What outdoor activities can you do in Morocco?

People think 'Morocco' and picture souks and riads, but it's secretly one of the most complete outdoor-adventure destinations in the region — because in a single country you've got high mountains, the Sahara, a long Atlantic coast and dramatic gorges, all within a few hours of each other. The mountain menu alone is huge: trekking the High Atlas, summiting 4,167-metre Toubkal, gentle valley and waterfall walks (Ourika, Ouzoud, Paradise Valley), mountain biking, rock climbing in the spectacular Todra Gorge, and even via ferrata and canyoning in places. In winter you can add skiing and snow play at Oukaïmeden, Africa's best-known ski resort.

The desert is its own adventure world. The classic is a camel trek over the dunes to a camp for sunset, starry skies and sunrise, but it's far from the only thing — the Sahara around Merzouga and Zagora is a hub for quad biking and dune buggies, sandboarding down the big dunes, and 4x4 expeditions across the desert and dry lakebeds. It's where a lot of travellers get their biggest adrenaline hit, and where the landscapes feel most otherworldly.

Then there's the coast and water. The Atlantic shore around Taghazout, Tamraght, Imsouane and Essaouira is a genuine surf destination for all levels, while Essaouira's relentless trade winds make it a world-class windsurfing and kitesurfing spot. Beyond board sports you can sea kayak, fish, take boat trips, ride horses or camels on the beach, and in the mountains there's seasonal white-water rafting and kayaking on Atlas rivers when the snowmelt runs. Birdwatching in the Souss-Massa wetlands and lagoons is excellent too.

And for the showpiece experiences: hot-air ballooning at dawn over the palm groves and Atlas foothills outside Marrakech is unforgettable, horse and camel riding are available almost everywhere, and golf is big around Marrakech and Agadir. My advice is to match the activity to the season and region — surf and coast year-round (warmest sea late summer), trekking in spring and autumn, desert best avoided in peak summer heat, skiing only January to March — and to build a trip that strings a few of these together, because the magic of Morocco's outdoors is how easily you can hike a mountain, ride the dunes and surf the Atlantic all in one journey.