1275-1275 Travel Guide

The Erg Chebbi Dunes rise at the Sahara's edge by Merzouga, golden-red sands peaking above 150 metres and shifting with the light. Camel rides to the crest for sunrise and sunset, and night camps under the stars, make Morocco's most extreme yet romantic desert encounter. Berber camps and oases dot the dunes; at dusk the sand turns gold to rose then into the deep blue night.

The Valley of Roses, in the Dades Valley area of southern Morocco and centred on the small town of Kelaa M'Gouna, is the famous growing region, known as the capital of the Damask rose. During the rose-picking season in May-June each year, the hedges of Damask roses blooming on the valley slopes fill the air with fragrance, and the area hosts its annual Rose Festival (Moussem des Roses). In Kelaa M'Gouna you can visit rose-water and rose-oil distilleries and women's cooperatives to buy rose water, oil, soap and other products.

The Todra Gorge lies at the foot of the High Atlas, where the Todra River has cut a corridor of ochre cliffs — at its narrowest barely ten metres wide yet over a hundred metres high. Climbers and walkers follow the river upstream into Morocco's most dramatic, coolest canyon secret. Oasis and Berber villages dot the floor; climb routes span beginner to expert — a paradise for outdoors lovers.