Morocco Itinerary: 6 Days from Marrakech

Arrive in Marrakech and check into a riad within the walled medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985. A guided afternoon walk introduces the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace and the colour-saturated souks before you reach Jemaa el-Fnaa, the great square that becomes an open-air carnival of musicians and cooks at dusk. The relaxed first evening lets you find your feet, taste your first tagine and rest before the road south, which over the next days will carry you across the Atlas to the dunes.

Travel note · Agree an 8 AM start tomorrow and pack a layer for the mountain pass.

Climb the N9 over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260m, pausing at Berber villages and viewpoints, then descend to Aït Benhaddou. This UNESCO ksar (inscribed 1987) sat on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech and has doubled as Jerusalem, Rome and Yunkai on screen. After exploring its kasbahs you continue the short distance to Ouarzazate, the "Hollywood of Africa," home to Atlas Studios and the restored Taourirt Kasbah. Overnighting here keeps tomorrow's desert run comfortable rather than rushed.

Travel note · The pass is chilly and the bends are constant - bring a layer and motion-sickness tablets if needed.

Today is the classic desert approach, around 360km of kasbah country from Ouarzazate to Merzouga. You pass the Skoura palm oasis and Kelaa M'Gouna (heart of the May rose harvest), drop into the Dades gorges, then reach the Todra Gorge near Tinghir, where 300m limestone walls close to about 10m apart. From Tinghir the road runs east through Erfoud and Rissani to Merzouga, where a camel caravan carries you over the Erg Chebbi dunes to your camp for sunset, dinner and a sky thick with stars.

Travel note · Bring only an overnight bag to camp and leave your case in the 4x4. Closed shoes and a warm layer make the camel ride and night far more comfortable.

The reward for the extra day is a slow, immersive day in the desert with no long transfer. After watching sunrise over the dunes you spend the day on a 4x4 circuit of the Erg Chebbi region: the underground khettara water channels, the black-volcanic village of Khamlia famous for its Gnaoua music, a seasonal nomad family, and the Dayet Srji lake where flamingos gather after rain. As the heat fades you climb a high dune for sunset before a second, unhurried night under the stars.

Travel note · The midday desert sun is fierce - the 4x4 circuit is timed around it. Carry plenty of water and protect cameras from fine sand.

Leave the dunes after breakfast for the long, scenic drive back to Marrakech, about 560km via Ouarzazate and the Tizi n'Tichka. The route rewinds the kasbah landscapes in shifting light, with a lunch break in Ouarzazate before the climb back over the Atlas. You reach Marrakech by early evening with time to settle into a medina riad and enjoy a final relaxed dinner - a quiet courtyard meal or one last rooftop overlooking the rooftops and the Koutoubia minaret.

Travel note · The longest drive of the trip - set off early, keep snacks and water to hand, and enjoy the changing scenery.

With no early start, the final day belongs to Marrakech. Use the morning for the things the road did not allow: the cobalt-blue Majorelle Garden, the carved cedar and zellij of the Saadian Tombs, last bargaining in the souks, or a slow hammam. Your driver then transfers you to Menara Airport in good time for your flight, ending a trip that has woven together the Red City, the High Atlas, the kasbah valleys and two nights beneath the Sahara stars.

Travel note · Allow 2-3 hours before international flights; the riad can store luggage if your departure is late.