Morocco Travel Guide: stories from the road.

This is our Morocco travel guide for anyone planning a first trip — or a better second one. Every article is written by Mohamed Chajia, a Ministry-licensed Moroccan guide (licence MA76175), and draws on the routes our Marrakech team drives and walks. The focus is practical: when to go, how long to stay, what to pack, what things cost and which places deserve an extra night.

Most of the guides answer the big Sahara questions: the best month to go, what a desert tour really costs, how the drive from Marrakech to Merzouga unfolds and whether Zagora or Merzouga suits your trip. Beyond the dunes there is a local’s food map of Marrakech, a slow-travel guide to Chefchaouen and a guide to spending Christmas in Morocco with the family.

Where to start

If this is your first trip, this reading order works well:

1. How many days you need in Morocco — settle the shape of the trip first.
2. The best time to visit the Sahara — choose your month.
3. Zagora vs Merzouga compared — pick the desert that fits the days you have.
4. The Marrakech to Merzouga route, stops and drive time — see what the journey involves.
5. What a Morocco desert tour costs and what to pack for the Sahara — read these two before you book.

Once the route is settled, the Marrakech food guide and the Chefchaouen blue-city guide help you make the most of the stops in between.

From reading to planning

Once you know your month and how many days you have, the next step is a route. Most desert itineraries begin in the Red City, and our private desert tours from Marrakech run from two days in the Zagora desert to eleven days around the country. Still deciding where to go? Our guide to the best places to visit in Morocco covers the cities, mountains and coast, and you can compare every departure city in our full list of Morocco tours. With a spare day in Marrakech, a cooking class, food tour or hot-air balloon flight from our Marrakech activities fits in easily.