from $1,630* per person	11 Days	June-October
Comfort accommodations		Exertion level: 5
Operator: One World Trekking		12 people max

Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of nearly 33 million and also primarily administrates the disputed region of the Western Sahara. The history of the country's known human civilization spans over 8000 years, and it was founded by the Berbers who are the original inhabitants. Morocco is a de jure constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament and the King of Morocco holds vast executive powers. Morocco has a rich indigenous culture and civilization, and its cuisine has long been considered to be one of the most diverse in the world. The population is probably 40% to 55% Berber, partly mixed with ethnic Arabs. Although Arabic is the official language, modern studies show that the Arabization process in Morocco was mostly linguistic. Berber speaking Moroccans can be divided in three main dialectal groups: the Riffians, the Chleuh and the Central Moroccan Atlas inhabitants.

Offering a completely different hiking experience to the Himalaya, the Atlas Mountain Range is the biggest in all Africa, extending through Morocco for some 300 miles northeast to southwest. Characterized by steep-sided valleys and rocky peaks, the highest part of the range, the High Atlas, is criss-crossed by an excellent network of hiking trails that link together the picturesque terracotta-colored villages of the Berber people. The route that we have chosen to undertake includes much of the best trekking in the range, visits many of the most impressive of the fortified Berber settlements and climbs through rugged valleys to reach the highest peak in North Africa. During the course of this vacation, we have included the option to hike to the summit of Mount Jebel Toubkal (13,668 feet / 4167 meters). Our Moroccan journey begins in the 1000 year-old, ochre-colored city of Marrakech, which boasts the snow-capped summits of the High Atlas as a most dramatic backdrop. Passing through an area rich in cultural interest and wildlife, the hiking across the High Atlas is recognized to be one of the finest mountain walks in the world. On our return to Marrakech we have a day for exploration of the old Arab quarter, which is famous for its souks (markets) and for the quality of its handicrafts.