Day by day itinerary
1. Marrakech - Tizi n'Tichka - Aït Ben Haddou - Skoura - Rose Valley - Dades (6h drive)
The Atlas crossing, a UNESCO ksar and the Skoura palm grove
Marrakech is behind you by 07:30 AM. The road climbs southeast through the High Atlas to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260m, stopping where the views and the traditional Berber villages are worth it. At Aït Ben Haddou a local Berber guide walks you through the UNESCO-listed kasbah, and Ouarzazate follows, where the Atlas Film Studios can be added if you want them. The afternoon brings the Skoura oasis, among the largest in Morocco, where Kasbah Amridil stands restored, and then the Valley of the Roses on the way into the Dades. Dinner and the night at a Dades Valley boutique hotel, half-board. A different Dades Valley hotel can be substituted for a supplement of 40 EUR per person, with dinner and breakfast included.
2. Dades - Tinghir - Todra Gorge - Erfoud - Rissani - Merzouga lodge (4h drive)
Gorge walls, desert markets and an afternoon by the pool
A short run to Tinghir, where you walk out through the palm-lined oasis, and then into the Todra Gorge: a flat riverbed with limestone rising 300 metres on either side. Lunch is at the gorge. The afternoon takes in Erfoud, known for its fossils and its date market, and Rissani, where Morocco's ruling dynasty began. You arrive at the lodge on the edge of Erg Chebbi, which has ensuite bathrooms, air-conditioned rooms, a restaurant and a swimming pool. Check in and do nothing for a while. Dinner and overnight, half-board.
3. Merzouga - Khamlia village - Gnaoua music - desert exploration - sunset camel trek - luxury camp
A day that stays in the Sahara, ending on camelback
Breakfast at the lodge, then a visit to Khamlia to meet the Berber nomad community that lives there. Khamlia is known for Gnaoua: African rhythms braided with Berber tradition and Sufi devotion, played on castanets and drums. Tea on arrival and a close-quarters performance are both part of the visit. The afternoon is yours in the desert, walking the dunes, taking photographs, riding a sandboard down them. As the light drops you mount a camel and ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes to the luxury desert camp, where the tent is private and ensuite, with real beds, quality linens, a hot shower and electricity to hand. Dinner is Moroccan, taken outside under the stars, and the drumming starts afterwards. Overnight at the luxury desert camp outside Merzouga, half-board.
4. Merzouga - Ziz Valley - Midelt - Azrou (cedar forest and Barbary apes) - Fes (7h drive)
Sunrise over the dunes, then north through cedar country to Fes
You are up before first light for sunrise on the Erg Chebbi dunes, and breakfast follows at camp. Then the long leg northeast begins. The Ziz Valley comes first, date palm groves below sheer cliffs, followed by Midelt and lunch up in the mountains. The afternoon crosses the Middle Atlas and the cedar country around Azrou, where the Barbary macaques are usually visible from the roadside. Fes comes up late in the day, and you are set down at your hotel or riad.