Magic of Morocco

May 23 2008 By Richard Cranidge

Stunning scenery and sunrise camel treks offer a breathtaking assault on the senses

As soon as you glimpse a brochure from Exodus, one of the most successful operators in the booming business of family adventure holidays, you know you aren't in for one of those trips where everybody sits around sunbathing.

In the bustling main street of the Moroccan town of Ourzazat, across the High Atlas mountains from Marrakech, the cheerful pep talk from our guide was intended to prepare us for the challenges that lay ahead.

Ourzazat, which is pronounced Wah-za-zat, translates as 'no noise', although nobody could understand why. And the only reason it didn't seem very noisy indeed was that our first stop had actually been the heaving heart of Marrakech itself. Over breakfast, our guide gave us three rules: First, don't drink the water; second, don't buy food from dodgy street stalls; and third, always ask before taking photos of locals With that, we were off on a 300- mile trek spanning seven rather hectic days - safe in the hands of our trusty minibus driver, who whisked us from the edge of the Sahara, up 2,000 metres into the High Atlas mountains and back to sand, this time in the Atlantic resort of Essaouira. Squeezing on to our bus for the two-and-a-half-hour journey towards the Sahara gave the first chance to check out what would be the highlight of the holiday - the Moroccan landscape. After arriving at our destination, we transferred on to the traditional means of transport of the Sahara.

Despite their amazing feats of endurance, camels have gained a reputation for being smelly and grumpy, but the ones that took our group certainly didn't put me off. I enjoyed a comfortable ride to the Berber camp.

The return trek at 6am did give the thighs some cause for complaint but it was worth it for the sunrise over the dunes.

It gave the next stop on our tour a tough act to follow, but a place used as a film set for Gladiator and Lawrence Of Arabia is bound not to disappoint. The kasbah of Ait Benhaddou clings to a hillside above a dried-up river and offers wonderful views from the top.

But for city-dwellers desperate for a slowdown in the pace of life, there is only one place to go - and that's surely the seaside.

The city of Essaouira is cooler with the weather coming in off the Atlantic. That makes it the perfect place for wind and kitesurfing or just enjoying a few hours on the wide, sandy beach.

From camels to seafood, desert to beach and stifling heat to cool sea breezes, Morocco provides a magnificent assault on the senses. I will definitely return before it is dragged into the 21st century.

Travel facts...

Richard Cranidge was a guest of Exodus, which operates eight-day escorted journeys to Marrakech and The Sahara from £689 per person, including return flights ex-Heathrow, travel by private minibus and camel, five nights' hotel accommodation, one-night gite accommodation, and one night in a Bedouin camp. Package also includes all breakfasts and two dinners. Price of package without flights starts at £415.

Exodus arranges flights from regional UK airports, including Manchester (£99) and Glasgow (£105). Trip code AMS.

Exodus reservations: 0845 863 9601 and www.exodus.co.uk