DAY 1: MARRAKECH → HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS → SKOURA → DADES GORGES

Departing Marrakech in the morning, your private vehicle climbs through the dramatic Tizi n’Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountains. Traditional Berber villages line the slopes, and the views grow more expansive with every turn of the road.

The afternoon brings you to the lush Skoura Oasis — a surprise burst of green palmery and kasbahs in the midst of the pre-desert landscape — before you arrive in the Dades Gorges. The gorge valley, with its striking rock formations and dramatic cliffs, is one of Morocco’s most photogenic settings. Tonight’s accommodation is here, with the canyon walls glowing at last light.

DAY 2: DADES GORGES → TODRA CANYON → MERZOUGA DESERT

After breakfast, head east toward the Tinghir Oasis — where date palms and fruit trees line the banks of the river — before entering the extraordinary Todra Canyon. At its narrowest point, the canyon walls tower over 300 metres above a clear mountain stream, creating one of the most dramatic natural corridors in all of Africa.

From Tinghir, the terrain flattens and dries as you push toward the desert. By mid-afternoon, the first dunes of Erg Chebbi appear against the horizon. You arrive in time to saddle up and trek into the dunes by camel as the setting sun transforms the sand into a palette of gold and copper.

At your luxury desert camp, a warm dinner and an evening of live Berber drumming and music await, followed by a night of stargazing in one of the world’s darkest skies.

DAY 3: MERZOUGA → RISSANI → AGDEZ → OUARZAZATE

After a desert sunrise and a leisurely breakfast at the camp, today’s drive carries you westward through the historic market town of Rissani — once the last caravan stop before the Sahara and the ancestral home of the Alaouite dynasty. The road continues through Agdez in the Draa Valley, where ruined kasbahs and palmeries line the riverbanks.

By late afternoon, you arrive in Ouarzazate, Morocco’s Hollywood — home to Africa’s largest film studio and a fascinating mix of Saharan and cinematic history. Your overnight here gives you a comfortable base between the desert and the mountains.

DAY 4: OUARZAZATE → AIT BEN HADDOU KASBAH → TELOUET KASBAH → MARRAKECH

The final day offers two of Morocco’s most remarkable heritage sites. First, the Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary earthen towers that has appeared in dozens of international films. Then, the lesser-visited Telouet Kasbah, a crumbling 19th-century palace high in the Atlas Mountains, once the seat of the powerful Glaoui family. Its ornate interiors are a striking reminder of a Morocco that existed just a few generations ago.

From Telouet, the mountain road winds down through the valley and back to Marrakech, where you will be dropped at your accommodation in the early evening.