During half term a party of 21 students from the LOGS Sixth Form together with 4 members of staff  made the brief flight from London Gatwick to Marrakech for the 2010 Morocco Expedition.

Despite being a relatively short flight away everyone found the country of Morocco very different and captivating - with its varied food, religions, customs and music.

We set off through the souks ( markets) of Marrakech, alive with the sounds of craftsmanship, haggling and car horns and the famous Djemaa el-Fna - scene of snake-charmers, musicians, story-tellers and freshly-cooked local delicacies.

From Marrakech we headed south staying a couple of days in Imlil  - the staging point for most ascents of Toubkal - the highest peak in North Africa before embarking on the truly spectacular drive through the Atlas Mountains and into the Sahara itself.

In the desert we took an overnight camel trek & combined this with a Bedouin Camp under the stars. The following day the group went on a hike through the High Atlas Mountains and finally returned to our base accommodation with many a tale of haggling on route.

We then visited a local secondary school in Tahanoute  - just south of Marrakech. This is a school with whom we have developed links and we hope to facilitate a return trip to our school from a group of teachers and students fromTahanoute

For some brave souls the evening ended with visit to local food market back in the Djemaa el-Fna. Caution being largely thrown to the wind concerning previous advice regarding local food we sampled some very interesting local delicacies washed down by many a cup of ginseng tea

The whole trip was a unforgettable experience for all concerned, with students and teachers alike returning to LOGS with many memories of invaluable shared experiences.

For the geographers amongst us the expedition offered first-hand practical experience of life in a developing country, desertification in action and the effects of globalisation.