Sahara & Atlas Adventure: Toubkal, Gorges & Golden Dunes

Today you leave the city for the mountains, driving south into the High Atlas to Imlil, the gateway to Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak. Meeting your local mountain guide, you set off on foot along ancient mule paths, trekking through traditional Berber villages of flat-roofed earthen houses clinging to the slopes, past walnut and cherry groves, terraced fields and rushing streams. You pause for mint tea with a Berber family, learning about mountain life, and take in spectacular viewpoints over the valleys with the snow-streaked bulk of Toubkal rising ahead. The scenery, clear air and warm hospitality are unforgettable. As the day ends, you settle into your comfortable guesthouse in Imlil, high in the mountains. This evening, savour a hearty Berber dinner and the peace of the peaks. Rest well amid the beauty of the High Atlas.

Today you spend a full day trekking in the spectacular High Atlas around Imlil, with your mountain guide. You climb ancient paths through walnut groves and terraced fields to remote Berber villages, cross rushing mountain streams, and ascend to a high viewpoint or refuge with breathtaking panoramas over the valleys and the mighty summit of Toubkal. Keen and fit walkers can arrange, as an option, to trek higher towards the Toubkal refuge for a summit attempt over an extra day; for most, this glorious day of mountain walking amid soaring peaks and traditional villages is the heart of the experience. You pause for a picnic or a village lunch and mint tea along the way. As the day ends, you return to your guesthouse in Imlil, pleasantly tired. This evening, savour the mountain quiet and starry sky. Rest well in the High Atlas.

Today you leave the mountains and cross to the pre-Saharan south. You descend from Imlil and drive up the spectacular Tizi n'Tichka pass, the highest road in Morocco, winding in dizzying hairpins past Berber villages, terraced fields and dramatic peaks, then descend into ochre valleys. You reach the mighty kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful earthen citadels in the world, its towered mud-brick houses rising in tiers above a river, and climb its winding lanes to the granary at the summit for sweeping views, hearing how it has starred in countless films. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel near Ait Ben Haddou, gazing at the floodlit kasbah across the valley. This evening, savour the quiet of the south after the mountains. Rest well amid dramatic desert scenery.

This morning you visit Ouarzazate, the gateway to the desert, taking in the imposing Taourirt Kasbah and, if you wish, the famous Atlas film studios. You then set off along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, past palm oases and crumbling red fortresses, to the spectacular Todra Gorge. Here you hike beside the cool green river beneath immense pink cliffs three hundred metres high, and climb onto the plateau above for breathtaking views over the palmery and mountains, perhaps watching rock climbers on the famous faces. The scale, colour and drama of the gorge are extraordinary. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel in the Todra area, amid palms and red rock. This evening, savour a tagine dinner and the profound quiet of the canyon. Rest well amid the wild beauty of the gorges, ready for the desert tomorrow.

Today you journey to the great dunes of the Sahara. You drive east across increasingly desert country to Merzouga, on the edge of the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi. In the late afternoon you mount a camel and ride in a caravan into the dunes, the sand glowing amber as the sun sinks, and climb a high crest to watch a spectacular Sahara sunset, with a chance to try sandboarding on the slopes. As night falls you reach your desert camp among the dunes, dining on tagine beneath a canopy of countless stars, with Berber drumming and music around the fire. You can walk out into the dunes to marvel at the silence and the Milky Way overhead. As the day ends, you settle into the magical desert camp. Rest well beneath the stars of the Sahara, the great dunes all around.

This morning you wake early to watch a breathtaking sunrise spill over the dunes of Erg Chebbi, the sand shifting through pink, gold and amber, before riding your camel back out of the desert for breakfast. You then set off on the long, scenic drive back towards Marrakech, retracing the kasbah trail through Ouarzazate and climbing once more over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the ever-changing landscapes of palm valleys, red mountains and Berber villages unfolding around you. As the day ends, you arrive back in vibrant Marrakech and settle into your riad. This evening, relax on a rooftop terrace with mint tea, reflecting on the mountains and desert you have crossed. Rest well, for tomorrow you enjoy the colour and energy of the Red City after the wild landscapes of the adventure.

Today you explore vibrant Marrakech with your local guide, a colourful contrast to the mountains and desert. You visit the exquisite Bahia Palace, a masterpiece of carved cedar and painted ceilings, and the tranquil blue Majorelle Garden, once owned by Yves Saint Laurent. You lose yourself in the labyrinthine souks, a treasure house of carpets, lanterns, leather, brass and spices, and learn the art of the friendly haggle over mint tea. As dusk falls you plunge into the great square of Jemaa el-Fnaa, a UNESCO-listed spectacle of storytellers, musicians, snake charmers and sizzling food stalls. You might also relax in a traditional hammam to soothe muscles after the trek. As the day ends, you return to your riad, dazzled by the Red City. This evening, enjoy a final Moroccan feast. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning in vibrant Marrakech, perhaps a last stroll through the souks or a final glass of mint tea on your riad terrace, you are transferred to Marrakech Menara Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having felt the wild heart of Morocco underfoot, trekking the High Atlas around Toubkal through Berber villages, crossing the spectacular Tizi n'Tichka pass to the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, hiking the towering Todra Gorge, and riding camels over the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi to sleep beneath the Sahara stars. The images stay vivid long after you land, the terraced villages beneath snow-streaked peaks, the pink walls of Todra, the camels on the golden dunes and the countless desert stars. Morocco offers adventure, beauty, culture and warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to its mountains and desert.