After a night in a gîte, we set off on the five-day trek, fully packed. Bye internet, bye toilet, and bye heels we had packed for the rooftops in the capital. That sounds like we weren't prepared, but we certainly were: we were sent a packing list and a training schedule months in advance, and the daily briefings, the route, and all practical information are ready in the Travelbase app. We also receive explanations on site; even tying your shoes is done differently when descending than when ascending, and adjusting your backpack is done precisely.

We are going back to basics, but in the most beautiful form we could have imagined. On the menu are five full days of hiking, alternating between sun, snow, and wind, in the heart of the Central Atlas Mountains, the habitat of the Berber people. 80 kilometers, starting in a green oasis at 2000 meters.

And a round of applause for the kitchen team: in the most remote places, without any facilities but with a self-built kitchen, they bake fresh bread, brew strong, herbal tea before bedtime, and cook hearty meals. Plenty of vegetables and a good base for the hikes, power food that got us through it. Everything was taken care of; we basically just had to walk and enjoy ourselves.

We are with a group of about 20 Belgians and Dutch people (Travelbase has offices in both Belgium and the Netherlands), and in terms of age, it is nicely diverse. There are couples, but also solo travelers, families, and groups of friends. We walk all day with a guide at the front and another at the back, but it is a fit group and we stay close together. And the fact that we are with such a group is perhaps the most enjoyable thing of all: a school trip back in the day.

At 06:30 in the morning, everyone packs up the tents together and, laughing, stretches our feet for the kilometers; if someone is puffing, we hype each other up, and at the communal dinners and lunches in the group tent, we are just like a happy family. After two days, part of the group even opts for a sleepover: sleeping together under the mountains.

Five of the eight days are real hiking days. Count on an average of about 15 to 18 kilometers per day and four to seven hours on your feet, enough to sleep like a log at night. So, the first night you will still sleep in an authentic gîte in Zawyat Oulmzi, at 2000 meters in the Happy Valley, with showers and toilets. After that, the tent camp is your home. Drinking water is available at every spot, washing is basic, and the toilet is… drumroll… nature. You’ll get tips for that too, haha.

On day two, you climb steeply to the high plateau at Lake Izoughar (camp at 2700 meters) among the nomads with their goats and sheep. Day three brings the first major pass: the Asderm at 3225 meters, where there can even be snow (we were lucky!), followed by a long, spectacular descent. Day four is the craziest of the week, because if the water allows, the path is literally the river, straight through the gorges of the M'Goun in your water shoes. On day five, you wind your way through lush Berber villages along the water, and on day six, you climb up one last time to the Aït Imi Pass (2905 meters) with a 360° panorama of the Ighil M'Goun (4071 m). Afterwards, you descend to your final camp and walk right back into the Happy Valley where it all began.

And on day seven, when you board the shuttle after a short morning walk, there is one more stop along the way before you return to civilization.