What can I do in Morocco in 9 days?

Nine days is eight days with the stress removed — and that one extra day matters more than it sounds. The eight-day Marrakech-Sahara-Fes route is excellent but tight; nine lets you stop somewhere a beat longer, and where you spend that beat shapes the whole feel of the trip. I usually steer it toward the coast or toward a second desert night, depending on what kind of traveller you are.

My default nine-day shape opens with two nights in Marrakech, then the southern crossing — Ait Ben Haddou, the gorges, a night around Todra or Dades, and a Merzouga dune camp. From the Sahara I run you up through the Middle Atlas to Fes for two nights of medina, tanneries and artisan workshops with a proper guide. So far, that's the eight-day spine; the ninth day is the gift.

I like to spend it bringing you back toward the coast rather than rushing to the airport. One option: after Fes, drop down to Rabat for a half-day at the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower, then fly out of Casablanca — civilised, no desert dust on your last morning. The other, which honeymooners love: skip back toward Marrakech and tack on two nights in Essaouira, ending the trip with grilled fish, ramparts and Atlantic wind.

If you're a desert person rather than a coast person, I flip it: keep two nights in the dunes instead of one, ride deeper into the erg, and let the Sahara be the emotional centre of the trip rather than a one-night stand. Either way, nine days is the length where you stop watching the clock. It's eight days that finally exhales.