LAND of exotic culture and tradition, Morocco offers snow-capped mountains, huge deserts with green oases, and vast beaches, writes Sylvia Kingsley.

In just one holiday you can visit massive souks, ancient kasbahs, Berber villages, imperial cities and mountain hotels, for skiing and energetic walking.

While it's cold in the north, the south is a year-round destination. Sipping tea on the terrace, while watching the sun rest on the snowy Atlas mountains which ring Marrakesh, is no bad way to spend a February morning.

The capital of the south, Marrakesh waits to be explored, with its ruined palaces and ornate gardens, terracotta buildings, and labyrinthine souks. Hordes of people and traffic are on the move at sunrise, filling the wide boulevards which are lined with orange trees, while in the narrow streets and squares, the architecture has a medieval air, with low blue doors and balustrades of wrought iron.

Everyone flocks to the city centre, to the 1,000-year-old great Djemma el-Fna square. Carts overflow with flowers, fruit and grain; carrot and onion sellers haul sacksful of produce on their backs, while mountain women bring woven baskets and woolly hats. The entertainers, clowns, drummers, snake charmers and acrobats, are all selling their skills as well. It's one of the biggest shows on Earth, and a true traveller's experience.

At dusk, the lights come on and the food men move in with their braziers. The music gets louder and, if you can find a cafe seat on a balcony, you can gaze down upon a thrilling spectacle.

The souk, with its 1,000 shops and almost as many alleyways, has irresistible bargains, and bartering is a way of life and part of the fun. If you plan to move on, don't buy too many carpets. Leather goods and spices are easier to carry.

Agadir, a modern resort about 120 miles away, is good for a wind-down after hectic Marrakesh. With a nine-mile beach and luxury hotels, the pace is slow and friendly, and it's a good base to explore the south. This is where real heat begins. Once a tiny village and trading post set up by the Portuguese in 1500, Agadir was hit by an earthquake in 1960. There isn't much of the old Morocco left here, but the new one is engaging, with white buildings and large public gardens.

You can take escorted tours in air-conditioned buses to see the beauty of Morocco, with its landscapes of desert and villages, with red clay kasbahs, and river valleys lined with lofty palms. On route to the fortified town of Essaouira, you cross the Ammeln Valley, a mass of pink almond blossom in February, before travelling through biblical scenery of desert and oasis, with women carrying water pitchers on their heads.

Traders from many nations were once drawn to this ancient town, on the Atlantic, which was formerly called Mogador, for its prizes of salt, spices, sugar, horses and gold dust. A mix of extraordinary architectural styles and white houses with blue shutters, it's now a magnet for artists and craftsmen who still produce furniture, chests and musical instruments in the same way their ancestors did. Sea breezes temper the heat here and the seas are a surfer's paradise.

Then, it's on to Tafroute. The town is a blaze of colour. Square, red clay houses rise out of lilac and pink outcrops of rocks and boulders, looking as if it all got there by accident. Set off by a rich green oasis and flowering winter trees, it all looks like a brilliant painting. You could quite happily spend several days here, walking and exploring local villages and markets.

For a shorter excursion from Agadir, the elegant and quiet town of ochre-walled Taroudannt is an hour's ride away. Nicknamed "Little Marrakesh", there are many reminders of the capital with more gardens than houses, colourful souks, al fresco cafes and bustle. You may have to squeeze by veiled women on motorbikes in some of the narrow streets. A horse drawn carriage ride around town here is a delightful experience, especially at moonlight.

This is just a taste of Morocco. There are so many other routes to follow, such as the Imperial Cities and age-old camel journeys through Berber villages. It all adds up to a rich travel experience, only four hours' flight away.

Fact File

Sylvia flew with Royal Air Maroc as part of a package deal offered by many tour operators. Contact the Moroccan Tourist Board in Regent Street on 020 7437 0073 (fax 020 7734 8172) for details.

Reading: Cadogen Guide, Morocco; Lonely Planet, Morocco; Rough Guide, Morocco; Berlitz pocket guide, Morocco.

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295).

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