Splendours of Morocco

Travellers to colourful Morocco will find a feast not only for their eyes, but their sense of curiosity.

They will soak up fascinating facts about modern day life as well as the country’s history, which is steeped in Roman, Moorish and Berber cultures.

Take Moorish culture – it stretches back to 711AD, but its legacies still live on today.

Flamenco music is one such example, with historians linking its rhythmic hand clapping and expressive singing to the Moors telling stories of their lives in Andalusia through song.

It’s this kind of rich history with its connections to contemporary life that will treat travellers to fascinating experience with Abercrombie & Kent’s Splendours of Morocco – A Luxury Small Group Journey.

The 12-day tour is shared in the company of no more than 18 guests and starts in Casablanca, a city well known for the eponymous 1942 Humphrey Bogart film.

Continuing to the Fes el-Bali (Old Fes), the cultural heart of Morocco, travellers will walk through ancient souks, or markets, and watch artisans in action as they produce works of bronze and pottery.

Day four is a highlight with the exploration of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in North Africa. These include the intricate art to be seen on the mosaic floors of former family dwellings.

Explore the many laneways of ancient Moroccan souks. Photo: Abercrombie & Kent

Then it’s on to the desert dunes and towns of the Sahara, best enjoyed on the local travel mode of choice: Camelback. Travellers will stay at Abercrombie & Kent’s exclusive Desert Tented Camp and enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner and live music.

Journeying through the town of Ouarzazate, a city originally built as a French garrison in the 1920s, and over the High Atlas Mountains, travellers will come to Marrakech.

Also known as the Red City, Marrakech is an anthropologist’s dream.

The main square, Djemaa el-Fna, is filled with orange juice stalls and vendors, along with acrobats, dancers and street musicians performing.

In the medina, a walled section of town and UNESCO World Heritage Site, there’s plenty to see. At 77 metres tall, the Koutoubia Minaret is Marrakech’s largest mosque and an architectural jewel with its geometric arch motifs and spire top.

Morocco, Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque. Photo: Abercrombie & Kent

During the trip travellers will have the opportunity to discuss modern Moroccan life, including the role of women, with a female professor over dinner. And just like all of Abercrombie & Kent’s luxury small group tours, travellers will be guided by an English-speaking tour director and guides.

Abercrombie & Kent operates luxury small group journeys to more than 30 countries, and also offers Luxury Expedition Cruise and Tailor-Made journeys across all seven continents.

Call 1300 851 800, visit www.abercrombiekent.com.au or contact your travel agent to start planning your journey today.