the Atlas Mountains, and saw some spectacular scenery. Can't ask for much more than that!Holiday Reviews
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