Postmarked
A road switching back across dry, folded mountainsides in the High Atlas
A road curving into a green river valley between red rock walls and mud-brick villages
A quiet riad courtyard with a small pool, potted palms, white columns and a hanging lantern

Africa · Morocco

Marrakech and the High Atlas

Two nights in a Marrakech riad, then over the Tizi n'Tichka pass by shared taxi to the Dadès valley and the gorges beyond.

Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
Cost per day
£82 mid-range
Flight from London
3h 45m
Pace
Steady
Route
7 days

The PDF guide

£12

68 pages · works offline · updated 2 April 2026

  • Riads inside the medina that are reachable without a guide
  • Grand taxi fares over the Tichka pass, and how the shared seats work
  • Three walks in the Dadès and Todra gorges
  • What to pay, what to tip and when to walk away
Buy the guide — £12

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Trip-budget calculator

What will 7 days in High Atlas cost?

Change the number of days and the way you like to travel. The daily figures are what I paid on the last visit, per person.

The guide's route takes 7 days.

Travel style

Estimated cost per person

£574

7 days · £82 a day

Accommodation
£336
Food and drink
£154
Getting around
£84

Flights not included: an economy return from London is usually around £150. Prices checked April 2026.

The free overview

The first day in Marrakech is loud, and it is supposed to be. This guide gives it two nights, in a riad close enough to the edge of the medina that you can find it again after dark, and then takes you over the mountains, where the noise drops away with every hairpin.

The route crosses the High Atlas on the Tizi n’Tichka pass by shared grand taxi, stops at Aït Benhaddou early in the morning before the coaches, and spends three nights in the Dadès valley, with walks into the gorges and one long day to the Todra.

Money and haggling

Morocco is the cheapest trip in this series by some distance, and the easiest place to overpay. The guide has a price list from spring 2026 for taxis, rooms, meals and the things people usually buy, and a short, polite script for leaving a shop without buying anything.

Travelling alone

I made this trip alone, twice. The guide is candid about which parts felt easy and which did not, with practical notes for women travelling solo.

When to go

March to May and October to November. Summer in the valleys is over 40°C; winter nights on the pass are below freezing and the road can close.

When to go

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

Highlighted months are the ones this route is written for.

Boumalne Dadès · April 2026

“Your price list was accurate to the dirham. I paid what you said, smiled, walked away twice, and nobody minded at all.”
— Clare M.

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