The journal · field notes from Morocco
No top-10 listicles. Slow, opinionated dispatches from the atelier on when to come, where to go first, what to skip and how to spend your dirhams well. Read before you book — and certainly before you pack.
This month's long-read
One slow, in-house piece every month. No commissioned writers, no sponsored takes — just the answers we already give our guests on WhatsApp, written down properly.
Latest field note 9 min readPlanning · June 2026
Honest USD ranges, not a sales pitch: a shared 3-day Merzouga trip runs roughly $100–200pp, a private one $350–600pp+, a 2-day Zagora trip from $60pp, and a luxury 4-day Erg Chigaga trip $800–1,200+pp. The three things that move the price — camp standard, group size and season — plus what the headline figure leaves out and the cheapest bus route.
The archive
Re-read every season by our team. If anything is out of date we annotate it at the top of the piece — Morocco changes slowly, but it does change.
02Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
There's no train and no reliable flight to the dunes — it's a ~560 km, 8–10h drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass via Ouarzazate, Aït Ben Haddou and the Dadès & Todra gorges. We compare private tour, transfer car, the limited Errachidia flight, the overnight bus and self-drive, break the route down stop by stop, and say whether the long drive is worth it.
03Planning 8 minPlanning · June 2026
An honest breakdown of what your tour price covers and what it doesn't: private transport, the desert camp, the camel trek and dinner and breakfast are almost always included, while lunches, drinks, tips, site entry fees, optional activities and any camp upgrade are usually extra — plus how to read a quote so you compare like for like.
04Planning 8 minPlanning · June 2026
An honest answer to the booking question travellers agonise over: when booking ahead wins (fixed dates, peak season, a specific or luxury camp, a private trip), when arranging it on the ground makes sense, the catch with street-booked tours around Jemaa el-Fna, how far ahead to book, and the short checklist to confirm before you pay.
05Desert 9 minDesert · June 2026
An honest, season-by-season answer: spring and autumn are the sweet spot, summer is very hot by day at Erg Chebbi, and winter brings warm-ish days but genuinely cold desert nights. What each season is really like for camel treks, camping, crowds and photography — plus a month-by-month guide and what to pack.
06Desert 10 minDesert · June 2026
The whole desert decision in one honest answer: whether it's worth the 8–9 hour drive, how many days you really need (2 vs 3 vs 4), Merzouga vs Zagora vs Erg Chigaga, what you see past Ait Ben Haddou and the Dades & Todra gorges, the camel trek and camp, and when to go.
07Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Most people try to do Marrakech in 36 hours and leave exhausted. Here is the three-day rhythm we recommend for first-timers — the medina, Majorelle, an Atlas day, what to skip and where to eat.
08Desert 10 minDesert · June 2026
Merzouga or Zagora? Standard or luxury? We map the trade-offs in distance, dunes, silence and price — and what a night under canvas actually includes — with the camps we still send guests to.
09Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
The etiquette and the mechanics of bargaining — fair price ranges, the phrases that help, what's actually fixed-price, the set-ups to sidestep, and why walking away is your strongest move.
10Practical 6 minPractical · May 2026
Guides, drivers, riads, camps, restaurants — who to tip, how much, and in what currency. The honest, no-guesswork numbers we give our own guests before every trip.
11Fes 10 minFes · June 2026
The world's largest car-free urban area is a 13th-century city still running in real time. The tanneries, the Qarawiyyin, the art of getting pleasantly lost — and when to hire a guide.
12Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Bessara at dawn, mechoui, seven-vegetable couscous on a Friday, the street-food stalls worth queuing for — what to order, where, and how to eat well whatever your diet.
13Atlas 7 minAtlas · June 2026
Imlil, the Ourika valley, Berber villages and waterfalls are an hour from the Red City. What a good day actually looks like — and the tourist traps to drive past.
14Coast 7 minCoast · June 2026
Three hours from Marrakech, the Atlantic's most likeable town — fortified ramparts, a working fishing port, kitesurf wind and a music soul. How to spend a perfect 48 hours.
15Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
The honest, current picture — solo and women travellers, the common souk set-ups, which areas to know about, health and the road. What we actually tell our own guests.
16Practical 7 minPractical · June 2026
No 'breathable convertible trousers'. A real packing list that changes with the month and the route — medina, mountains, coast and desert all ask for different things.
17Planning 8 minPlanning · June 2026
Daily spend, where the money goes and the honest ways to save without missing the point of the trip — with sample budgets in USD for shoestring, mid-range and comfortable.
18Marrakech 7 minMarrakech · June 2026
What a riad actually is, which neighbourhoods suit which travellers, and what to look for before you book — so you get the courtyard, the calm and the location right.
19Itineraries 11 minItineraries · June 2026
The classic one-week loop, day by day — Marrakech, the High Atlas, Aït Ben Haddou, the Dades, the Merzouga dunes and Fes — with honest drive times and what to skip.
20Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
Road conditions, police checkpoints, city parking, fuel and the real cost trade-off — and why most of our guests end up with a private driver instead of a rental.
21Culture 6 minCulture · June 2026
Why it's poured from a height, what 'Berber whisky' means, how it's brewed and the etiquette of accepting a glass — the small ceremony at the heart of Moroccan hospitality.
22Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
The UNESCO earthen citadel south of the Atlas — its history, the films shot there (Gladiator to Game of Thrones), and how to visit properly from Marrakech or Ouarzazate.
23Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Rugs, leather, lanterns, ceramics and argan — where to find the real thing in the medina, how to bargain without stress, and how to get it all home.
24Family 9 minFamily · June 2026
Where to go, how to pace it, the riads that work for families, camel rides and food kids will actually eat — the practical things we tell parents before they come.
25North 7 minNorth · June 2026
Why it's painted blue, what to actually do there, day trip versus overnight, the best photo spots and how to get to the Rif's most photogenic town.
26Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
From the blue lanes of Chefchaouen to the dunes of Merzouga and the kasbahs of the south — where to shoot, when the light is right, and the etiquette of the lens.
27Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
Big dunes and a longer drive, or accessible desert closer to Marrakech? We compare Erg Chebbi and the Zagora/Chigaga route on dunes, drive time, crowds and cost.
28Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
Gnaoua in Essaouira, the rose festival in the Dades, sacred music in Fes, moussems and Ramadan — the events worth planning a trip around, month by month.
29Desert 7 minDesert · June 2026
Camel arrival, the tents, dinner under the stars, the cold nights, the sunrise on the dunes — and the difference between a standard and a luxury Sahara camp.
30Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Jemaa el-Fnaa stalls, the best tagine and tangia, where locals actually eat, street snacks, and the rooftop tables worth the splurge — how to eat well in the Red City.
31Desert 8 minDesert · March 2025
Which area to base yourself (Merzouga/Erg Chebbi, Zagora/Draa, M'Hamid/Erg Chigaga), the honest choice between a desert camp and a kasbah hotel on the dune edge, and what each comfort tier really means.
32Food 7 minFood · March 2025
Madfouna the 'Berber pizza' from Rissani and Erfoud, the dates of the palm groves, sand-baked nomad bread, slow camp tagines, kalia and 'Berber whisky' — the real food identity of Morocco's desert and the Tafilalet.
33Desert 7 minDesert · March 2025
It's a long drive from Marrakech and Fes, nights get genuinely cold, sun and sand demand protection, connectivity and ATMs are limited — and how to choose a responsible camp before you book.
34Desert 6 minDesert · April 2025
An honest hot-season guide. June to August in Merzouga and Zagora is extreme — mid-40s°C and dangerous at midday. How to do it safely at sunrise and sunset if you go, and why spring and autumn are the better seasons.
35Desert 6 minDesert · April 2025
An honest cold-season guide. December to February in Merzouga and Zagora brings mild, mostly sunny days around 18–20°C — perfect for the dunes — but genuinely cold, near-freezing nights. Why winter is a great time to go if you pack warm layers.
36Desert 6 minDesert · April 2025
The desert trip-length decision, made honest. From Marrakech or Fes to Erg Chebbi and Merzouga: 2 days is the rushed minimum, 3 days / 2 nights is the classic sweet spot, and 4+ days suits the Marrakech-to-Fes crossing or remote Erg Chigaga.
37Desert 7 minDesert · June 2026
Yes — the desert cools fast after sunset, every season. Near-freezing in winter, chilly even in summer once you stop moving. Why it happens, night temperatures by season around Merzouga, what camps provide, and the exact warm layers to pack.
38Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
An honest, hour-by-hour walkthrough: the long scenic drive from Marrakech or Fes, the camel trek into Erg Chebbi at golden hour, the tagine dinner and drums, the staggering stars, the sunrise — plus a straight answer on whether the desert tour is worth the drive.
39Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
There's no train and no flight to the dunes — it's a ~470 km, 6.5–8h drive through Ifrane, Midelt and the Ziz Valley. We compare private tour, transfer car, bus and self-drive, break the route down stop by stop, and give honest advice on doing it in one day or two.
Letters from Marrakech
No marketing. Just one field note, one riad we love this season, one practical tip — written in plain English, signed by a real person.
We never sell or share your address. Unsubscribe in one click.