5-Day Imlil, Atlas Mountains & Sahara Desert Journey

Leave Marrakech behind and climb into the Atlas Mountains. In Imlil, life runs on a slower clock, shaped by the peaks around it.

Today is for walking. A scenic trek takes you through Berber villages, walnut groves and mountain paths above the valleys, with a local guide beside you. Stop for a freshly prepared Moroccan lunch in a mountain village or guesthouse, then wander back as the afternoon softens.

Evenings in Imlil are quiet. That's the point.

Today you cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260m), one of Morocco's most dramatic mountain roads, and watch the landscape change with every bend.

Then comes Aït Ben Haddou: a fortified village of earthen buildings and narrow passages, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore it on foot with a local guide. Continue to Ouarzazate, the gateway to the Sahara, and settle in for the night.

Today the road itself is the attraction.

Drive through the Skoura Oasis, where ancient kasbahs rise among thousands of palm trees. Follow the legendary Road of a Thousand Kasbahs and pass through the Valley of Roses.

By afternoon you reach the Dades Valley, where enormous rock formations and winding roads make one of Morocco's most distinctive landscapes. Walk selected sections, photograph the cliffs as the light softens, and end the day with a traditional Moroccan dinner overlooking the valley.

This is the day the mountains hand you over to the desert.

Start at Todra Gorge, where limestone cliffs tower over a narrow gap. Then follow the road east through the Erfoud fossil region. The landscape thins and empties, and then, ahead of you, the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi appear.

In the late afternoon, climb onto a camel and ride into the dunes as the sun sinks. Reach your desert camp, settle into your tent, and enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner under the vast Saharan sky. The silence out here is unlike anything else.

Set your alarm. You don't want to miss this.

Step outside the camp before sunrise and watch the first light spread across the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Take a quiet moment. You won't get many like it.

After breakfast, the journey back begins through southeastern Morocco and the Draa Valley, famous for its palm groves, villages and ancient kasbahs. The road climbs back toward the High Atlas, a last chance to compare desert and mountain, before you descend into Marrakech in the late afternoon or evening.