VILLAGE
LEVEL TREKKING
HIGH
LEVEL TREKKING
PRIVATE
TAILOR-MADE TRIPS
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PRIVATE TAILOR-MADE
TRIPS
Background /
Introduction
We
offer a wide range of customised and personal trips to
suit most budgets, ambitions and ability levels - ranging from walking
at village level to multi-week long technical traverses of the
main spine of the Atlas ridge.
The
High Atlas Mountains of Morocco are still very much in the
"exploratory" state the Alps were a hundred years ago and
indeed even to-day there are still valleys which wouldn't see (m)any
non-nationals from one end of the year to the next!. Whilst all the
main summits in the High Atlas have been climbed, many connecting
ridges have either never been fully completed or have only a handful
of recorded traverses. Exploratory (for us as well!)
trips
in the Moroccan High Atlas mountains are therefore still
possible!
We want to help
design the best programme and itinerary to suit your
ambitions! Therefore please do
contact us with your ideas - that's what we're here for!
Accommodation
Accommodation is an integral part of the trip - depending on your
trip, we stay in traditional Berber village houses in an attempt to
provide you with an insight into the Berber people and culture. If
you're aiming to go above village level to the summits and ridges
themselves, then depending on the summits you want to climb we
either stay in mountain refuges (e.g. for Toubkal & Mgoun) or if
you are looking for remote summits then camp using our high quality
expedition tents.
If you like we can
arrange or suggest hotel or riad accommodation for you in the
starting town / city you will be leaving from for your trip to the
mountains. Alternatively you can arrange this yourself to suit your
own budget and comfort requirements!
Environmental / Health
All our guides are qualified in remote and wilderness first aid and
always carry a fully equipped first aid kit for serious medical
emergencies. However this is not a general dispensary (!) - walkers
should bring their own supplies of plaster, blister prevention pads,
paracetamol etc. and any medication they are on.
There are no compulsory vaccinations for Morocco but, as always, you
should keep Hep A, Tetanus, Polio, Typhoid and possibly rabies up to
date. Consult your GP or a vaccine specialist for professional
advice. The most common complaint can be diarrhea which can be
caused simply by a change of diet or more likely your poor hygiene
standards. Non spring bottled water should never be drunk without
first sterilising with iodine tablets or by boiling.
Currency / Visas / Language
Visas for entry into Morocco are not required by nationals of
Ireland, the U.K, U.S.A, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most E.U
countries.
The currency in Morocco is the dirham (dh). There are about 10.5 dh
to the €. Impossible to get dirham outside of Morocco - therefore
take € Euros (preferably) or US$ and exchange over here.
Language is Arabic / Berber but French is also understood / spoken
widely. Little or no English spoken / understood.
Time difference = GMT all year.
Insurance
We ask you to effect individual holiday insurance against travel
delays, loss of baggage and money, mountain rescue & medical
expenses, personal accident and any cancellation costs. You should
note that there are no official mountain rescue services in Morocco
and that any evacuation in the event of a serious medical emergency
to the nearest hospital will be by land as opposed to helicopter.
We will require documentary evidence of your insurance prior to
departure.
What we provide
- Private transport -
private minibus / 4X4 depending on exactly where you are going
- Mule / muleteer - includes us
providing food for both the mule(!) and muleteer throughout your
trip and also their accommodation costs. Please also note that
if you are requiring mule hire, your baggage should not weigh
more than 20KG per person which will mean one mule can serve 2
persons plus their food etc. If you bring more baggage than
this, then you may have to hire an extra mule!
- Guide - be it a trekking trip in the villages or a
multi-day long winter traverse of a technical ridge, our guides
are in the top-league! To get the best out of your trip, we
suggest you don't leave for the hills without one! Their trip
food & accommodation costs are also
included in the price.
- Accommodation in the mountains
(depending on the type of trip you have designed with us) will
be typically a mixture of Berber village houses; gites; small
local pensions; mountain refuges ("huts" like the
Alps) and if you are staying high then use of our expedition
Terra Nova & North Face tents.
- Food price includes one of our
great cooks to cook for you throughout. Also all their
accommodation costs etc are included.
plus:
- A highly personalised service in arranging your trip
- Sat phone back-up if you are outside GSM coverage
- Expert local knowledge
Additional costs for you once you join
us would be just personal spending on soft drinks / personal snacks
/ showers if charged separately by the accommodation provider etc.
So
- what's it all cost?! Well
that depends on how many there are of you (minimum 2),
what exactly you want to do and for how long and what
sort of accommodation you will be staying in. As
a very rough guide, expect anywhere from € 95 - € 125 pp
/ 24 hrs depending on all
the variables.
If you are prepared to
open your trip up to other people and for us to advertise it
on the website, then this will attract a discounted price
for you - generally a discount of around € 25 pp/day.
It may well be that no-one else will join you but that is
our problem not yours! You can rest assured that the maximum
in the entire group will be 8 persons (and often less
depending on the technical nature of the trip) so if you do
want to open the trip up to others, you'll know you won't be
swamped by a crowd!
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