9-Day Sahara & Kasbah Trail: A Grand Desert Loop

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 fossil- rich 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.

A relaxed day based in Merzouga allows time to visit Khamlia, a village founded by descendants of sub-Saharan slaves and famous for its Gnawa music, and to explore the Erg Chebbi dunes on foot, by sandboard, or by quad bike. Afternoons can include a visit to a semi-nomadic family tent or simply time to relax and photograph the ever-changing light on the dunes before a second night at the desert camp.

A scenic, less-travelled desert piste and road route crosses the Jbel Sarhro massif via Alnif, Tazzarine and Nekob — a region of dramatic rock formations and traditional kasbahs rarely seen by tourists — before descending into the Draa Valley at Zagora.

The road continues south through Tamegroute, known for its green pottery and ancient Koranic library, to M'Hamid El Ghizlane, the last village before the true Sahara. From there, a 4x4 or camel convoy crosses into the vast, untouched dunes of Erg Chigaga for an overnight desert camp.

After a desert sunrise and breakfast at camp, the 4x4 or camels return travellers to M'Hamid, from where the tarmac road retraces the Draa Valley through Zagora, Agdz and Ouarzazate, crossing the Tizi n'Tichka Pass back to Marrakech in the late afternoon or evening.

Leaving the dunes, the route crosses the arid plains toward Foum Zguid and over the Anti-Atlas range to Taroudant, a walled city nicknamed “Little Marrakech” for its red pisé ramparts, but calmer and more authentic, with lively souks specialising in silver jewellery and leather goods.

A free day to explore Taroudant at a walking pace: circling the red pisé ramparts by bicycle or horse-drawn calèche, and browsing the souks, quieter and more authentic than Marrakech's.

The route back to Marrakech winds through argan forests unique to southwestern Morocco, with the option to stop at a women-run argan oil cooperative, before crossing the Atlas foothills (via the dramatic Tizi n'Test Pass or the faster Chichaoua road, depending on season and road conditions) back to the Red City.