The Deep South of Morocco

We leave Marrakech heading southeast toward the foothills of the High Atlas. Our first stop is the ancient town of Aghmat — little-visited but historically extraordinary. This is where Al-Mutamid ibn Abbad, the last great king of Seville, was exiled by the Almoravids and died in captivity in 1095. His tomb remains here, a moving connection between Andalusia and Morocco. We continue through Berber villages into the Ourika Valley, where the Atlas begins to reveal its true scale.

• Tomb of Al-Mutamid — exiled king of Seville
• Aghmat historic site
• Berber villages of the Ourika Valley
• First High Atlas landscapes

Overnight: Atlas mountain lodge

We cross the High Atlas on small mountain roads, stopping at Telouet — home to the extraordinary palace of Thami El Glaoui, the Pasha of Marrakech who collaborated with the French Protectorate and became one of the most powerful men in early 20th-century Morocco. The palace, now partly in ruins, is one of the most evocative and overlooked sites in the country. We descend through the Ounila Valley, dotted with traditional kasbahs, toward Aït Ben Haddou.

• Telouet — Glaoui Palace visit
• High Atlas mountain pass crossing
• Ounila Valley kasbah villages

Overnight: boutique kasbah near Aït Ben Haddou

Morning visit to Aït Ben Haddou — the UNESCO-listed ksar that has served as a backdrop for films from Lawrence of Arabia to Game of Thrones. We visit at a carefully chosen time to make the most of the light and avoid the crowds. Onward to Ouarzazate, Morocco’s “Hollywood of Africa”, before continuing east to Skoura and its magnificent palm grove oasis, where we stay in a traditional kasbah amid the palms.

• UNESCO Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou
• Ouarzazate film studios (optional)
• Skoura palm grove oasis

Overnight: kasbah within the Skoura palm grove

We drive east through Kelaat M’Gouna, the Valley of Roses — where thousands of rose bushes are grown for the famous Moroccan rose water and perfume industry. The landscape becomes increasingly dramatic as we enter the Dadès Valley, flanked by red-hued limestone gorges and traditional kasbahs carved into the cliff faces. One of the most visually spectacular valleys in all of Morocco.

• Kelaat M’Gouna — rose valley
• Dadès Gorge red rock landscapes
• Traditional kasbah architecture

Overnight: guesthouse in the Dadès Gorge

A short walk through the Todra Gorge — where walls of rock rise 300 metres on either side to a width of barely 10 metres — before we strike out across the hammada (rocky desert) toward Merzouga and the extraordinary sand sea of Erg Chebbi. As the sun drops, we mount camels and ride into the dunes for sunset. Dinner and overnight in a luxury desert camp, waking to silence and stars.

• Todra Gorge — 300m rock walls
• Drive across the hammada to Merzouga
• Camel ride at sunset into Erg Chebbi
• Overnight in luxury desert camp

Overnight: luxury camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes

After sunrise in the dunes and breakfast in camp, we explore the historical heart of the Saharan trade routes. Rissani was the gateway through which gold, salt and slaves flowed between sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean world. Nearby, the ruins of Sijilmassa — once a great medieval city and the northern terminus of the trans-Saharan route to Timbuktu — stand largely unexcavated in the desert. A place of extraordinary historical resonance that very few visitors ever reach.

• Sunrise in the Sahara dunes
• Rissani — historic Saharan gateway
• Sijilmassa ruins — medieval caravan capital
• Erfoud — fossils & dates

Overnight: near Merzouga or Alnif

We leave the sand dunes behind and enter a completely different landscape — the volcanic mountains of the Anti-Atlas and the Jbel Saghro massif, where black basalt peaks rise over a desert of dark stone. Nkob is a village of a thousand kasbahs, almost entirely untouched by tourism. The Jbel Saghro is one of the most dramatic and least-visited mountain ranges in Morocco — a place where the silence is total and the scale is humbling.

• Nkob — village of a thousand kasbahs
• Jbel Saghro volcanic mountain range
• Black desert landscapes
• Near-empty Berber villages

Overnight: Nkob

We descend from the Anti-Atlas into the Draa Valley — one of the longest rivers in Morocco and home to one of the most spectacular palm groves in the world, stretching for over 200 kilometres. Ancient ksour (fortified villages) dot the valley floor between the palms. The valley was once a major caravan route, and its kasbahs and villages retain an extraordinary sense of history and atmosphere. We end the day in Zagora, the traditional starting point for Saharan expeditions.

• Draa Valley — vast palm grove oasis
• Ancient ksour & kasbah villages
• Agdz historic town
• Zagora — gateway to the Sahara

Overnight: Agdz or Zagora

A long but magnificent final day, crossing back over the High Atlas via the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres — the highest road pass in Morocco. The views north and south from the summit are extraordinary. We descend toward Marrakech through Berber villages and argan oil cooperatives, arriving in the city in the afternoon with the full sweep of the journey complete.

• Scenic drive through Ouarzazate
• Tizi n’Tichka — 2,260m High Atlas pass
• Berber villages & argan cooperatives
• Arrival in Marrakech