Stretch your legs in Morocco's Atlas Mountains

Whether a one-hour trek over level ground or a five-day hike in the High Atlas Mountains, hillwalking in Morocco is magnificent.

There are many companies which run these trips. You can book in your home country but it is often better to shop local. There are many starting points but to see the best Morocco has to offer the Middle and the High Atlas Mountains are the places to be - in essence south of Marrakech.

Morocco is predominantly an Arabic speaking country but around 75% of the people are of Berber descent. If you go on a hillwalking expedition you will see many Berber villages nestled into the sides of mountains. You will stroll through wheat fields and walnut and apple orchards.

The roads leading up to the base towns are thronged with young guys selling melon-sized metamorphic rocks of stunning colours: imagine the deepest green you have ever seen and then multiply it by a hundred, or a shimmering yellow which changes into red and then purple as you turn it in your hand. It's as if God has emptied heaven's pockets of all its jewels.

For more info see: www.atlas-maroc.com or www.sherpa-walking-holidays.co.uk