Only four hours flight away Morocco feels as if you have stepped back in time. Incredibly diverse, you can walk in the Atlas Mountains, camp in the desert, get lost in the Medinas of the imperial cities or enjoy mint tea and pastries in a pretty seaside town. The food is delicious, the public transport is frequent, the roads are good, the people are hospitable and the cost of living is low. There is accommodation to suit every budget. We can personally recommend some small guesthouses for £5 a night or some wonderful deluxe properties for a lot more. Many of the houses in the Medinas have been renovated using traditional building techniques and turned into delightful small hotels or Riads, some of which can be rented in their entirety. Morocco is a year round destination so a week walking in the Anti-Atlas would be ideal in our winter months, whereas a trek to the peak of Mt Toubkal in the High Atlas or long weekend in Tangier would be best in our summer months.

• FLY DRIVE ITINERARY - driving a hire car through Morocco is the perfect way to explore this amazing country at a leisurely pace with the security of having overnight stops prebooked. An interesting 10-day route is to start in enchanting pink-walled Marrakesh with its ancient Medina and the heady scent of jasmine from its many gardens, continue to Ouirgane in the High Atlas Mountains, home to the Berber people, and finish in Taroudant, an ancient walled town enclosing citrus groves and a busy Medina. Cost £1042 per person including flights and half board.

• SMALL GROUP TOUR - nine days in Marrakech and the Anti-Atlas Mountains ending in the delightful town of Essaouira on the coast. Cost from £599 including flights plus local payment of £70.

• INDEPENDENT TRAVEL - The public transport in Morocco is excellent and cheap and the system of shared taxis fun and efficient. There is no better way to meet the locals and travel to less-visited places, but at the same time have the security of prebooked accommodation. Starting and ending in Fes, a 9 day tour takes in this remarkable city with its sprawling Medina, the roman ruins at Volubilis and little-visited Meknes, a compact version of Fes with the colonial French quarter overlooking the ancient Medina. Cost from £638 per person including flights.