Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 31.05920°N / 7.9164°W
Additional Information Elevation: 13671 ft / 4167 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

Jbel Toubkal is the highest mountain in the Haut Atlas (High Atlas) and N Africa til Ras Dashen in Ethiopia. Throughout the story of exploration by Europeans it must be remembered that some of the main summits of the Atlas, including Toubkal, were almost certainly reached by Berber tribesmen in the course of hunting trips long before recorded ascents began. Two Frenchmen, the Marquis de Segonzac and Louis Gentil, the second a noted geologist, commenced thorough explorations in wich de Segonzac climbed Ari n'Ayachi in 1901 and Gentil came within an ace of reaching the top of Siroua in 1908. Both men continued their work into the 1920s wich resulted in the mineral wealth of Morocco being exposed and developed on a large scale. The Moroccan section of the Alpine Club was founded in 1922 and in that year de Segonzac climbed the Iferouane believing it to be the highest point in the range, only to observe the mountain now called Toubkal was distinctly loftier. An attempt on Toubkal in April the following year was rebuffed by fresh snow but de Segonzac and his party returned in June and got to the top. The height of Toubkal was determined in 1924 and a trigonometrical signal was raised on the summit in 1931. After the conquest of Toubkal in 1923 new ascents in the region followed rapidly as French expatriate enthusiasm mounted. The ranks of the regular Morocco contingent grew to a dozen or more; among the leading lights were J. Balay, L. Neltner, M. de Prandières, A. Stofer, and above all Jaques and T. de Lépiney.

So the first European ascent was on 12 June 1923 by V. Berger, H. Dolbeau, Marquis de Segonzac. At present it's climbed by some 500 persons each year. A landmark was established in Moroccan climbing in 1938 with the publication of the th Toubkal area guidebook written by Jean Dresch and Jacques de Lépiney. It was reprinted with some improvenments in 1942. I have the facsimile of it and it's really a nice jewel of the Toubkal's history, it's written in French with drawings by the topographer Théophile-Jean Delaye.

Getting There

From Marrakech go by car, taxi or bus to Asni (47 Km) on S501. From Asni there are trucks that can take you to Imlil (17 Km). In Spring mules carry to the snowline, thereafter porters could be hired. The trail is normally clear for mules all the way from early May.

Red Tape

No permits or fees required. No seasonal closures.

When To Climb

All the year but take care, the summer months are too much hot in this part of Morocco. In the Haoz plain (Marrakech) during August average maximums are of 42 ºC / 108 F with 45 ºC / 115 F not uncommon. Add 3 - 5 ºC for comparable temperatures on the S side of the Atlas. Night-time temperatures at 3.000 m in August can be as high as 15 ºC / 59 F. The crucial weather band is above 3.600 m, then temperatures in the early hours of the morning are below freezing point.

Precipitation on the N slope of the Atlas is greatest between October and April. February and March are normally the worst periods. Snow settles down to 1.400 m in winter and in spring retreats to about 3.000 m. From early July pockets of snow remain in hollows and gullies above 3.000 m and by end August all traces of snow may have gone.

Camping

Refuge du Toubkal (3.207 m)

Rebuilt over Refuge Neltner, wich was a hut built after Louis Neltner (born 1904). Situated high up the Mizane Valley, more frequented than all other huts and mountain bases put together because it stands at the foot of Toubkal. Warden resident for long periods at a strech and door rarely locked. A solid construction built in 1938. Between Summers 1999 and 2000 (finished on 22/11/1999) that new hut has been built. Now it takes 86 places, it is just mattresses on the floors, quite cramped and very damp. There is also a kitchen and some dining areas. There are toilets downstairs, however, before March the water supply is frozen for most of the day, so there is no way of flushing them. CAF. Phone: 00212 (0) 6 61 69 54 63 refugetoubkal@gmail.com

Mountain Conditions

Weather conditions in Oukaïmeden, the nearest ski resort.


CAF-Maroc

External Links

Moroccan High Atlas Mountains & Mount Toubkal News, includes weather and guides information.

 

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

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gingermac - Sep 25, 2007 12:33 pm - Hasn't voted

Toubkal Refuge

There are two refuges at the foot of Toubkal, the original Neltner Refuge and the newer CAF Maroc Toubkal Refuge which is behind and slightly higher. Whilst trekking from Imlil to the refuge we were passed by a couple who were returning from the Neltner refuge, they strongly recommended that we gave it a miss and stayed in the CAF refuge instead. The night before had been very cold and in addition to their refuge fees they were then charged again to sit close to the fire to keep warm. We decided to take their advice and wandered into the CAF Maroc Toubkal Refuge (3207m). where we were greated by the guardian. There are shelves for boots inside the door and there were plenty of hut sandals to change into. On the ground floor is the kitchen, 2 dining areas, and a lounge area with comfy chairs a fire place and a heater - this was a little cold at first but warmed up a treat once the heater was switched on. Downstairs are the toilets and washroom, there are even hot showers. The toilets were water flushing rather than chemical which may lead to problems with the water freezing in the winter. Upstairs there are 5 dorms with the usual mattresses on bunks (not on the floor as I had read in a number of other reports) They do not provide blankets so you will have to take your own bedding. The refuge was clean and well kept, and not at all damp as often described. We ordered dinner which was served at 19:30 - soup followed by tagine (I requested Vegetarian and was served a seperate dish without the meat) and finished with hot, sweet moroccan mint tea. They also had a stock of bottled water, pringles, chocolate bars and other essentials which could be purchased for reasonable prices. Breakfast was fairly basic, bread, jam, cheese triangles and tea, coffee or hot chocolate. More info can be found at http://www.caf-maroc.com/ We paid around 200DH (approx £12) per person for our stay including dinner, breakfast and bottles of water. They offer discounts for CAF members or those with a reciprocal rights card. I believe that it is more expensive in winter as it costs a lot more to get food and fuel up to the refuge.

Proterra

Proterra - Nov 25, 2007 8:16 am - Voted 9/10

Re: Toubkal Refuge

I didn't have any problems at the Toubkal refuge, aside from Berbers having a different view about time than Northern Europeans. Paid DH175 per night for my stay there, with full board. In my opinion, not bad. Also, they didn't charge anything for the fireplace, also, the folks at the Toubkal refuge provide heavy Berber blankets. Aside from having breakfast served at 7.15, after having requested it at 6.30, and the lack of fellow climbers staying at it, the Toubkal refuge was definitely worth staying at.

MattHC

MattHC - Jan 21, 2008 6:16 am - Voted 10/10

Toubkal Additional Information

Camping There are two huts, one run by the Club Alpine Français called the Toubkal Refuge. The other is a larger refuge right next to the first, run by an Imlil resident. External Links www.imlil.org has practical information on accommodation in Imlil, routes up Toubkal and how to hire guides. Mountain Conditions The best mountain weather web site is: http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Oukaimeden This is the only regularly updated site for the High Atlas that I can find.

dmiki

dmiki - Mar 25, 2008 3:35 pm - Hasn't voted

another possible weather link

Moroccan High Atlas Mountains & Mount Toubkal News - Weather http://nomadicmorocco.blogspot.com/search/label/Weather%20%2F%20Snow

chamclimber - Sep 28, 2016 1:06 pm - Hasn't voted

Guide to the region

We used http://www.skyhookadventure.co.uk/blog/toubkal-and-high-atlas-range and http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=7305 alongside this - both of which were very useful

Neufy

Neufy - Oct 2, 2020 4:31 pm - Hasn't voted

Toubkal Weather

https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Toubkal/forecasts/4167 This may be a more recent forecast website. I have found it very helpful. Includes forecast for rain, snow, wind and temperatures at a range of altitudes for the mountain.

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Parents

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