9-Day Morocco Discovery: Imperial Cities, Sahara & Essaouira

Leaving Marrakech behind, the road climbs into the High Atlas Mountains and crosses the dramatic Tizi n'Tichka Pass, the highest paved mountain pass in North Africa, with sweeping views over Berber villages clinging to the slopes. A stop at the crumbling Telouet Kasbah reveals the faded grandeur of the Glaoui dynasty, while a short detour to Ait Benhaddou — the UNESCO-listed fortified village famous from Gladiator and Game of Thrones — is a highlight for photography lovers. After lunch in the former garrison town of Ouarzazate, the route continues along the Skoura palm oasis and through the fragrant Valley of Roses before reaching Boumalne Dades at the entrance to the dramatic Dades Gorges, where the night is spent in a kasbah-style guesthouse.

The morning begins with a drive through the dramatic Dades Gorges, where windsculpted cliffs form the famous “Monkey Fingers” rock formations, before continuing to the narrow, towering Todra Gorge for an optional short walk between 300-metre limestone walls. The route then crosses the palm groves around Tinghir and the fossilrich town of Erfoud, where workshops cut and polish 350-million-year-old marine fossils into tables and sinks. Passing through Rissani, once the capital of the Tafilalt oasis and cradle of the Alaouite dynasty, the first golden crests of the Erg Chebbi dunes appear on the horizon. Late afternoon, a camel trek carries travellers deep into the dunes to a desert camp, where dinner is served under the stars around a campfire with traditional Gnawa music.

Heading north from the dunes, the route follows the spectacular Ziz Valley Gorges, a ribbon of palm trees threading through red sandstone cliffs, before climbing onto the Middle Atlas plateau. A stop in Ifrane, nicknamed the “Switzerland of Morocco” for its Alpine-style architecture and stone chalets, offers a striking contrast to the desert. Just beyond, the Azrou Cedar Forest is home to wild Barbary macaques that often approach the roadside. The journey concludes in Fes, Morocco's spiritual and cultural capital and home to the world's largest car-free urban area.

A full day is spent exploring Fes el-Bali, the largest car-free urban area on Earth and a UNESCO World Heritage medina of over 9,000 narrow lanes. Highlights include the ornate Bab Boujloud gate, the Al Quaraouiyine mosque-university (founded in 859, recognised as the world's oldest existing university), the iconic Chouara leather tanneries, and the restored Nejjarine Fondouk, before browsing the souks for ceramics, brassware, and leather goods.

Leaving Fes, the route can include a detour to the remarkably preserved Roman ruins of Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes before climbing into the Rif Mountains toward Chefchaouen, the famous “Blue Pearl” of Morocco, arriving in time to wander its cobalt-blue lanes at sunset.

The road south can pass through Ouezzane and the elegant capital Rabat, home to the unfinished Hassan Tower and the whitewashed Kasbah of the Udayas, before reaching Casablanca, Morocco's modern economic capital and site of the vast Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, built directly on the Atlantic Ocean.

A comfortable final drive south across the plains returns travellers to Marrakech, where the trip concludes back in the buzz of Jemaa el-Fnaa square.

A direct, comfortable drive west across the argan tree plains leads to Essaouira, the laid-back UNESCO-listed port city known for its fortified ramparts, blue fishing boats, and Gnaoua music heritage, offering a completely different atmosphere from the imperial cities and the desert.

A full day to explore the breezy fishing port immortalised by Orson Welles and Jimi Hendrix: walking the 18th-century Skala ramparts, watching the daily catch at the port, browsing thuya-wood marquetry workshops in the medina, and relaxing on the wide Atlantic beach, with the option of an afternoon excursion to the wilder dunes and surf breaks at Sidi Kaouki.