It is still possible in this modern day of technology, consumerism and fast-paced living, to visit a country where it feels like you’re stepping back in time. Where simplified living, family and traditions are highly regarded and the plague of the Western world has yet to fully infiltrate and take hold. Morocco is one of these countries - where donkeys and mules are as at home on the highways as trucks and cars.
An exotic blend of influences, Morocco combines traditional Berber culture with a healthy dose of eastern Arabic influence, representations of former French and Spanish ruling mixed in with the gentle introduction of the modern west. The result is intoxicating and beguiling. A destination offering something for everyone – with beautifully ornate palaces and mosques, mystical desert landscapes, majestic and snow covered mountains and medieval cities with their manic souqs and medinas.
The economic heart of Morocco is the European-style city of Casablanca with its wide boulevards, parks, white washed art deco buildings and the beautiful Hassan II Mosque. Appearing to rise up out of the Atlantic Ocean, the incredibly ornate mosque is the second largest in the world, where 25,000 worshippers can pray on a glass floor with the sea swirling underneath.
A favourite on the travellers trail is the arty, picturesque sea-side town of Essaouira. Spend a few nights in this laid back location where you can wile away the hours, feasting on fresh seafood and people watching on the beachfront. Back in the day it was a hippy haven where musicians like Jimi Hendrix were rumoured to have spent time. Visit the charming town of Chefchaouen, one of Morocco’s prettiest towns sitting scenically at the base of the Rif Mountains. Stroll around the delightful medina with it narrow alleyways and cobalt blue buildings, all leading you towards the town’s lovely main square.
Take the opportunity to spend a night in the Sahara desert where you'll be treated to meals and entertainment by Berber nomads. Using their camels to transport you, enjoy the changing colours of the sand during sunset and sunrise, sleeping in eerie silence under a million twinkling stars. The enchanting Fes, and more specifically Old Fes, can at first overwhelm the senses. The medina is the best preserved, largest, inhabited medieval Islamic city in the world - an incredible maze of more than 9,000 winding alleys, hidden souqs and blind corners. The iconic tanneries are at times overpoweringly pungent, but are a fascinating highlight nonetheless.
