Morocco Travel Guide

Start in Marrakesh, with its sumptuous hammams*, Djemaa el Fna street food* and contemporary design boutiques, before retreating  to a mudbrick oasis hotel with a pool in the High Atlas Mountains. Spend some days hiking to Amazigh valley villages, on an alfresco yoga retreat, or brave the summit climb up Jebel Toubkal* (4,167m), North Africa’s highest mountain. 

Crossing the snow-sprinkled Tizi n Tichka high pass to the “Route of the Kasbahs”, the Sahara road forges down through palm groves and crenellated ksars (fortified villages) to the rock formations and yawning valley chasms of Todra, Dades and Draa – perfect for gentle hikes. The nearby Hollywood-famous ksar of Ait Ben Haddou*, which has featured in productions such as Lawrence of Arabia and Game of Thrones, is one of Morocco’s most beguiling sights. 

Ride a camel to a desert camp for an unforgettable night under the Milky Way

A trip to Morocco should also involve floundering up at least one Saharan erg (dune). The golden sea at Erg Chigaga (accessed from M’Hamid) is the biggest expanse, peaking at heights of 30m, but the more popular Erg Chebbi (accessed from Merzouga) is equally arresting. Hop in a 4×4 or ride a camel to a desert camp* with the Amazigh for an unforgettable night of open fires under the Milky Way.    

After the Sahara, swap desert sands for beaches by backtracking via Marrakesh to Essaouira* — a bohemian fortified fishing port that’s become hugely popular for its laid-back, arty air and high standards of tourist accommodation. Broad beaches running south — many blissfully empty — whip up some of the best winds for kitesurfing*. Taghazout, a barefoot surfer village, has soared in popularity in the past five years. Families and package-holiday crowds, meanwhile, often plump for Agadir, Morocco’s only major beach resort town, backed by the fertile Souss Valley where goats famously climb argan trees.  

It would be easy to spend a month in Morocco without breaking stride. Cosmopolitan Casablanca is full of art deco architectural treasures. Fez’s medieval medina is one of the most utterly bamboozling urban centres in the world (tourists tend to love it or hate it), and its Fassi culinary heritage makes it a favourite spot for cooking classes. The lesser-visited imperial cities of Meknes and Rabat are also well worth a pitstop, and Meknes* is the best base for visiting the intoxicating pilgrimage town of Moulay Idriss and Roman ruins of Volubilis.