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Rise to the Challenge with Fresh … Climb North Africa’s highest summit in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco

January 21, 2019 @ 1:29 pm

Take part in an experience never to be forgotten. Fresh are organising the ultimate Fresh Air Outdoor Session – climbing Mount Toubkal (4167m) in Morocco.

When: 11th to 18th July 2019

Cost: £850 (deposit payable by 31st January, see below)

Want to join us? Let us tell you a little bit more about Mount Toubkal …..

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Fly to Marrakech

Day 2 – Explore Marrakech – transfer to the Atlas Mountains

Day 3 – Acclimatisation day in the Imil Valley

Day 4 – Trek through the valleys to Neltner Refuge (3207m)

Day 5 – Summit Attempt on Mount Toubkal (4167m)

Day 6 – Ascent of Ouanoukrim (4089m)

Day 7 – Descend and transfer to Marrakech

Day 8 – Fly back from Marrakech

What’s included:

  • An experienced professional local leader
  • Airport transfers (on first and last day of itinerary)
  • All land transport involved in the itinerary
  • Accommodation as described
  • All meals including food on trek
  • On trek equipment (excluding personal equipment)

What’s not included:

  • Travel insurance
  • Visa fees (if applicable)
  • Tips for local staff
  • Miscellaneous expenses – drinks and souvenirs, etc.

Further Information:

Booking and Payments: To reserve your place please email gary@trainfresh.co.ukEach person will need to pay a deposit of £400 due no later than Thursday 31st January 2019 (this is to cover the cost of flights and transfers). Payment can be made by cheque or BACS (credit/debit cards cannot be accepted.

Please make cheques payable to VERVE FITNESS LTD

Direct transfer: Bank HSBC, Sort Code 40-46-22, Account No. 51517813

Please note, this trip requires a minimum of 15 people to run. If the required number is not met, you will be notified on or around Monday 4th February 2019 and your full deposit will be returned to you.

Dietary requirements: A limited choice is available for vegetarians. However, due to the nature of the trip, we cannot provide special diets and you may have to supplement your diet with food/snacks from home. Whilst trekking, the food is a mixture of local and Western, all purchased locally and cooked for us by our trek cooks.  Breakfasts are continental style, with tea and coffee, muesli, bread, jam, honey and soft cheese. A morning snack is also provided and this usually consists of a type of Moroccan “trail mix” with dried figs and dates, peanuts, sugar coated peanuts and other nuts.  Lunch usually starts with the Berber speciality of mint tea, followed by a buffet of rice, pasta or couscous, with a freshly prepared salad – onion, tomatoes, green peppers, grated carrot, green-beans, with tinned sweetcorn or peas added.  Hard and soft cheeses, tinned fish, olives, biscuits and bread are also on the lunchtime menu.  Dinner starts off with soup and bread.  The main course is usually rice, pasta, couscous, spaghetti or chips, with a vegetable stew (or tagine) consisting of some of the following – onion, potato, carrot, green pepper, zucchini, turnip, parsnip, green beans, and peas.  There will be some meat (usually chicken, lamb or beef), however meat is not prominent in the menu.  All dishes come with traditional sauces which are rarely (spicy) hot.  There is the usual range of hot drinks.

Water: it is not recommended to drink untreated water from the taps. You should take purification tablets or a filter bottle (such as a Water-To-Go-bottle) to treat your water. We do not encourage the purchasing of single use plastic bottles.

Accommodation: During this trip the group will spend two nights at a tourist class hotel in Marrakech. The hotel is comfortable, in a convenient location and good value. Away from Marrakech we spend one night in a gite (trekkers’ lodge) in the village Ait Souka and whilst on trek there is a total of 4 nights camping. Tents and mattresses are provided alongside a kitchen tent, dining tent and toilet tent. Accommodation in Marrakech and while camping is based on twin sharing. If you are travelling by yourself you will be paired up with another single client of the same sex. Accommodation in the gite is in dormitories. It is possible to hire a single tent while on trek for an additional cost. Please note single tent hire does not include single rooms in hotels. For the hotel nights in Marrakech single rooms are available for a supplementary cost.

Group Leader & Support Staff: The group will be accompanied by a local English-speaking professional tour leader and for groups larger than 12, there will be an assistant guide. The group will also have the support of a full trek crew including cook, baggage animals and their handlers.

Altitude: This trek involves going to high altitude. During the course of your trip you will reach altitudes in excess of 3500 metres. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before the trip you should read up on advice on trekking at high altitude.

Spending Money: Approximately £100 (or equivalent in US dollars or Euros) should be allowed for miscellaneous expenses including approximately £35 for tips for your trek crew.  It will also be sufficient to cover soft drinks, snacks, and lunches in Marrakech if you should happen to arrive early in the day or depart late in the day. Marrakech is a great place for souvenir buying and all major credit cards are accepted.  It is not necessary to purchase Moroccan currency (Dirham) outside the country. You can withdraw money in local currency from ATM’s on arrival at the airport in arrivals or in Marrakech itself.  Credit cards can be used to purchase goods and it is a good idea to carry one in case of emergency.

Baggage Allowance: Your baggage on trek will be carried by pack animals. The packed weight of your main bag whilst trekking should be no more than 15 kgs. (33 pounds). It is possible to leave clothes or other items not required on trek at the group hotel.

Equipment List: The following checklist should help you with your packing. As a general rule, you should always try to keep the weight of your equipment to a minimum.

YOU SHOULD BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

  • Hiking boots
  • Trainers  or sandals for camp
  • Socks
  • Underwear
  • Trekking trousers
  • Lightweight waterproof over-trousers
  • Short
  • Thermal base layers
  • T-shirts
  • Fleece jacket or warm jumper
  • Lightweight waterproof jacket
  • Sunhat / Warm hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Lightweight thermal or fleece gloves
  • Daypack 30 litres
  • Headtorch and spare batteries
  • Sun protection (including total bloc for lips, nose etc.)
  • Water bottles 1 Litre (x2) (we encourage re-filling water bottles rather than single use plastic)
  • Sleeping bag (comfort rated -5°C)*
  • Antibacterial handwash
  • Washbag and toiletries
  • Small towel
  • Water purification tablets
  • Small padlock (to lock your kit bag)
  • Basic First Aid Kit including: Antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium), painkillers, plasters and blister treatment, Insect repellent, and re-hydration salts (Dioralite).

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE OPTIONAL:

  • Sleeping bag liner
  • Thermarest (please note that foam mattresses are provided)
  • Trekking poles (recommended)
  • Camera
  • Travel clothes
  • Toilet roll
  • Pen-knife (note: always pack sharp objects in hold baggage)
  • Repair kit – (eg. needle, thread, duct tape)
  • Reusable cloth bag for shopping (to avoid plastic bags)

Passport & Visas: A passport with 6 months remaining validity at the end of your stay is generally required for visits to countries outside the EU. The information provided is for UK passport holders. Please check the relevant embassy or consulate for other nationalities. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents and visas for your trip. Visa requirements and charges are subject to change without notice. If you are travelling outside the EU you should have at least 2 blank pages in your passport for each country that you visit.

Visa Morocco: UK and USA passport holders do not require a visa for short stays.

Severe Allergies: If you have a severe allergy we will do what we can to help, but we cannot guarantee an allergy free environment. You will need to carry your own treatment for the allergy with you, as ‘epi-pens’ and similar are not carried as standard first aid kit. You should inform your leader on arrival of your allergy, and let them know where you keep your ‘epi-pen’.

You should contact your doctor or travel clinic to check whether you require any specific vaccinations or other preventive measures. You should be up to date with routine courses and boosters as recommended in the UK e.g. diphtheria-tetanus-polio and measles-mumps-rubella, along with hepatitis A and typhoid.

Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you seek medical advice to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Currency: The unit of currency in Morocco is the Dhiram.

Preparing for your Trip: It makes a lot of sense to spend some time before coming on a trekking or climbing trip getting some additional exercise. The fitter you are, after all, the more enjoyable you will find the experience. For this trip you need to be aerobically fit and also capable for walking up to 8 or 9 hours each day for five days continuously. We would suggest that you adopt a weekly exercise regime and we’ll be happy to discuss this in detail with you here at Fresh Gym. Before departure, we suggest that you try to fit in a number of long walks in hilly country.

Climate: During Summer temperatures in Marrakech can be very high, however in the mountains you can expect daytime temperatures above 2500m to be around 20 to 25ºC. At night, the temperature, even at the Neltner Refuge, is unlikely to fall below freezing. However, it’s good to remember that mountainous weather difficult to predict. Occasional rain or even short-lived storms are not uncommon, so best to be prepared for all.

Travel Aware: Our tour operator supports the British Foreign & Commonwealth Offices’ ‘Travel Awarecampaign to enable British citizens to prepare for their journeys overseas. The ‘Travel Aware’ website provides a single, authoritative source of advice for all kinds of travellers and we recommend that prior to travel, you visit the official UK Government website at travelaware.campaign.gov.uk and read the FCO Travel Advice for their chosen destination.

Your safety and security is the most important aspect of the trip. Our tour operator would not run any trip that they did not consider reasonably safe.  Should the FCO advise against travel for any reason, we will contact everyone booked to travel to discuss the situation.

OPENING TIMES
Monday to Thurs6.30 am - 10.00pm
Friday6.30 am - 8.00pm
Saturday8.00am - 6.00pm
Sunday9.00 am - 5.00 pm

Telephone: 01932 225 953 . Email: info@trainfresh.com