The best day trips from Marrakech: desert, mountains and ocean

Marrakech sits on a plain between the desert and the High Atlas, so in a day you can reach a stone desert, snowy mountain valleys, waterfalls or the Atlantic. The closer trips fit in half a day; the longer ones mean leaving early and getting back after dark.

Distances and driving times are rounded, by the main roads and without stops.

The Agafay desert starts about 30 to 40 km southwest of Marrakech, near the lake of Lalla Takerkoust. It's a stone desert of bare golden hills with no sand dunes, but it has the space, the silence and the huge sunsets, with the High Atlas on the horizon. It's the only desert you can see from Marrakech in a day.

Because it's so close, Agafay fits into an afternoon after a morning in the medina. Our evenings pick you up in the afternoon: you ride a quad or a camel before sunset, then have dinner and watch a fire show under the stars, and you're back in your riad the same night. Rather drive yourself? Try our buggies and quads by the hour. More in our Agafay desert guide.

OUR EVENINGS IN AGAFAY

7 hoursFull desert evening€20 per person 5 hoursSunset camel and dinner€10 per person quad, 30 minBuggy or quad ridefrom 200 DH per vehicle

The High Atlas starts about an hour from Marrakech, and on a clear day you can see its peaks from the city. Two valleys make easy day trips.

Imlil and Toubkal

Imlil is a mountain village at about 1,800 m, at the end of the paved road (Imlil on Wikipedia). It's the starting point for Toubkal, at 4,167 m the highest peak in North Africa (Toubkal on Wikipedia). Climbing Toubkal takes 2 days, but from Imlil you can walk to Berber villages and terraced walnut and apple orchards, then have lunch on a rooftop with a view.

The Ourika valley

The Ourika valley begins about 30 km from Marrakech and follows a river up into the mountains. The road ends at Setti Fatma, where a rocky path climbs past a series of waterfalls. Wear shoes with a good grip. Cafés line the river, and on summer weekends the valley is busy with families from Marrakech escaping the heat.

The Ouzoud falls are Morocco's best-known waterfalls, about 110 m high in three steps (Ouzoud on Wikipedia, in French). A path leads down through olive trees to the bottom of the gorge, where you can see the falls from below, and Barbary macaques often watch from the trees.

They are about 150 km northeast of Marrakech, around 3 hours each way, so leave early. It's a long day, but a good one in spring, when there's the most water.

Essaouira is a fortified port on the Atlantic, about 190 km west of Marrakech (2.5 to 3 hours). Its medina has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001 (Essaouira on Wikipedia). Walk the sea walls, watch the blue fishing boats come in, and have grilled fish at the port for lunch.

It's often windy and the ocean is cool, so it's better for walks and kitesurfing than for lying on the beach. On the way you pass argan trees and women's argan oil cooperatives. Our desert evenings stop at one too.

Aït Benhaddou is a fortified village of red earth on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and the set of many films and of Game of Thrones (Aït Benhaddou on Wikipedia). Ouarzazate, nearby, has film studios you can visit.

The road crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at a little over 2,200 m, with long winding stretches. It takes about 4 hours each way, so it's possible in a day, but 8 hours in a car is a lot. It's easier as the first stop of a trip to the Sahara.

• Only an afternoon or evening free: the Agafay desert.
• Travelling with children: Agafay or the Ourika valley, both short drives.
• Mountains and fresh air: Imlil, or the Ourika valley for an easier day.
• Waterfalls: Ouzoud, in spring if you can.
• The sea: Essaouira.
• History and film sets: Aït Benhaddou, ideally on the way to the Sahara.
• Sand dunes: not a day trip. The nearest big dunes are 9 hours away, so read the Sahara or Agafay?

• Leave early for Ouzoud, Essaouira and Aït Benhaddou, around 7 or 8 in the morning.
• Use the season. In summer the mountains and the coast are cooler than the city, and the desert is best late in the day. In winter there is often snow on the Atlas, and the evenings are cold, so bring layers (see Marrakech in December).
• Winding roads. The Tichka pass and the mountain roads twist a lot. If you get car sick, sit in front and take something before you go.
• Group or private? A shared tour costs less; a private driver lets you choose your stops. Either way, check what's included: lunch, a local guide, entrance fees.
• Carry small notes for lunch, local guides and tips.
• Don't stack long days. Mix a long trip with a slow day in the medina.