What are the best day trips from Errachidia and the Ziz Valley?

Errachidia is a modern administrative town that most people treat as a fuel stop, but it sits at the head of one of the most spectacular palm valleys in Morocco — the Ziz — and that makes it a worthwhile base. Drive 30 to 40 minutes south and you reach the great Ziz panorama, where the road climbs to a viewpoint over an endless river of green: tens of thousands of date palms threading along the canyon floor between bone-dry plateaus. Down in the valley, the oasis village of Aoufous lets you walk among the gardens and ksour and see the irrigation that makes this ribbon of life possible.

Closer to town, about 25 minutes, is the Source Bleue de Meski — the "Blue Spring" — a natural pool of clear blue water welling up at the foot of a cliff, beside the ruins of an old ksar. The French Foreign Legion built a bathing basin here, and it’s long been a favourite picnic and swimming spot for Moroccan families. Bring a towel; on a hot day a dip in that spring water is unforgettable, and the palm-shaded banks are made for a long lunch.

North of Errachidia, the road runs up through the Gorges du Ziz, where the river has cut a deep cleft through red rock past the Hassan Addakhil dam and on toward the famous Tunnel du Legionnaire, a passage the Legion blasted through the mountain. It’s a stunning drive in its own right, the gateway between the High Atlas and the desert, and a fine half-day if you simply want to follow the river upstream and turn around at the tunnel viewpoint.

For the full historical payoff, push about an hour and a half south to the Tafilalet — Erfoud, then Rissani — the heart of the date country and cradle of the Alaouite dynasty. Rissani’s labyrinthine souk (busiest on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays), its mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, and the fossil workshops of Erfoud reward the drive. From Errachidia you’re really at the top of the desert’s great green corridor, and following the Ziz in either direction is the whole point of basing here.