So after two amazing months in Morocco I thought it would be good to let you guys know our favourite spots in the country. So here they are in no particular order:

Chefchaouen

This is the magical blue town that seems to fill Instagram these days. Every building, door, nook and cranny in the walled medina are painted blue and it’s one of the prettiest towns we’ve ever visited. Green pastures roll down one side of the town while the Rif Mountains rise up the other. It’s a perfect place for a mix of activities; you can spend a whole day photographing the medina, it’s mud brick kasbah and colourful locals and the next day you can climb a mountain and be surrounded by nature.

Dades and Todra Gorge

These two gorges are both stunning in their own right. Todra has a very impressive, narrow gorge that rises 300m and has a twinkling river running through it. While Dades Gorge not only has a narrow gorge section (albeit not as impressive as Todra’s) it also has tons of hiking opportunities through colourful valleys filled with bizarre rock formations and also one of the worlds coolest roads which switchbacks up the gorge.

Erg Chigaga Dunes

There’s something very magical about the Sahara and the people that call it home. After volunteering for two weeks in a desert camp near M’hamid we splashed out and went on an overnight jeep trip to Erg Chigaga. These dunes see far less tourists than the Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga so we really enjoyed the tranquility. You’ll be based in a desert camp surrounded by dunes and from there you go on a sunset or sunrise camel ride and also sand boarding down the dunes. The nights are spent watching shooting stars and listening to the locals playing Saharan songs around the campfire.

Tafraoute

This ever so friendly Berber village is surrounded by palmeraies and the Anti Atlas Mountains. There’s plenty of hiking opportunities in the area and you can just head up any mountain near town to see some cool rock formations. If the scenery doesn’t win you over the friendly locals certainly will.

Fez

Unlike Marrakesh, Fez’s medina is totally pedestrianised so the only thing you’ll be moving out the way from is working mules or locals pushing carts to deliver supplies to the shops and restaurants. There’s mosaic detailing dotted around the whole medina, with pretty water fountains and grand doorways. The sellers lack the pestery attitude that the ones have in Marrakesh and there’s far less tourists so it’s a win win.

Mirleft

I wouldn’t recommend Mirleft if you only have a short amount of time in Morocco, but if you have longer then it’s a great place to spend a few days relaxing by the sea. Once again it’s a super friendly Berber village with a very small-town vibe. The main beach near town has tall red cliffs but the sea can be pretty wild and rough so the southerly beaches are more recommended for swimming and surfing. We used Mirleft as a base to visit Sidi Ifni and the incredible Legzira Beach with its unique red rock arch.

Imlil

In our opinion the Atlas Mountains are the crown jewel of Morocco! This particular village lies at around 1700m and makes for a cool retreat compared to hot Marrakesh which is just an hour and a half away. From Imlil you can do day hikes for stunning atlas mountain views or hike up North Africa’s highest peak, Jebel Toubkal. The hotels in Imlil are probably the best value in all of Morocco and you’ll be treated to some superb views.

Below is a map of the route we took around Morocco starting at the end of January in Fez and ending the trip in early April in Marrakesh. The weather was great at this time of year, a little cold at times but we preferred that to the sweltering final days we spent in Marrakesh. We went at a fairly relaxed pace, spending two weeks at our desert camp in the Sahara and another five days volunteering near Immintanout. As you can probably tell from our favourite places, we prefer destinations which offer hiking and beautiful scenery, or particularly pretty medinas. I hope this list inspires you to visit some less touristy places in this amazing country.