Relaxing in your hammam (steam bath), before tucking your tagine (stew) and then picking up a bargain in the souks – Moroccan traditions and culture is clear to see all around on a holiday in Morocco. As you spend time there you will be surprised to find how easy it is to be absorbed into the culture, and feel like you are literally in another, older century. Within these small traditions and lapses of time, it is simple to relax within this desert-haven.

To find your bearings within the magnificent landscape any visitor just needs to look towards the horizon. You can notice your refined minarets and rugged mud-brick ksour (fortifications), luminous coastline with smooth sand and striped canyons that are carved out of the High Atlas Mountains. Morocco has always been a heavily independent country throughout its history, although it is open to ideas and has a modern outlook through its large mix of cultures, religions and languages. The influence of the Romans, Arabs and the Europeans can be seen within the monuments throughout the country. You may also be able to hear French being spoken within the city boulevards – a mark of the 50-year French Protectorate, as well as around half a dozen Berber languages, and Moroccan Arabic is also widely spoken.

For many centuries, travelers have crossed the shifting sands and have braved the mountain passes in search of the mythic Morocco and expecting to be amazed by the royal palaces, unexpected oases, distinctive handicrafts and the spectacular feats of hospitality – and the modern-day Morocco certainly doesn’t disappoint travelers. . Whether you've come to relax in family-style riads (guest houses) or stretch your imagination on treks to distant Berber villages, you'll meet Moroccans who go out of their way to exceed your expectations. Those who inhabit Morocco and have called it home of millennia, have proved that they are adaptable to the Sahara Desert silences and also the babbling markets medinas (old towns), mingling within Tuareg trading posts and the ancient ancient mellahs (Jewish quarters). The greeting that can be heard here today is one that echoes across all of the centuries - Ahlanwasahlan, you are welcome in Morocco.