Marocko

The laid-back fishing village of Taghazout, once famous for calamari and hippies, is now considered Morocco’s premier surfing destination for both pros and learners.

Oujda is the largest city in eastern Morocco, with a modern facade that belies its millennium-old age. Despite its heritage, it receives very few foreign travelers. The reason for this is found on the map: it was once the busiest border crossing with Algeria, making it popular with traders and tourists alike. When the border closed in 1995, Oujda's economy took a major hit. However, recent tourism development along the nearby Mediterranean coast, and the consequent rise in importance of the airport, are having a positive knock-on effect. In addition, Oujda's university remains a mainstay of the economy and the city’s intellectual life.

This mountain village, perched at 2650m in the High Atlas, offers a peaceful escape from the hustle of Marrakesh 75km to the north. It's a fine year-round destination with hiking amid wildflower-strewn valleys in springtime and downhill skiing in winter. Aside from its beckoning outdoor adventures, however, there isn't much to Oukaimeden.

The Rif is the most northerly of Morocco's mountain chains. There are some good hikes to be had in the region from the most popular town for tourists, Chefchaouen, with its pastel blue medina. An alternative base in the Rif is Tetouan, which has some fine Spanish colonial architecture.

As you travel along the N10 east of Taroudant, you will see frizzy argan trees, beloved of local goats and international chefs, growing near the road.

The small Berber town of Sefrou is a picturesque place situated on the edge of the Middle Atlas. Its annual Cherry Festival was inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2012. As such, its medina walls have been restored, and some fanadiq (ancient inns used by caravans) are being rebuilt. Sefrou once hosted one of Morocco’s largest Jewish communities (as many as 8000 people, according to some accounts), and it was here that Moulay Idriss II lived while overseeing the building of Fez.

Pittoreska berberbyar, bräkande getter, frodiga dalgångar och Nordafrikas högsta bergstoppar. Marcus Westberg gav sig ut på en strapatsrik – och stundtals smärtsam – vandring genom Atlasbergen.

From Ouarzazate, the N9 plunges southeast into the Draa Valley, formed by a narrow ribbon of water from the High Atlas that occasionally emerges triumphantly in lush oases, particularly between Agdz and Zagora, a stretch of about 95km. The drive from Agdz to Zagora takes three to four hours, though the more scenic Circuits Touristiques route follows the piste through the oasis. Beyond that, a road takes you 96km further south to M’Hamid, a town 40km short of the Algerian border that marks the end of the road and the start of the desert proper.