From Chefchaouen blue to Marrakech red.

Cape Spartel · two oceans

The north-western tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet. The 1864 lighthouse still operates and marks the mandatory passage through the strait.

Chefchaouen · the blue town

Founded in 1471 by Andalusi and Sephardi refugees. The indigo blue tradition is attributed to the Jewish community that painted the houses in the 1930s — and has been kept since.

Hercules' Caves

Sea caves that, according to legend, hosted Hercules's rest before his 11th labour. Their sea opening draws the inverted map of the African continent.

Fez-el Bali · UNESCO since 1981

The largest car-free medina in the world: 9,500 alleys, 13,000 historic buildings and the oldest continuously operating university in the world, Al Qarawiyyin (859 AD).

The Chouara tanneries

Active since the 11th century with the same medieval process — stone vats and natural dyes (saffron, indigo, henna, poppy).

The Fez souk

Organised by guild alleys: babouche makers, jewellers, carpet weavers, dyers — a medieval commercial structure that has survived intact for a thousand years.

Kamkamia Luxury Desert Camp

Luxury tents with private bathroom and hot water, in the heart of the Erg Chebbi. Candle-lit Berber dinner and telescope stargazing.

360-million-year-old marine fossils

Southern Morocco was a tropical sea during the Devonian. Erfoud quarries hold trilobites, ammonites and orthoceratids exported to museums worldwide.

Todra Gorges · 160 m vertical walls

One of North Africa's most spectacular canyons, carved over millions of years by the Todra river. A world-class sport climbing mecca.

Dades Valley · Valley of the Birds

The Dades shelters more than 130 species of migratory birds — including the rare Moroccan bulbul and the long-legged buzzard.

Aït Ben Haddou · set of Gladiator and Game of Thrones

Pre-Saharan 17th-century kasbah, UNESCO since 1987 — set for Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Babel, The Mummy, Game of Thrones and many more.

Tizi n'Tichka · 2,260 m

Morocco's highest road pass. Dizzying views over the Atlas valleys — the frontier between two landscapes and two climates.