Chefchaouen, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate, Morocco
In the beautiful Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen is a gorgeous labyrinth of blue-on-blue buildings that has an incredibly photogenic glow. There isn’t much actual sightseeing to be done, and that’s one of the town’s main attractions. It’s simply about wandering the medina alleys and lapping up all that colorful architecture.
It’s a peaceful, easygoing town and a great place to recharge if you’ve been amid the cities for a while. This is also one of Morocco’s main hiking and trekking destinations and a starting point and organization center for Rif Mountains walks.
Skip the better-known High Atlas trails and head instead to the Rif Mountains, where Berber mule tracks snake through cedar forests in the Talassemtane National Park. With a bird’s eye view of the Mediterranean, these are the greenest mountains in Morocco, the slopes covered with cultivated kif (cannabis) and a muddle of Mediterranean herbs. The best treks spin out from the bluewashed mountain village of Chefchaouen and wend past limestone crags and stone villages. Berbers originally reigned here but many battles have since raged between colonizers and bandits.
Locals will as likely shout out ‘hola’ as ‘bonjour’ or ‘salaam’. Prettier than the Atlas mountains, the area isn’t quite picturesque – the villages are lived in, laundry drapes over hedges and chickens chase at your heels – but sitting peaceably in the sunshine, munching fresh walnuts and looking out over the hills it’s remarkable so few venture here.
Epic Morocco Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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