What are the best picnic or scenic-stop spots in Morocco?

The drives in Morocco are full of these moments, and a good day is built around them. On the road south from Marrakech, the Tizi n'Tichka pass crosses the High Atlas at over 2,200 metres, and the laybys near the top give you sweeping mountain views worth a long stop — there are little stalls selling minerals and argan, and it's a classic spot to stretch, breathe the thin clean air and take it in. Further on, the Dades Gorge viewpoint terrace, looking down on the famous hairpin road, is the photo-and-mint-tea stop everyone remembers.

For an actual picnic by water, the Ourika Valley just an hour from Marrakech is the local favourite — riverside cafés set tables right in the shallow rushing water so you eat with your feet near the cool stream under the trees, a blissful escape from the city heat. The Sources of the Oum er-Rbia near Khenifra in the Middle Atlas, where springs cascade out of the cliffs into pools, is another beautiful, watery picnic spot, and the cedar forests around Ifrane and Azrou — where you might spot Barbary macaques — are cool, green and a complete change of scenery.

In the desert and the south, the scenic stops are different but just as good: a palm-grove oasis like Skoura or Fint for shade and quiet, the rose-coloured Vallée des Roses near Kelaat M'Gouna in spring, or simply a high dune at Erg Chebbi with a flask of mint tea at sunset. Many of my favourite 'spots' on a desert trip aren't on any map — they're the place the driver pulls over because the light is perfect and there's no one for miles.

Here's the insider bit: ask your driver or camp to pack a picnic. A good private driver will happily stop at a market in the morning, buy bread, olives, cheese, tomatoes, fruit and pastries, and lay it all out at a viewpoint at midday — it's often the nicest, most relaxed meal of the trip and costs almost nothing. Carry water and a light blanket, tell your driver you like to stop for views rather than just barrel through, and the journeys become as memorable as the destinations.