Morocco's regions

Beyond the medinas, Morocco's landscapes are the reason many people come — and they change dramatically over short distances. The High Atlas rises to 4,167 m at Toubkal, threaded with Berber villages and trekking trails within easy reach of Marrakech. South and east, the Sahara begins: the great dune fields of Erg Chebbi at Merzouga, reached by camel and slept under the stars. The Atlantic coast runs for some 2,500 km of surf beaches and fortified ports, while the green, misty Rif mountains in the north shelter Chefchaouen and the Akchour waterfalls.

Each region guide below explains what's there, the best time to go, and how to reach it. Pair them with the city guides and an itinerary to build a full route.

How to choose — and when to go

The regions divide neatly by what you want from the landscape. Go to the High Atlas for mountains and trekking — Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, is a two-day climb from the trailhead village of Imlil, itself only an hour from Marrakech, so even a short trip can include a taste of the range. Go to the Sahara for the desert set-piece nearly everyone remembers most: a camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night in a camp under the stars, reached via Merzouga. Go to the Atlantic coast for surf, seafood, and the breezy walled port of Essaouira. And go to the Rif for green, misty mountains, the Akchour waterfalls, and the blue town of Chefchaouen.

Timing matters more outside the cities than in them. The Atlas is best from April to October for trekking; the high passes see snow in winter, and Toubkal becomes a technical winter climb. The Sahara is punishing in midsummer, when daytime temperatures soar — spring and autumn are ideal, and winter nights in the desert are genuinely cold, so pack layers even in warm months. The Atlantic coast stays mild and windy year-round, cooler than the interior in summer, which is exactly why Moroccans head there to escape the heat. The Rif is greenest in spring and can be wet in winter. Our best time to visit guide breaks the whole country down month by month.

Most regions sit within a few hours of a major city, so you rarely visit them in isolation — you fold them into a city-based route. The Atlas and the Sahara both hang off Marrakech; the Rif off Fes and Tangier; the Atlantic coast off Agadir and Essaouira. Reaching them usually means a bus, a hired car, or an organised tour rather than the train, which serves the cities but not the mountains or the desert — the transport guide explains the options for each, and the itineraries show how to string regions and cities together without backtracking.