Inland , where the real interest of Morocco lies, the outstanding cities are Fes and Marrakesh . The great imperial capitals of the country's various dynasties, they are almost unique in the Arab world for the chance they offer to witness some city life which, in patterns and appearance, remains in large part medieval. For monuments, Fes is the highlight, though Marrakesh, the "beginning of the south", is for most visitors the more enjoyable and exciting.

Travel in the south - roughly beyond a line drawn between Casablanca and Meknes - is, on the whole, easier and more relaxing than in the sometimes frenetic north. This is certainly true of the mountain ranges . The Rif , which can feel disturbingly anarchic, is really for hardened travellers, only Chaouen , on its periphery, could be counted a "holiday spot". But the Atlas ranges (Middle, High and Anti) are beautiful and accessible.

Hiking in the High Atlas , especially around North Africa's highest peak, Djebel Toubkal , is in fact something of a growth industry. Even if you are no more than a casual walker, it's worth considering, with summer treks possible at all levels of experience and altitude. And, despite inroads made by commercialization, it remains essentially "undiscovered" - like the Alps must have been in the nineteenth century.

Equally exploratory in mood are the great southern routes beyond - and across - the Atlas, amid the oases of the pre-Sahara. Major routes here can be travelled by bus, minor ones by rented car or local taxi, the really remote ones by four-wheel-drive vehicles or by getting lifts on local camions (lorries), sharing space with the market produce and livestock.

The oases, around Tinerhir, Zagora and Erfoud , or (for the committed) Tata or Figuig , are classic images of the Arab world, vast palmeries stretching into desert horizons. Equally memorable is the architecture that they share with the Atlas - bizarre and fabulous pise (mud) kasbahs and ksour , with Gothic-looking turrets and multi-patterned walls.

Further south, you can follow a route through the Western Sahara all the way down to Dakhla, just 20km short of the Tropic of Cancer, where the weather is scorching even in midwinter.