Morocco Bucket List: From Bustling Souks to the Vast Sahara

Imagine stepping into a world where vibrant souks hum with life, rugged mountains guard hidden valleys, and endless golden dunes stretch beneath a sky ablaze with stars. It was my trip to Morocco in 2022 which really ignited my passion for travel so I’m excited to finally publish this blog post. In this 8-day adventure, we’ll take you from the enchanting streets of Marrakech to the dramatic cliffs of the Dades Gorge, across the vast Sahara Desert, and into the cinematic beauty of Ait-Benhaddou.

A desert town built next to an oasis

Many people who visit Morocco only visit Marrakech or Tangier without exploring the stunning scenery and rural communities which exist in the rest of the country. It can be hard to navigate around especially with not much of a public transport network, so I went as part of a group trip which is ideal because the group is accompanied by a driver and tour guide at all times, meaning you can visit the off-the-beaten track destinations without worrying about transport or language barriers.

Scroll to the end for full details about the tour operator.

Ready to uncover the magic of Morocco? Let’s dive in to the itinerary.

The Bahia Palace, Marrakech

1.      Marrakech (2 nights)

Contrary to popular belief, Marrakech is not the capital of Morocco, but it is one of the largest and most-visited cities. Founded nearly 1000 years ago, the walled city centre is a maze of narrow alleyways, markets and riads. The best place to start exploring is Jemaa el-Fnaa, the main square in the city which is a feast for the senses with everyone from snake charmers, magicians and spice merchants trying to sell their wares to tourists. The main souk or medina is nearby, and it’s is a bustling network of narrow pathways lined with shops and stalls selling every kind of wares imaginable. Spices, fruit, clothing, rugs, handmade ornaments, even live tortoises, you never know what you’re going to see around the corner. Amidst the chaos, there are feral cats everywhere, even mothers nursing kittens in corners just inches from mopeds screeching past.

The Medina, Marrkech

For those who prefer a more modern shopping experience, there are plenty of malls, including the Menara mall, which is the city’s biggest shopping centre.

Other places I would recommend in the city are the Majorelle Garden, formerly owned by Yves Saint-Laurent, which is a colourful paradise of lush greenery and bright ornamentation near the city centre. The Bahia Palace is one of the main publicly-accessible palaces in Marrakech, and it gives a wonderful insight into traditional Moroccan architecture with lavishly carved wooden walls, floors tiled in geometric patterns and shaded courtyards.

The Majorelle Garden, Marrakech

The Koutoubia Mosque is one of the main symbols of Marrakech with its tall square minaret, and although I did not go inside, the style is interesting and is thought to have influenced architecture in southern Spain. The adjacent Koutoubia Gardens are free to enter and offer a cool place to relax after visiting the more hectic parts of the city.

2.      Dades Gorge (2 nights)

From Marrakech we drove for nearly a whole day to reach the Dades Gorge, and the drive is spectacular, passing over the Atlas Mountains and through small rural towns. We also stopped a few times on the way, including at Atlas studios, which is the largest film studios in Africa. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into film-making with many huge sets still perfectly intact even though they only been used once. Most people would probably recognise some of the scenery due to films such as Gladiator, Asterix & Obelix and Lawrence of Arabia all filmed here.

One of the well-preserved film sets at Atlas Studios

We arrived at our hotel in the late in the evening when it was getting dark, so it was a huge surprise to wake up the following morning and see the spectacular views. The hotel was built into the side of the gorge, rendered the same sandy-red colour as the surrounding towering cliffs. A bubbling stream winds through the very bottom of the valley below, shaded by overhanging trees, in stark contrast to the bare red cliffs all around. I can’t recommend this hotel highly enough, so I’ve included details at the end.

The gorge is ideal for walking and we followed a beautiful route with a local guide which took in some spectacular views, as well as crossing the stream on a rickety bridge and passing through lush green fields in the valley bottom where local people were growing and tending crops by hand. Our guide showed us caves in the cliffs where nomadic people live when they’re passing through the area. We also stopped to have tea with a friendly local woman in her house.

Another highlight of the area is the Monkey Fingers- enormous rock formations where the sandstone cliffs have been eroded and weathered into the shape of fingers. They can be viewed from a few different points along the main road through the gorge.

3.      Sahara Desert (2 nights)

Leaving Dades Gorge, there was another day mostly driving to reach our luxury desert camp in the Sahara. Our guide always stopped regularly to show us points of interest, such as a valley where roses are grown commercially or a view of another gorge or oasis. Morocco has many desert areas, but they are often just rocky barren areas, whereas as Sahara means ‘sand and sky’ and refers to the part of desert we all imagine: red sand dunes, camels and endless skies. When we arrived it was dusk and the beginning of a storm so I’ve seen one of the rare occasions when it rains in the Sahara! The camp is very comfortable, with each ‘tent’ having its own bathroom including a shower, so don’t worry about lacking any modern comforts while in the desert. On the way we stopped to buy scarves to tie around our heads, and although I thought this was a tourist gimmick, they’re actually essential to keep the sand and sun off your face, especially when its windy.

The next day spent in the desert was the highlight of the whole trip for me. It was my first time in this kind of landscape and the contrast between the sand dunes in varying shades of yellow, red and brown and the bright blue sky is indescribably beautiful. Just walking a few yards from the camp, there was absolute silence, with just the sand and sky stretching as far as they eye can see. Surprisingly, it’s not completely barren, with a few plants which have adapted to survive, as well as birds and insects.

There are lots of similar desert camps in Morocco and they offer a variety of activities for their guests; we opted to go sandboarding and quad biking. The quad biking was so much fun, racing after our guide up and down dunes and over rocky plains at 45 km/h! Driving back to our camp, the 4x4 pickup we were in got stuck in a sand dune so we all had to get out and dig it out with our hands before we could proceed. The guides said this often happens and sometimes they have to tow each other out!

We also drove to have lunch with a nomadic family in their tent. Although I think this was set up for tourists, it was interesting to see their traditional way of life, living in tents and crude mud enclosures with a few goats tethered outside, and we all shared the lunch of chicken, couscous and vegetables from a large communal bowl.

That evening we rode camels into the dunes to watch the sunset, which was an unforgettable experience. After riding through the desert up to a good vantage point, we left the camels and sat down atop the ridge of a sand dune to watch the sunset. It was such a timeless scene which I will never forget: the camels lying down in the dip below us, our local guides sat together in a group praying silently (it was Ramadan so they were about to break their fast), and we all sat silently in awe watching the golden orb of the sun gradually dip below the vast open horizon.

4.      Ait-Benhaddou (1 night)

The fortified village of Ait-Benhaddou

After our second night in the desert camp, our journey continued to Ait-Benhaddou, with a few stops at places our tour guide recommended on the way. My favourite was where we had lunch at an old Kasbah converted into an hotel in an oasis- Kasbah Itrane. After driving for hours through barren rocky landscapes, it was magical to stop and have lunch in the shaded garden, surrounded by palm trees and spring birdsong.

We arrived in time to walk across the (sadly) dried-up river to the Ksar (fortified village) of Ait-Benhaddou to watch the sunset. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is recognisable from several films and TV shows and it is an almost perfectly preserved traditional fortified village. Although most of the current buildings are from the 17^th and 18^th centuries, they are constructed using methods that date back to medieval times. It is a steep walk to reach the top of the rocky outcrop which the village clings to, but worth it to fully explore the narrow lanes of this intriguing place.

Lunch in the garden at Kasbah Itrane

5.      Back to Marrakech (1 night)

Our last day in Morocco gave us another opportunity to explore the bustling souks and go shopping before travelling home. We also had a traditional hammam spa experience, which is not really something I enjoy, but if you like spa treatments, then definitely try it!

The worst thing about any trip is of course going home again, and in just this short time I fell in love with Morocco. It was the first country I visited outside Europe so I was apprehensive about what to expect, but it really is a beautiful and diverse country with some of the most friendly and welcoming people I’ve ever met. As our tour guide, Mohamed, said: “The Moroccan people will welcome you to visit again any time; we started this trip as strangers, but now we are leaving as Mohamed and his friends."

Feeling like Lawrence of Arabia in the desert! Scarves were actually essential to keep the sun and sand off our faces

Trip details

I booked this through TrovaTrip, but other tour operators run very similar itineraries. Everything was very well organised and the best thing about a group tour is that everything is planned for you, so you can just relax and not worry about any of the logistics. The driver and guide were amazing and always made sure everyone was enjoying the trip.

The best time to visit

Summer in Marrakech is unbearably hot so spring and autumn are usually the best time to visit. My trip was in April which was perfect with clear sunny days but the temperature only reached around 25 degrees even in the dessert.

The hotels we stayed in were:

Stars Hotel Marrakech- a modern and very centrally located hotel.

Hotel Riad Bahamou- this was brand new when we stayed but it’s beautiful and was constructed using traditional materials and methods. The family who run it were so friendly, they even invited us to join them to break their fast (iftar) one evening. Hotel staff also played traditional music for guests in the evenings.

Madu Luxury Desert Camp- amazing location in the sand dunes and the tents had all the modern amenities you’d expect in a hotel.

Riad Tamdakhte- just a short drive up the valley from Ait Benhaddou and although it was modern it’s built as a traditional Riad building.