El Tocho (Tocho de Tafraout) · Tafraout (Anti-Atlas) · Morocco
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
Four short, varied pitches up the rounded spur of a striking granite monolith just behind Tafraout: a technical slab, a corner-chimney, an awkward chimney and a fine slab on the crest to a real summit. Graded 5c in the guidebook, but the first pitch has lost holds and is now about 6b free; it goes on the bolts at the original grade.
Fully bolted with a newly equipped abseil descent, but the first pitch is now about 6b after hold loss and several repeat ascents report loose or badly placed bolts.
The route
ZZ is the bolted classic of Tafraout's granite: 60 m in four pitches up the rounded spur of El Tocho ('the ingot'), a monolith standing just behind the town. The pitches are short but each is different, and the route finishes on a true summit with a view over the town and the surrounding ranges. It is well travelled, with 48 ascents logged on UKClimbing. The grading is stiff: the guidebook gives 5c, but crucial holds have broken on the first pitch, which is now suggested at 6b free and can be pulled through on the bolts.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6b | 15 m | A very technical slab to a belay at the foot of the corner. Graded 5c originally; holds have broken and it is now suggested at 6b free, or 5c with a pull on the bolts. |
| P2 | 4c | 15 m | An entertaining corner-chimney to a comfortable belay at the foot of the chimney. Easily linked with pitch 1. |
| P3 | 5a | 10 m | A chimney with a strenuous move low down. The belay above, on the first tower, has had a new bolted anchor since November 2024. |
| P4 | 5b | 20 m | A technical slab, then easier climbing on the crest of the pillar. Do not stop at the first anchor; continue to the summit rings. |
Getting there
Tafraout is in the Anti-Atlas; visiting parties usually fly to Agadir and hire a car for the drive of about three hours. El Tocho is on the edge of town: a 2023 party drove to the cemetery and walked from there. The Hotel les Amandiers is the usual climbers' base and holds the new-routes book.
About 7 minutes on foot from the cemetery. The way is obvious by sight: walk up to the rounded spur at the foot of the monolith. The route name is marked at the base.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1077038 (El Tocho)
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 29.73041, -8.97433 (crag)
Getting down
Since November 2024: from the summit rings abseil 25 m down the top two pitches to the tower (the third belay), then abseil 30 m from the new anchor there down the west face, the line of the crack climb Independence Day, to the ground close to the start. The older descent, a single abseil of 20 m or 45 m on the east side, regularly jammed ropes on the rough granite and on the shoulder.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The route is only 60 m and every belay is bolted, so retreat is short. The third belay is the anchor for the 30 m west-face abseil of the normal descent. The known difficulty is rope drag: several parties had trouble pulling ropes over the rough granite on the older abseil lines.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing granite at about 1,400 m according to camptocamp, climbed in the cool season from October to April. A January 2019 party climbed it in fine weather and noted that the surface of the rock is fragile in places.
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Moroccan time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan (usual season) | Feb (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec (usual season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 16 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 30 | 35 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 16 |
| Mean daily low °C | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1082 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
Quickdraws only; no source gives a number. A single 60 m rope covers the 25 m and 30 m abseils of the new descent. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to ZZ.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Read the cautions
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.