Arrive in Casablanca, board the Sea Cloud II, and attend dinner as the ship sets sail.

Enjoy this day offshore, relaxing and taking in the smell of the fresh ocean breeze up on deck.

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 up 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 jewelry and the famous argan oil. The city is affectionately known as the "Little Sister of Marrakech".

Enjoy the ship's luxurious amenities as it sails to Spain.

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-gray 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.

The Istmo de la Pared is the narrowest part of Fuerteventura and divides the island into two parts - Maxorata in the north and the Jandía peninsula in the south. With its statuesque fine sand dunes of Corralejo on the northern tip and the kilometer-long golden yellow sandy beaches in the south, Fuerteventura's savage and austere beauty evokes the spellbinding North African deserts, not far away. Even its name betrays the powerful relevance of the wind - sotavento and the leeward side conjures a gentle turquoise-colored swell on the wide sandy beaches of the eastern coast.

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 up 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.

The combination of small size and great height make the lush green volcanic island of La Palma one of the steepest islands on earth. The white houses in the island's capital shine out from wooded mountain slopes and the old town center of Santa Cruz is covered by a preservation order principally because of its Canarian houses with their artistically decorated wooden balconies. The Caldera de Taburiente towers above the north of the island. With a diameter of nine kilometers (5.6 miles) and surrounded by crater walls more than 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) high, it is one of the world's largest volcanic craters. Behind the caldera is the cloud forest of Los Tilos. The Biosphere Reserve was extended by UNESCO to cover the whole island of La Palma.

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 treemoss hangs from the trees and mosses cling to gnarled branches - a truly mystical natural spectacle which has existed for millions of years.

Arrive at Gran Canaria and disembark after breakfast for your continued independent journeys.