Morocco

Morocco holds four utterly unalike geographies in a narrow strip squeezed between the Atlantic and the Sahara: the ocean coast, the cities of the plain, the Atlas Mountains and the desert. That variety also decides when to go. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the two windows that let you travel the whole route in comfort. In midsummer Marrakesh and Fez pass forty degrees and the desert becomes unbearable by day; in winter the Atlas passes take snow.

The country's fabric comes in layers. Berber, Arab, Andalusian and French influences stand side by side on the same street; the labyrinth plan of the medinas, the craft bazaars, the palaces and the courtyard houses were formed by centuries laid one on top of another. The medina of Fez counts as one of the largest car-free city centres in the world.

Our programme in this region is a culture tour; it does not include diving. The reason it is placed in March is the calendar above: the desert can be travelled by day, and the cities are not yet weighed down by the heat.