"Rock the Kasbah!" Morocco by mafi_moya

Ok I admit it, I liked Morocco! In fact I had a wonderful time there. Yet considering I bore all my friends telling them how travel widens your horizons and constantly defies all expectations I had quite a narrow-minded view of how Morocco would be. I saw it as a kind of "Africa for beginners," overrun with tourists and the country's main attractions submerged under a swarm of souvenir stalls - the exotic kasbahs and ancient medinas reduced to not much more than a queue for photos and an "I was there" T-shirt. And, in parts at least, that's exactly as it is.

Sidi Ifni on the Atlantic coast

But however much we might like to get off the beaten track and discover somewhere new and relatively untouched by tourism, there are usually at least a few good reasons why all those tourists flocked there in the first place - and in the case of Morocco it's easy to see why the country has been such a popular destination for so many years. There's stunning natural scenery - ranging from the snow-capped peaks of the highest mountains in North Africa to the edge of the Sahara desert, - great food, wonderful architecture and fascinating cultural history. It's also very easy to get around and, if you're fed up of the backpacker trail, there are whole regions of the country where foreigners remain a rare sight.

Red mountains in the Dades Valley

Unfortunately I only had a couple of weeks here - enough time to see a lot but also to leave you wanting more. I flew in and out of Marrakech so mainly travelled around the central regions of the country and didn't find time to make it to the cities of the north (Fes, Meknes, Tangiers, Casablanca etc). But even so there were plenty of highlights - sleeping out under the stars in the Dades Valley, camping out in the freezing cold desert at Merzouga, the beautiful architecture of Marrakech, and the sleepy little fishing town of Sidi Ifni on the Atlantic Coast.

One of the best things about Morocco is its diversity. It's geographical location and cultural and religious history has blended aspects from Europe, the Middle East and West Africa. So you get three holiday destinations for the price of one!