Plan your Morocco trip
with people who live here.

The best months

Morocco has two long windows. Mid-September to mid-November is our favorite: the medinas exhale after summer, the desert nights are cool enough for a blanket, and the High Atlas is still walkable above 2,500m. March to early May is the second window — wildflowers in the Ourika valley, almond blossom in the Anti-Atlas, and warm coastlines from Essaouira to Oualidia.

Where to go first

On a first trip we usually suggest Marrakech for three nights (one to land, one for the medina with a private historian, one for a slow riad day), then two nights in the desert via the Tizi n'Tichka pass and a Berber lunch in Telouet, then back via the Ourika or Asni valleys for a final mountain hammam. Fes deserves its own trip — don't try to fit it into seven days.

What we wouldn't do

• One-night desert trips. The drive is too long for the reward — give it two.
• August in Marrakech. 44°C in the medina is not the holiday you imagined.
• Public group tours of the Bahia Palace. Go at 9am with a private historian; you'll have the courtyards almost to yourself.
• Buying a rug on day one. Spend a morning in the Mouassine quarter learning what good looks like, then buy on day four.

A note on budget

A well-built private week for two — riads, a private driver-guide, one desert night and a few standout meals — generally lands between $3,800 and $6,200 per person, all in on the ground. Helicopter days and signature riad suites move that number; longer routes and shoulder season bring it down. We will always tell you the truth before you book.