Morocco is Africa, but not the Africa of the safari imagination. It is the Africa of ancient trade routes, mountain Berber villages, desert caravansaries and medinas that fold you into their labyrinth and refuse to let go.

A Morocco journey with BHS brings together ancient medinas, private guided city tours, Atlas Mountain passes, Sahara desert camps, camel rides, food, craft, architecture and warm Moroccan hospitality. It is ideal if you want an African journey shaped by culture, colour, landscape and history rather than a traditional safari.

It is a country of extraordinary contrast: terracotta cities, high mountain roads, spice markets, palm groves, Atlantic air, desert silence and riads hidden behind carved wooden doors. It is exactly the kind of destination BHS loves to design well, because Morocco is magical, but it is best experienced with the right rhythm.

Marrakech: The Gateway City

Most Morocco journeys begin in Marrakech, and the city rewards that entrance generously. The Djemaa el-Fna, the main square that shifts from daytime market to evening theatre of storytellers, food stalls and street life, is one of Morocco’s great public spaces.

From there, the medina’s souks spiral outward in a maze of specialist quarters: leather workers, spice merchants, metalworkers, carpet dealers and artisans who carry generations of craft in their hands. The sensory arrival is immediate.

Beyond the medina, Marrakech has a refined contemporary side. Riads have become design-led hideaways, restaurants bring together Moroccan flavour and French technique, and gardens, galleries and hammams offer breathing space between the intensity of the souks.

With BHS, Marrakech works best when it is guided carefully: enough structure to understand what you are seeing, and enough free time to wander, shop, sit on a rooftop and let the city work on you.

The Sahara: Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi

No Morocco experience feels complete without the desert. The Sahara is the great shift in the journey: from city sound to desert stillness, from medina lanes to open dunes.

The Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga in south-eastern Morocco, is one of the country’s most iconic dune landscapes. Golden sand rises above the flat hammada and changes colour throughout the day, from pale gold at noon to deep amber at sunset and silver-black beneath the stars.

Camel trekking into the dunes, staying in a luxury desert camp and waking before dawn to watch the light return to the Sahara is one of Morocco’s most memorable experiences.

“The Moroccan Sahara is where I take guests who think they’ve seen everything. The silence of those dunes at 3am, the stars, the absolute absence of any light pollution, it recalibrates people. I never tire of watching it happen.” - Brett Horley, BHS

The Atlas Mountains: Berber Villages and High Passes

The Atlas Mountains are a world away from both Marrakech’s city energy and the Sahara’s vastness. Here, Berber villages cling to valley walls, orchards terrace the slopes and mountain roads climb through some of Morocco’s most dramatic scenery.

The High Atlas is ideal for walking, scenic drives, village visits and slower days away from the cities. Jebel Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak at 4,167 metres, can be climbed by fit hikers on a guided summit attempt from Imlil.

Further south, the Dades and Todra Gorges cut through the landscape in dramatic canyon form. This region is one of Morocco’s great road journeys, especially if you want the trip to feel expansive rather than city-heavy.

Fès: The Living Medieval City

If Marrakech is Morocco’s most visited city, Fès may be its most extraordinary.

The ancient medina of Fès el-Bali is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s great historic urban landscapes. Its lanes, workshops, madrasas, mosques, fountains and artisan quarters make it feel less like a museum and more like a city still living through its inherited rhythms.

The tanneries, where leather is cured in stone vats, remain one of Morocco’s defining images. The Bou Inania Madrasa is one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in the country.

Spend two nights in Fès at minimum. It will not be enough, but it will be a beginning.

When to Go to Morocco

The best time to visit Morocco is generally spring and autumn, when conditions are warm, clear and well suited to city, mountain and desert travel.

March to May is excellent for comfortable temperatures, green valleys and clear skies.

September to November is one of the best periods for Marrakech, Fès, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara, with pleasant days and cooler evenings.

Summer can be extremely hot in Marrakech and the desert, often reaching above 40°C, although the mountains and Atlantic coast remain more comfortable. Winter brings snow to parts of the Atlas and cool nights in the south, but the desert can be beautiful in the low winter light.

Morocco as a Standalone or Combination

Morocco works beautifully as a standalone North African journey. A classic route of 7 to 10 nights can include Marrakech, Fès and the Atlas Mountains, while 10 to 12 nights gives you more space to include the Sahara Desert without rushing.

BHS designs private Morocco itineraries with a clear, comfortable flow: city to mountains, desert to city, with private drivers, knowledgeable local guides and carefully chosen hotels and riads. The aim is not to see everything. It is to experience Morocco in a way that feels rich, layered and manageable.

To begin planning your Morocco journey, contact hello@bhs-safari.co.