See camels, casbahs and more with a trip to Morocco

HOW TO GO

Peregrine Adventures offers 13day Morocco Explorer trips through 2017 starting at $1,655 a person, double occupancy. Prices for 2018 begin at $1,770. Breakfasts and most dinners are included. Airfare is extra. about their lives.

Another extended Amazigh family runs Hotel Awayou, a rustic inn in the M’Goun Valley of the High Atlas Mountains. (The hotel, where our room was secured with a padlock, was a good place to stay in an area with few options; just don’t expect many amenities.) We took part in traditional afternoon tea and learned that men dominate the tea-making rituals in Morocco. The usual way to serve the Chinese green tea is loaded with sugar and mint, a bit too sweet for most Westerners. We watched women washing laundry at the side of a river, while local men cruised around town on motorcycles.

On the path of the casbahs, the mud-brick fortresses that dot the landscape and were stopping points along the caravan routes, we visited the walled city of Ait-Ben-Haddou, where scenes from “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Game of Thrones,” among others, were filmed. Indeed, it looked familiar, and a climb to the top gave a good workout and a good perspective.

But back to our sojourn in the desert. Getting there was a big part of the experience: 90 minutes on a camel; rucksacks with overnight necessities strapped to the saddle, cameras flopping from straps around our necks. Riding a camel is not like riding a horse. You’re higher off the ground, and it’s much more wobbly. But after a while, we settled into the journey knowing that even with some discomfort, we were lucky to be on this once-in-a-lifetime trek.

Shortly after arriving at camp, our group gathered in a canvas-topped common area and drank wine and beer while cooks prepared our meal in the dining tent as the sky grew dark. After a fire and some music under the stars, we set off along a carpeted pathway to our tents with beds and full bathrooms. I doubt I was the only one pinching myself before dozing off.

PHOTOS BY TERRI COLBY/CHICAGO TRIBUNE The fortress Ait-Ben-Haddou was a stopping point along the ancient caravan routes, but it’s also been the site of many film scenes. Fez is known for its blue and white pottery, but other colors are available too.