The acclaimed novelist Vladimir Nabokov once posited that true understanding of a book only comes through rereading. The author finds this holds equally true for travel, where an initial visit serves merely as reconnaissance, and genuine intimacy with a place is cultivated through return.

After two decades of avoiding Marrakesh due to a negative initial impression of its mercenary medina, the author resolved to revisit Morocco more carefully.

The journey was greatly aided by Bilal El Hammoumy, founder of Inclusive Morocco, a scholar passionate about his native country and fluent in multiple languages.

El Hammoumy established his company to signal that Morocco is a welcoming destination for travelers of all identities, religions, and physical abilities. This value was deeply appreciated by the author throughout the journey.

Morocco has long captivated Western imaginations, from Eugène Delacroix's Orientalist paintings in 1832 to epic film sets for productions like Game of Thrones. This enduring appeal has led to a significant tourism boom, with nearly 20 million visitors in 2025, a 175 percent increase since 2019.

Despite its growing popularity, much of Morocco remains underexplored, with 84 percent of tourist traffic concentrated in just five destinations in 2024. This leaves vast portions of the country, comparable in size to California, to more intrepid explorers.

El Hammoumy suggested an initial acclimation period in Marrakesh, splitting the stay between the Izza in the medina and the iconic La Mamounia, before embarking on a thousand-mile circuit into the deep south.

This extensive itinerary would begin near Marrakesh in the Agafay Desert, ascend into the Atlas Mountains, and descend through historic oases.

The trip was designed as a rich cultural journey, encompassing Berber history in the High Atlas, the arrival of Arab traders in the seventh century, and contemporary nomadic life in the desert.

A particularly unique segment would take the author across the southerly Anti-Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic coast, ending amidst wild argan groves.

The final five days between the Sahara's edge and the Anti-Atlas follow a route evocatively named the Memory Road, an initiative by renegade hotelier Thierry Teyssier, founder of 700,000 Heures Impact.

Though some accommodations would be simple, El Hammoumy promised the journey would be rich in cultural discovery and authentic human connection.