King Edward VI Five Ways School

Leader Alice Chivers

7th July

The group have all arrived safely back in Marrakech from Mount Toubkal.

We’re now safely back in Marrakech after our 6 days trekking in the High Atlas. Starting in Oukaimeden, we climbed slowly up to the high pass of Tizi n’ou Addi at 2960m before following the trail down to our first gite at Tigmi Tacchdirt and our introduction to tagines full of aromatic vegetables and couscous.

From here we trekked for two days to the base of Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. This gave us time to adapt to the altitude as we went, taking it gently and enjoying the ever changing views as we walked higher into the mountains.

On Wednesday we split into two groups, with one group walking to the pass of Tizi Ouagane (3730m) for spectacular views down into the valley and Lac d’infini, whilst the second group climbed Mt Toubkal. An early start meant we were walking in the cool of the day, as we followed the scree slope up and through boulders to join the ridge. We reached the summit (4167m) at around 10am and made the most of the panoramic views. The group were thrilled to have made it and certainly pushed themselves to get there.

Another day’s walk downhill brought us back down the valley and to the much appreciated warmth and rich air.

Now back in Marrakech it’s time to explore.
Today after a quick refuel at the hotel we had a guided tour of the medina and the souks. Our tour started at the Bahia Palace where the students learnt a lot about local architecture and traditions. After a walk through the various market stalls we ended the tour with a traditional herbalist shop. They learnt all about traditional medicine and picked up a few spices too!

5th July

A quick update in from the group to say all is well and they should be going for the summit tomorrow.

2nd July

The group have arrived safe and well in Marrakech, and have now headed out on their trek.