There are loads of trekking possibilities in Morocco, one of the most popular being the two-day hike up Jebel Toubkal in the High Atlas mountains. Longer treks include the beautiful trail between Tacheddirt and Imlil, which takes you above the High Atlas snow line. While you're up there, you could consider a spot of skiing. Oukaimeden, about 70km from Marrakesh, is a favourite ski station. Lower altitude outdoor fun includes white-water rafting around the High Atlas, and surf fishing in the south. The winds off the coast of Essaouira are good for surfing, and fantastic for windsurfing. In fact, this spot is often singled out as the place to windsurf.

This is one of those religious frontiers where orthodoxy and local custom have met and compromised. The veneration of saints is frowned on by the orthodox Sunni Muslims but Islam, like Christianity, is made up of many sects and such festivals continue. It's worth asking around for details of festival dates because many don't take place at any fixed time in the western calendar.

Around May there's the Mousseum of Sidi Mohammed M'a al-Anim, an occasion to see the 'blue people' (Moors of the Sahara) and the commercial gathering of tribes. The National Folklore Festival of Marrakesh is a 10-day tourist event well worth attending for the dancers, musicians and other entertainers from around the country. In October, the little Northern town of Erfoud hosts a festival in honour of the quintessential desert fruit, the date. Independence Day, one of five national secular holidays, is celebrated on 18 November.