Experience the best of Hassilabied

Hassilabied lies in the Tafilalet region of south-eastern Morocco, on the edge of Erg Chebbi, a sea of golden-orange dunes that rise to as much as 150 metres. Merzouga, the larger village, is a few kilometres south. Houses of mud brick stand among sand and date palms, and the quiet of the desert is broken by little more than camel bells.

Camel treks into the dunes at sunset and sunrise, nights in tented desert camps, sandboarding and quad bikes are the activities here, along with the Gnawa music and drumming of the nearby village of Khamlia. Dayet Srji, a seasonal lake south of the dunes, draws flamingos when it holds water, and the market town of Rissani, with the tomb of Moulay Ali Cherif, ancestor of the Alaouite dynasty, lies to the north-west.

Medfouna, a Berber bread stuffed with minced meat and onion and baked under the sand, tagines and mint tea are the food of the desert, with dates from the oases. Days are hot and nights cold, and in midsummer temperatures climb above 40 degrees, so the cooler months from October to April are the easier ones.