Morocco on foot and on the rock: the Atlas, the gorges and a night in the Sahara

Getting there

An hour and a half by car from Marrakech to Imlil, the village at the end of the road below Jbel Toubkal.

Lunch

Lunch on a terrace above the valley, with Toubkal in front of you, then the drive back to Marrakech for the evening.

Or, a slower day

A cooking workshop at La Maison Arabe: three hours at your own station, learning a tajine, salads and bread, then eating what you made.

• Starts at 10:00 or 15:00

On the road

A private driver from here to Fes, over five days. Today is the longest stretch south: about seven hours with the stops, leaving at 07:30.

• The road climbs to 2,260 metres at the Tizi n'Tichka pass, then drops into a different country of red earth and kasbahs

The morning

Aït Benhaddou, the fortified village of mud brick on the old caravan route, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Leaving early puts you there before the day tours from Marrakech
• Climb to the granary at the top for the view over the river

On the way

Kasbah Amridil, Skoura: a 17th-century kasbah in the palm grove, still owned by the family that built it, with its old olive press and bread oven.

The walk

From Aït Oudinar to the Monkey Fingers: three to three and a half hours down the east side of the valley, past ruined kasbahs, then into a narrow canyon between rock towers that look like knuckles.

• It starts at the guesthouse door; the house can send someone from the village with you
• Inside the canyon you climb over boulders, so wear shoes with grip
• Men at the canyon entrance will offer to guide you: a polite no is enough

Late afternoon

A short drive up the switchbacks at the head of the gorge, for mint tea on a terrace above the road as the light goes gold.

At first light

Up the big dune behind the camp before sunrise: half an hour of hard walking in soft sand, then the whole of Erg Chebbi turning orange below you.

• Barefoot is easier than shoes on the way up
• Sandboarding is offered everywhere: go slowly and sitting down at first, because the sand is harder than it looks when you fall

Where you're staying

Dar Morocco, Ksar Tanamouste: twelve rooms of tadelakt and zellige at the edge of the dunes, with a pool and a terrace that looks straight onto the sand.

• One night in the camp and one in a hotel with a pool is what people who know the area recommend

The afternoon

Khamlia, a village a few kilometres south, home to Gnawa musicians whose families came across the Sahara from West Africa generations ago.

• They play in a house in the village over tea; there is no ticket, leave a tip
• Back at the hotel in time for the pool and the sunset from the terrace

On the road

The one long day left: about eight hours with stops, from the desert to Fes.

• North along the Ziz valley, a ribbon of palm groves in a red canyon
• Lunch in Midelt, then through the cedar forests near Azrou, where Barbary macaques sit by the road
• Arrive in Fes for dinner at the riad

Where you're staying

Riad Laaroussa, Fes el Bali: a 17th-century palace in the old medina, with an orange-tree courtyard, a heated pool, its own hammam and a roof terrace over the city.

• It also runs cooking classes for guests, with a visit to the market first

The morning

Fes el Bali with a guide from the riad, about four hours: the Bou Inania madrasa, the Al-Attarine madrasa, the copper and leather souks and the Chouara tannery from a terrace above the dye pits.

• Without a guide, Fes is the one medina where you really will get lost
• Anyone offering a "free view" of the tanneries is taking you to a leather shop: with your guide you choose the terrace
• The shop gives you a sprig of mint for the smell; take it

Sunset

Borj Nord, the old fortress on the hill above the medina, for the view over thousands of rooftops as the calls to prayer start.

Dinner

Dar Hatim: a family restaurant in their own house in the medina, under a ceiling of tiny mosaic tiles.

• Order the chicken pastilla, sweet and savoury, the dish Fes is known for
• Call ahead and someone from the family will walk you there from your riad

The morning

Volubilis, about an hour from Fes: the ruins of a Roman town among olive groves, with mosaic floors still in place in the houses.

• Go for the opening, before the heat and the coaches
• On the way back, stop in the holy town of Moulay Idriss on the next hill for mint tea with a view

The afternoon

The hammam at the riad, or its cooking class, and a last dinner on the roof terrace above the medina.

Getting home

Fes airport is twenty minutes from the medina, with direct flights to several European cities, including Switzerland on some days of the week.

• Flying into Marrakech and home from Fes usually costs about the same as a return, and saves a full day in the car