9-DAY MARRAKESH AND SOUTH: THE HIGH ATLAS & SAHARA, THEIR LANDSCAPES AND CULTURES

This journey takes you over the High Atlas. Along the route, you can see many Berber villages and the farms. After Taddert, the N9 road continues to snake upwards to the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass (2,260m). From here panoramic views can be seen, over the mountain range and the twisting road just travelled. Descending the south facing slopes of the High Atlas, there is much to fascinate with local activities everywhere. The climate becomes noticeably drier on approaching Ouarzazate.

You first travel along The Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, ancient fortified settlements where the chiefs lived with their workers. Built of pisé mud, many kasbahs are now in disrepair but are beautiful none-the-less. Look too for storks' nests in the corner watchtowers of the kasbahs. As the climate continues to warm up and the increasing aridity is ever more obvious, a stop is made at Today Gorge, a water cut canyon with an awesome to view. Then, to the Sahara and it's dunes.

After your evening in the Sahara, and hopefully having had views a glorious sunset, it is time to travel along the Sahara's northern edge. Today's landscapes are beautiful. You will be in a very remote area with fantastic mountains to the north and south of your travel route; high peaks, plateaux, buttes and mesas. As you slowly leave the true desert, you will see acacia trees in the landscape, trees that offer so much to the Bedouins.

Your Morocco highlights tour continues today at Aït Benhaddou, an ancient kasbah and World Heritage Site. Then, travelling northwards, up and over the High Atlas, vast new vistas open up with an ever-changing set of sights. The Berber villages continue to fascinate; to view the village of Zaouite Inkkkal lets you clearly see how a Berber village site was chosen - facing south, above flood danger, near fertile river soils, with a water supply.

Returning to Marrakesh after several days in the mountains and desert offers the chance to unwind and relax after your travelling. With accommodation in the Medina, there are many delights right on your doorstep - if you can tear yourself away from the roof terrace! As well as the ever-lively Jemaa El Fna, the "entertainment square" of the city, it is fun to explore the souks and to engage with the craftspeople and sellers.

Amizmiz is a rural Berber market town, only 1 hr from the south of Marrakesh. The village is in a glorious location, facing four valleys, making it an ideal area for hikes at all levels of demand. Your personalised hike passes by many Berber villages, where you will see their terraced fields and their intricate irrigation systems, herds of goats and cows in the meadows and people working in the fields.

After your cosy night in the High Atlas, a further hike is taken to reconnect with your private transport. Before returning to Marrakesh, there an the opportunity to stroll around Amizmiz town centre to see the locals' activities, especially exciting on market days. Your return journey to Marrakesh can include a brief stop off at Lalla Takerkoust Barrage. Here you can see a huge reservoir hopefully full of the ever so very important resource of water.