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.