Morocco

Few countries change character as quickly as Morocco. In a single week you can move from the lantern-lit lanes of a medina founded more than a thousand years ago to a mule track in the High Atlas, then on to the rust-colored dunes of the Sahara, where the loudest sound at night is wind moving sand. Distances are manageable, the main roads are generally good, and the country rewards anyone willing to slow down for a third glass of mint tea.

Imperial cities and living medinas

Morocco's great medinas are not museum pieces. They are working neighborhoods where coppersmiths, weavers and bakers trade in lanes their families have worked for generations. Marrakech is the energetic introduction: Jemaa el-Fnaa fills with musicians, storytellers and grill smoke at dusk, while restored riads offer quiet courtyards a few steps away.

Fes feels older and deeper. Its car-free medina, Fes el-Bali, is a maze of madrasas, tanneries and artisan workshops that is best explored with a licensed local guide. Rabat, Meknes, blue-washed Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains and breezy, Atlantic-facing Essaouira each add a different note.

Mountains, valleys and the Sahara

South of Marrakech, the High Atlas rises to Jebel Toubkal, at 4,167 meters (13,671 feet) the highest summit in North Africa. Amazigh villages cling to terraced valleys here, and walks between them can be as gentle or as demanding as you like.

Beyond the Tizi n'Tichka pass the landscape turns to earthen kasbahs, palm oases and the deep gorges of Dades and Todra. This is the classic route toward Merzouga and the dunes of Erg Chebbi, where a camel ride at sunset leads to a night in a desert camp.

How we plan Morocco

Morocco works beautifully as a loop: Marrakech, the mountains and the desert, then north to Fes, or the same route in reverse. We break up the long driving days with overnight stops in the valleys, pair you with drivers and guides who know their regions personally, and choose riads and camps to match your style, from simple and characterful to deeply indulgent.

Our Morocco Medina + Desert journey is a good starting point. Every journey is customizable, so add a cooking class, a hammam, a surf lesson on the Atlantic coast or extra nights wherever you want them.