A grand tour

Early in April I invited a group of, slightly, adventurous friends from Europe to have ourselves a big tour through the beauty of Talassemtane Park. It was a great opportunity to explore the park better and to experience backpacking in the park for a longer period.

After arriving in the city of Chefchaouen we decided to go south first, as we had decided to sleep at least one night in the inn of Khizana. The grand taxis can bring you for a small price to the nearby village of Derdara, where an interesting track starts that will immediately plunge you in some beautiful landscapes. For us it also meant a first experience in walking through some heavy Moroccan rain. We had the bad luck that all the rain the country was lacking during the winter, decided to fall in the month of April, just when we had planned our hike. As it was our first day, we had planned to still take it a bit easy, and this walk to Khizana for about 5 hours was an ideal way to start our trekking.

The track between Derdara and Khizana

Arriving at Khizana also meant a happy reencounter with Mohamed Ahbiss, the inn owner of Dar Khizana. He immediately received us with some hot tea and once again he had a great dinner to serve in the evening. To enjoy his hospitality to the fullest, we decided to stay another night in this inn, so the next day we did the circuit of Jbel Khizana (see ‘between the parks’).

Breakfast in the inn of Dar Khizana

Then, the real serious work started. The next morning we left early towards our first goal of the day: the city of Bab Taza. Next to Chefchaouen, this small city is considered one of the ideal points to enter the territory of the Talassemtane National Park. Before doing so, it’s also a perfect place to do some last minute shopping. After collecting great quantities of bread, olives and dates we felt ready to continue our journey. It would prove a first serious test for our little group, as from now on we would be walking upwards for the rest of the day. As if the rain wasn’t enough to make it a bit more challenging, we also got some hail on our heads, but fortunately a friendly local family gave us a place to shelter and a nice cup of tea when we needed it most. When eventually we arrived at the camping site Talassemtane, between two of the highest mountain peaks of the park, we set up our tents for the night.

Taking a pause on the picnic ground of Taria

The next morning we met with the biggest surprise of our trip: it was snowing which created some magnificent landscapes and even our tents were covered with a layer of snow. As it was freezing cold in the tents by the time we woke up, we left at 8 in the morning for what would be one of the longest walks any of us had ever made in one day. As we preferred to sleep in a warm bed the following night, to compensate for the rather cold night on the camping site, we wanted to reach the Café Refuge Rueda before nightfall, but we realized this wouldn’t be easy.

Rural village in the Talassemtane Park

We had one big advantage however, from now on we would be going downhill for most of the time. With good hopes we took a good start. It would however also be the first day that we got a bit lost as well. Normally you can help yourself perfectly with the maps that are provided by the directorate of the park and with some help that is happily provided by the inhabitants of the park. This day we decided to try a little shortcut through a particularly attractive valley, but after one hour of rather difficult tracks we realized that we would probably never find another passage than the one we came from. The consequence was that it was after 7 o’clock in the evening when we finally arrived in the inn of Café Refuge Rueda, which meant that we had walked for almost 12 hours. Off course, we were very happy to arrive in a warm place where a hot tajine was already waiting for us.

View in the Talassemtane Park

We felt that we deserved a day of relaxing so the next day we stayed mostly in the inn, but not without discovering one of their newest activities: mountain biking. With the rain from the previous days, mountain climbing sadly wasn’t possible (see ‘A new paradise for mountain climbing’).

The last day of our hike we still had to get back to Chefchaouen, which was a perfect ending of our tour. The walk took about 6 hours, but we did it in a very easy rhythm and with a lot of pauses to enjoy the landscapes for a last time and the sun that had appeared at last. When we finally arrived in Chefchaouen we all felt tired but very satisfied. We had seen a lot of amazing landscapes and all types of possible weather, but off course this had made the trip even more adventurous. So, the Talassemtane Park gained some new fans.

GPS circuits: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4

The caves

Another important feature of the Talassemtane Park are its caves. During our stay in Café Refuge Rueda we had the possibility to visit the most particular among them: the cave of Knadel. It gives a great opportunity for speleologism, if you’re able to find it in the mountains. The cave is located near the Jbel Kelti and the road between Chefchaouen and Oued Laou. A guide will be indispensable however.

The cave of Knadel

In the park you can find hundreds of other caves and caverns. A good opportunity to see some of the more interesting ones is a hike in the mountains near the inn of Afasska. Once again it is advised to take a guide with you, as there isn’t any signalization in the region for now. The inn owner can certainly help you out in appointing a local guide or can even personally accompany you on a tour in the mountains. As the inn is located on a relatively high level, there is a big chance that in winter you’ll be able to walk through some snowy areas, while the many pines give this area a very European outlook. Also the richness in bird singing is impressive and during our walk in the month of March we heard dozens of woodpeckers digging their nests. What you shouldn’t forget is to bring enough drinking water, as water sources are rather rare here. Our walk took about 5 hours, but longer and shorter variations are also possible.

Cavern near Afasska

The inn of Afasska is a good stopping point with a nice view and located next to the house of the family of the inn owner. It provides basic comfort with showers and a small furnace for the colder winter evenings. The family will gladly help you out with any necessities, even washing some clothes if necessary. Another extra in this inn is the possibility to join in some Moroccan cooking. We took the opportunity to make our own baghrir and rghaif, both types of typical pancakes which are often eaten with honey, and to bake bread in a traditional clay oven. Highly recommended!

Making Baghrir and Rghaif in the inn of Afasska

Between the parks

Close to the National Park Talassemtane there is another protected area that dominates the region: the Regional Park Bouhachem. And between those two parks you have the more than interesting mountain of Jbel Khizana.

As this mountain is located outside the main parks and further away from the city of Chefchaouen, it is even less touristic than the surrounding area. In the village of Khizana you can find the inn Dar Khizana, which is the ideal starting point for a visit to this region.

During our visit to this marvelous inn we were treated as kings by its amazing inn owner Mohamed Ahbiss. Not only does he always have some interesting stories to tell, he also tries to give his guests a complete experience of the Moroccans life on the countryside. The dishes he makes for example consist only of natural ingredients that are often found in the close proximity of his inn and they are certainly among the best food we’ve eaten in the whole of Morocco. Furthermore, although his inn is constructed in a traditional fashion and with mostly authentic materials, you can find all the comfort needed, including a hot shower and a fireplace for cold winter evenings.

Enjoying dinner in Dar Khizana

You can easily stay in this inn for a few days without getting bored, as there are various opportunities for long walks or activities in and around the village. A circuit that leads round the mountain of Jbel Khizana is marked with signalizations (yellow and white stripes), but a guide may still be useful to make sure you don’t get lost. If you take the long tour it may take 6 to 8 hours to complete, but the magnificent views from the different sides of the mountain makes this walk more than worth it. One of the most important features of this mountain is its abundance of sources, so you’ll pass a lot of idyllic mountain rivers on your way and even some small lakes.

Signalization on the touristic circuit of Jbel Khizana

One of the lakes around the mountain

For the less sportive travellers there are off course smaller walks in the vicinity of the inn and the cultural activities that the inn owner will gladly organize for you. These may include Moroccan cuisine (bread, cheese, jam,…), traditional dances, the art of henna,… Also socio-cultural encounters are sometimes organized with a possibility to buy traditional local products and food. And don’t forget to see the still functioning watermill and blacksmith of the village!

The blacksmith of Khizana in action

GPS circuit: Link

A new paradise for mountain climbing

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.

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.

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.

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.