Is Morocco good for adventure travel?

Adventure is my world, and I'll say it plainly: Morocco is hugely underrated for it. Most people picture riads and souks, but the landscapes here are a genuine adventure playground, and the variety is what stuns first-timers. In a single two-week trip I've taken travellers from a high-mountain summit to surf breaks to deep-desert expeditions — distances that would span several countries in Europe are a few hours apart here.

The mountains come first for me. The High Atlas holds North Africa's highest peak, Mount Toubkal at 4,167 metres, a non-technical but tough two-day trek that rewards you with a summit sunrise over an ocean of peaks. Beyond Toubkal there's trekking through Berber villages in the Ait Bougmez valley, the dramatic gorges of Todra and Dades for hiking and rock climbing, and in winter you can even ski at Oukaimeden. The trekking culture and the village hospitality up there are the real draw.

Then the desert delivers a completely different kind of adventure. Beyond the classic camel trek, I run sandboarding down the big Erg Chebbi dunes, quad-biking and dirt-biking across the sand, and proper multi-day 4x4 expeditions out to the remote Erg Chigaga and the dry Iriki lakebed — the kind of off-grid driving where you don't see another vehicle for hours. Camping wild between dunes, far from any camp, is about as adventurous as Morocco gets.

And the coast adds the third element: Taghazout and Imsouane are world-class surf spots with consistent Atlantic swell and a laid-back surf-town vibe, plus there's kitesurfing and windsurfing at Essaouira's windy bay. My honest advice — match the activity to your fitness and season (avoid Toubkal in deep winter unless equipped, avoid the desert at the peak of summer heat), and let me sequence it so the logistics flow. Done right, Morocco is one of the most varied adventure trips you can take anywhere.