Fairytale Morocco and the Canary Islands

Around 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Casablanca is Rabat, one of the country's four imperial cities. This modern capital with its historic center was accepted onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2012. Hassan Tower, Rabat's landmark, dates back to the time when the city was the Sultanate's capital. Close by, and yet built hundreds of years later, is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. You can find this regal residence in the elegant French-influenced residential quarter, Ville Nouvelle, with its boulevards and splendid Art Deco colonial buildings.

Enjoy sailing towards the next destination aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit.

Taroudant, situated around 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Agadir, was once the residence of a Berber king, a rich caravan center and an important trading place. In front of the immense protective mud walls are sprawling olive and orange plantations, and the snow-covered peaks of the High Atlas rise picturesquely in the background. Through one of the five vast city gates, you can reach the lively medina with its numerous souks where you can bargain for Berber handicrafts, leather goods, silver, and the famous argan oil. The city is affectionately known as the "Little Sister of Marrakech".

Enjoy sailing towards the next destination aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit.

The "Island of Fire", a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, has been continually recreated by volcanic eruptions. A third of Lanzarote is a bizarre lunar landscape of barren, beige-grey lines of hills and "fire mountains". In sharp contrast to this are the snow-white houses, golden beaches, and sparse green vegetation. Its quaint wine-growing areas of La Geria have been declared an all-embracing art form by the Museum of Modern Art. The painter, sculptor and architect César Manrique understood art as the link between man and nature and made a vital contribution to the look of his island home through his artistic creations.

Even from afar you can see the impressive panorama with Tenerife's landmark, Mount Teide. Its peak is the highest in Spain at 3,718 meters (12,200 feet) and is often covered in snow. The Las Cañadas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a high volcanic plateau at the foot of Teide, surrounded by a circle of rock that rises steeply. Volcanic activity has created strange-looking rock formations here which are adorned with a huge range of colors and seem like a unique synthesis of nature's art. In contrast to this are the fertile valleys of the north, a barren, almost desert-like south and the island's vibrant capital city, Santa Cruz.

strong>Hierro, the smallest and most westerly of the Canary Islands, is a rough, windswept location thought to be the far western limit of the world in Columbus's day. Its charming, white-washed city, Valverde, has a population of just 2,000 people and is uniquely situated high in the mountains far from the sea. The volcanic island was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2000, and photographers delight in dramatic sights like the Faro de Orchilla lighthouse, the great natural stone arch of the Roque de la Bonanza and the bizarre, wind-twisted juniper trees set against stony slopes. The Canarian artist Cesar Manrique created a spectacular viewpoint and restaurant overlooking the dramatic El Golfo valley atop kilometer-high cliffs.
 

Many people consider La Gomera to be the most wildly romantic island in the Canaries. Rugged gorges, craggy hillsides, fertile valleys, and evergreen cloud forests characterize the landscape. The Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, embraces the whole central mountain area and is an unusual little spot. Ancient bay trees, heather bushes as high as trees and meter-high ferns form a cloud forest where tree moss hangs from the trees and mosses cling to gnarled branches - a truly mystical natural spectacle which has existed for millions of years.

With its black volcano almost 2,000 meters (6,561 foot) high and endless white beaches along the coastline, the island of Gran Canaria displays a huge variety of landscapes. A "continent in miniature" with rugged rock formations, dense pine forests, dry valleys and reservoirs in the interior, lush vegetation in the north, shimmering dune landscapes in the south and weirdly shaped cliffs in the west. Almost half the island has been registered by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. The capital, Las Palmas, is no less colorful, with its port and history stretching back 500 years. The showpiece of this historic old town is the magnificent Santa Ana Cathedral.