Welcome to Morocco! After landing in Marrakech, you'll travel from the city on a scenic drive through the High Atlas Mountains. This starkly beautiful landscape is home to the Berber people, an ethnic indigenous group found across North Africa. Along the way you'll spot several Berber villages and farms, as well as the rivers that allow them to cultivate the harsh, rocky land. Stop for an optional visit to a traditional Berber home, where you'll be warmly welcomed and gain insight into their daily lives. Enjoy sweeping views of a seemingly endless peaks and valleys as you traverse the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass, and keep an eye out in the distance for Toubkal, the tallest of them all.

The High Atlas also act as a barrier between the more mild Mediterranean climate in the north and the Saharan Desert to the south. As you continue on towards the city of Ouarzazate (pronounced like "war-za-zat"), the climate becomes noticeably desert-like. Picturesque Ouarzazate was once a major center of trade, but today is better known as the exotic backdrop seen in many of your favorite films and TV shows. From there you'll head to the Dades Valley, known for its lush oases and elaborate kasbahs. Kasbahs were large, square watchtower fortresses built by the landed and wealthy, and make for some of Morocco's most distinctive architecture. Spend the night in a cozy hotel nestled in the tranquil valley.