By Mohamed Boumeshoul
I grew up in Merzouga, a small village at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes in south-eastern Morocco. As a child, the Sahara was my backyard: the place where we played at sunset, where nomad families passed with their herds, and where the nights were so quiet you could hear the sand move. I spent eleven years working as an engineer before I came back to the desert, and I still plan journeys the way an engineer builds: every detail in its place, so the guest only feels the magic.
Today I design private journeys across Morocco, and I see the same thing again and again. Travellers arrive for the palaces of Marrakech, and they leave talking about one night under the desert stars. Here is how to plan a journey that gives you both.
In Morocco, true luxury is not only a five-star room. It is the feeling that everything has been taken care of before you even ask. It is a private Mercedes waiting at the airport, a driver who knows exactly where to stop for the best view of the Atlas, and a licensed guide who opens the doors of a Fes medina that most visitors only walk past. It is mint tea served in a quiet courtyard after a long day, and a team you can call at any hour. This is the spirit behind our private luxury journeys: hand-picked palaces, riads and desert camps, connected by personal service from the first day to the last, so the journey flows as smoothly as the stay.
The most rewarding journey links Morocco's two great imperial cities, Fes and Marrakech, through the Middle Atlas, the Sahara and the High Atlas. Leaving Fes, you cross cedar forests where Barbary macaques play in the trees, then follow the palm groves of the Ziz Valley down to the dunes of Erg Chebbi. After the desert, the road leads through the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, along the "Road of a Thousand Kasbahs", to the ancient fortified village of Aït Ben Haddou. Finally, the Tizi n'Tichka pass carries you over the High Atlas to Marrakech.
For a journey that feels unhurried, allow 8 to 10 days: two nights in Fes, two in the Sahara, one in the Dades Valley, and three in Marrakech to end in style.
Morocco has some of the most beautiful hotels in the world, and choosing where to sleep is part of the pleasure. In Fes, the finest riads are restored merchant palaces hidden behind plain doors in the old medina: carved cedar ceilings, zellige fountains, and rooftop terraces looking over a thousand years of history. Addresses such as Riad Fes, a Relais & Châteaux property, or Palais Faraj, with its views over the medina, set the tone for the journey.
Marrakech is where many guests choose to end in grand style. La Mamounia, with its legendary gardens, and the Royal Mansour, built like a private medina of its own, are two of the most celebrated hotels on the continent. For something more intimate, a boutique riad with only a handful of suites, a private plunge pool and a host who knows your name can be just as unforgettable.
Travellers often ask me whether to choose Merzouga, Zagora or Agafay. For a true Sahara experience, Erg Chebbi is hard to beat. Its dunes rise up to 150 metres, and at sunset their colour changes from gold to orange to deep red.
The best luxury camps here are a world away from the image of a simple tent. Think spacious suites with proper beds and fine linen, private bathrooms with hot showers, heating on cool nights and attentive staff. You arrive by camel as the sun goes down, or by private 4x4 if you prefer. Then comes the moment guests remember most: a candlelit dinner in the dunes, followed by Berber music around the fire. Far from any city light, the Milky Way fills the whole sky.
At dawn, climb a dune and watch the desert turn gold below you. Later, a private 4x4 excursion can take you to meet a nomad family and to the village of Khamlia, where Gnawa musicians still play the songs of their West African ancestors.
A private journey lets you add the experiences that make a trip personal:
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are ideal, with warm days and pleasant desert nights. Winter brings clear skies and fewer visitors, but cold nights in the Sahara. Christmas, New Year and Easter are very popular, and the finest riads, palaces and camps are often reserved months ahead, so plan early.
Morocco rewards travellers who take their time. Between the spiritual lanes of Fes, the energy of Marrakech and the silence of the Sahara, it is a country of contrasts best discovered at your own pace, with people who know it from the inside.
When I founded Morocco Top Trips in 2017, my wish was to share the Morocco I grew up in, from the dunes of Merzouga to the great imperial cities. Whatever route you choose, give yourself at least one night in the desert. It may be the night you remember most.
