Editor’s letter

It’s easy to forget how close Morocco is. Just a three-hour flight from the UK — or an hour’s ferry from the southern tip of Spain — lies a land of wide open deserts and mountains, with rugged beaches and seductive cities. Marrakech maintains its timeless allure, but the country’s other attractions are ample reason to return again and again.

Beyond the souks and kasbahs of Fez, Tangier, Casablanca and Rabat, the country’s wealth of adventures includes everything from mountain biking to sandboarding and even skiing.

Head into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains for extraordinary scenery, where in lush, dramatic valleys and remote villages, famously warm hospitality awaits. Explore the Atlantic coast, home to an established surfing scene, or journey through the undulating sand dunes of the Sahara Desert in the company of the Aït Atta tribe.

Having just reopened to UK travellers, Morocco is the focus of our cover story this issue, as we celebrate a country that’s long captured the imagination of travellers. From its distinctive cuisine — tagines, couscous, dates and mint tea — to tourism enterprises supporting local communities, the reasons to visit Morocco are as numerous as the stars in the desert sky.