In northern Morocco, close to the historical
city of Chefchaouen, the exceptional National Park of Talassemtane can be
found. This region is still relatively unknown for most tourists, but has a
huge potential to attract backpackers and adventurous travellers. One of the
main assets of the park are the limitless possibilities for both amateur and
(semi-)professional mountain climbers.
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| Advanced climbing by a Slovak tourist |
For mountain climbing it can still be considered a
virgin territory, but some (semi-)professional climbers have already started to
open up the region for this activity in recent years. Mainly Slovak, Czech and
German climbers have been visiting the Park since about 5 years and managed to
install more than 200 climbing routes in the Park north of Chefchaouen. The
potential is still much higher however, with a possibility to open at least
2.000 of these kind of routes. This means that the region is a paradise for the
more experienced climbers who want to climb these fairly untouched mountains in
a region with an exceptional natural beauty.
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| Beginners get all the necessary help from the friendly staff of Café Refuge Rueda. |
That it isn’t necessary however to be an
experienced climber to enjoy the potential of the Talassemtane Park, we noticed
during our visit to the Café Refuge Rueda. The owners of this Inn, which is
easily accessible by car via the route between Chefchaouen and Oued Laou, will
happily accompany the beginners for a small price. They received a training
from international climbing associations to give all the professional help
needed and dispose of all the necessary climbing equipment.
It’s also in the Café Refuge Rueda that all the
detailed plans of the already opened climbing routes can be found. The
“Association Caiat” was founded by the owners to manage the organization of
different activities that can be done in the proximity of the inn. Aside
mountain climbing, these include canyoning, kayaking and even archery. For most
of these activities (excluding the kayaking) the necessary equipment can also be
found in the inn.
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| Canyoning near Akchour |
For anyone interested in experiencing the more
sportive activities in the Park Talassemtane, the Café Refuge Rueda is an ideal
starting point. And especially experienced mountain climbers looking for a new
adventure will be more than happy to explore the spectacular Rif mountains of
the Park.
