From Fes to Marrakech in 5 days

Pickup in Fes at 8:30. First stop in Ifrane, with its alpine architecture, European-style gardens and cool climate. Then the Azrou cedar forests to meet the Barbary macaques, and lunch in Midelt, famous for its fresh produce and mountain views. We descend into the Ziz Valley, a stretch of palm groves, cliffs and riverbeds, passing Erfoud and Rissani, Saharan-fringe towns known for their date markets. Arrival in Merzouga at sunset, at a hotel overlooking the Erg Chebbi dunes.

• Fes
• Ifrane
• Azrou
• Midelt
• Ziz Valley

Sunrise over the dunes and, after breakfast, a 4×4 ride into the desert to meet nomadic families and see their way of life. A visit to Khamlia, a community of Sub-Saharan origin who greet with their spiritual music, and to Rissani, once seat of the Alaouite dynasty, where we try the "Berber pizza" (Madfouna). In the afternoon, a camel ride to the dunes for the sunset. Dinner, live drumming and storytelling around the fire and a night at a luxury desert camp.

• Merzouga
• Nomads
• Khamlia
• Rissani

A tranquil sunrise and a camel or 4×4 ride back to Merzouga. We climb the Ziz Valley, now in full daylight, among dense palm groves and river-carved cliffs. We reach the Todra Gorge, one of Morocco's most dramatic canyons, with walls up to 300 m and a crystal-clear river. Free time and, from Tinghir, into the Dades Valley, the "Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs," up to a mountaintop guesthouse with views over the gorge.

• Merzouga
• Ziz Valley
• Tinghir
• Todra Gorge
• Dades Valley

Along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, among mud-brick fortresses, palm oases and Berber villages. A rugged mountain trail through remote Berber territory, with a visit to cave-dwelling nomad families. Down into the Valley of Roses (damask roses and distilleries) and to Skoura, an enchanting oasis with the impressive Amridil Kasbah. The day ends in Ouarzazate, the "Hollywood of Morocco."

• Dades Valley
• Rose Valley
• Skoura
• Ouarzazate

A guided visit to the Taourirt Kasbah, residence of the Glaoui rulers, with well-preserved interiors. Ait Benhaddou, an earth-and-straw fortified village where Gladiator and Game of Thrones were filmed, with its maze of alleys and the hilltop granary. Telouet Kasbah in the Ounila Valley, with its zellige and stucco. Crossing the Tizi-n-Tichka (2,260 m) and arriving in Marrakech in the late afternoon.

• Ouarzazate
• Ait Ben Haddou
• Telouet
• Marrakech