No visit to Morocco is complete with witnessing Gnawa, a soul-shaking blend of music, dance and poetry that traces its roots back to medieval communities of Saharan Africa.
A kingdom of palaces, pagodas and rolling pastures draped across the valleys of the eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is a country built around the tenets of Buddhism. The annual Paro Tshechu, held each spring, is among the most spectacular of the country’s sacred festivals, with dances and ceremonies dating back to the 17th century.
Venturing into the undulating, orange dunes of the Sahara Desert is one of Morocco’s ultimate adventures, calling at remote trading posts, tucking into fireside feasts and bedding down beneath endless, star-speckled skies.
Hailing from the Atlas Mountains, Hafida Hdoubane became one of Morocco’s first female mountain guides in 1994 and has been leading hiking groups in the country ever since.
Take it slowly on a mule trek through the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and make time for chance encounters along the way, from reviving cups of tea with farmers to poignant conversations with local women.