3-Day Luxury Marrakech to Fes Desert Tour via Merzouga

Private pick-up from your riad, then south out of Marrakech and up the Tizi n'Tichka through the Berber villages of the High Atlas. Panorama stops on the way, then Aït Benhaddou: the rammed-earth ksar on the old caravan road, walked at your own pace with a local guide if you want one.

On through Ouarzazate and its kasbahs to the Skoura oasis and its thousands of palms. A kasbah-style hotel that night, pool, gardens, a Moroccan dinner, and a first day that ends without rushing.

East through the Valley of Roses and its cooperatives, then the Dades and its rock formations, stopping at the viewpoints and for photos wherever you ask. At Todra the cliffs rise on both sides of the river, walk into the gorge before lunch.

Afternoon through Erfoud and Rissani to Merzouga, where the dunes of Erg Chebbi begin. A camel trek or a private 4x4 to a sunset viewpoint, then camp: private tent, ensuite where the camp provides one, dinner, Berber music and a sky with no town lights in it.

Sunrise over Erg Chebbi if you want it; that light is the reason people set an alarm on holiday. Breakfast at camp, then north through Erfoud and along the Ziz valley, the palm groves running between the cliffs.

Errachidia and Midelt for lunch, then the cedar forest near Azrou, where the Barbary macaques sit by the road, and on through Ifrane, alpine roofs and cool air, the town they call Morocco's Switzerland. Fes in the late afternoon or evening, dropped at your riad or hotel.