What is the far south of Morocco like (Guelmim, Tan-Tan)?

Guelmim and Tan-Tan mark the threshold where Morocco stops being mountains and palmeries and becomes pure Saharan frontier. South of the Anti-Atlas the land flattens into stony hamada and scrub, the towns grow further apart, and the culture shifts toward the Saharawi and the blue-robed nomads of the deep desert. This is "the gateway to the Sahara," and it feels like it — big skies, thin traffic, a sense that the known map is running out beneath your wheels.

Guelmim (Goulimine) built its reputation on its camel market, traditionally held on Saturdays, when nomads and traders came in from the desert to deal in dromedaries. The romantic image of a vast camel souk is, I am honest, somewhat faded — much of the trade has modernised and shrunk — but the town remains a genuine crossroads of Saharan-nomad culture, with date palmeries, the nearby oasis of Aït Bekkou, and a frontier-market atmosphere you will not find further north. The famous "blue men" guedra dances are now mostly performed for festivals rather than encountered by chance.

Tan-Tan, further down toward the coast, is best known for the Tan-Tan Moussem — a huge annual gathering of Saharan nomadic tribes that UNESCO recognises as an intangible cultural heritage event, with tents, camel races, music and traditional crafts. Outside the moussem it is a quiet administrative town, but its setting near the Atlantic, the giant kissing-camels archway at the entrance, and the nearby fishing port of Tan-Tan Plage give it a distinct end-of-the-world charm. From here the long, lonely coastal road runs on toward Laâyoune and the Western Sahara.

I am straight with people: this is not first-trip or even second-trip Morocco. There are no grand monuments, the heat can be ferocious, distances are huge and services sparse, and you want a confident self-drive or a private driver who knows the region. But for repeat visitors chasing the real Sahara, for photographers, and for travellers who want frontier emptiness and nomad culture rather than souks, the far south delivers an unvarnished Morocco the main circuit never shows. Time it for the moussem if you can.