Since the terrible events in Imlil in December 2018, there have been marked changes in access to Jbel Toubkal. These changes have been brought in by the Moroccan Government, to ensure the safety of all people wishing to ascend this splendid mountain.

This blog post is to help you understand what these changes mean for you, whether you are leading a group up Toubkal, or just planning to climb it on your own. It is based on my firsthand experience in Imlil talking to many guides and local security forces.

• There is a gendarme checkpoint just before the bridge on arrival in Imlil. They will ask for your passport number, to register you as being in the area.
• It is now obligatory for every individual or group ascending Toubkal to take a local guide. If you have just arrived, the best place to find a guide is at the local guide’s office near Café Soleil down the bottom of town.

Once in Imlil, you are free to explore the valley, market and village as normal.

• There is a checkpoint at the roadhead by the new bridge just South of Aroumd, equipped with several CCTV cameras surveying access to the valley. The gendarmes here are friendly, and will require the following details for everyone in your group:

Full name, passport number, date of delivery, date of expiry, nationality, date of birth.

The gendarmes here will prevent you from continuing onwards unless you have a local guide with you. It is unclear what exactly defines a “local guide” at this stage, but it seems to be that it must be someone from Imlil who knows the area and the security situation. Needless to say, there are a few locals hanging around here offering to accompany groups who forgot to book a guide ahead of time.

• There is a second checkpoint at the shrine at Sidi Chamharouch
• There is a third checkpoint up at the last trailside cafes
• There is a fourth checkpoint up at the refuges.

At each of these places you may be asked for all of the information above.

I have been informed that these security measures are now in place for three main reasons:

• To prevent any further incidents such as happened in December
• To ensure that every group has a competent local person with them who knows the mountain, thus reducing the rate of accidents on the mountain
• To ensure that groups protect this natural environment and don’t throw litter, pick flowers or otherwise harm the fragile alpine ecosystem.

Even foreign, highly qualified guides, are obliged to take a local guide with them now.

The information given here is purely my own view on things, and I can’t bear any responsibility if things change, but that’s how it stands for the moment.  I was personally prevented from running up to the refuge alone, which has been my habit for more than 3 years when I write winter conditions reports etc. The local security forces are here to help and protect you, so long as you go along with their advice you shouldn’t have any problems! If you plan ahead of time then you will be prepared for these changes, and they shouldn’t affect the quality of your mountaineering experience in the High Atlas. Stay safe, and enjoy these beautiful mountains!