Spectacularly diverse,Moroccois also the nearest exotic location to theUK. The country is very close to Europe, barely 14 kilometers fromSpainacross the Straits of Gibraltar. It is in many ways a country set apart with breathtaking landscapes combining sand, sea and snow.

Morocconestles on the north-western tip of Africa, separated from the rest of the continent by the towering Atlas Mountains and by theSaharaitself.Morocco’s varied geography includes no less than four mountain ranges, in addition to lush river valleys, beautiful sandy coasts and wide expanses of desert.

Its climate, geography and history are all more closely related to the Mediterranean than to the rest of Africa and for this reason visitors are often struck by the odd sensation of having not quite reached Africa inMorocco.

In the north its fine beaches, lush highland valleys and evocative old cities reinforce this impression with the Rif Mountains running along the north coast. Yet as one moves south and east into and over the starkly beautiful ranges of the Atlas,Morocco’s Mediterranean character melts away like a mirage. TheSaharastretches out  on  the horizon and the forbidding Kasbahs stare. The three most prominent mountain ranges which run parallel to each other from the southwest to the northeast are the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas. The ascent of the country’s highest peak Jebel Toukbal (13,665 ft/4,165 m.) is a spectacular and not particularly difficult High Atlas trek.