Chefchaouen, Morocco

Chefchaouen


Getting there:

Taking the train from Marrakech to Chefchaouen would've taken a lot of time and renting a car didn't seem like the best options due to the wild drivers in Morocco. Instead, we opted to hire a private driver, which sounds really bougie, but is quite a common way for tourists to get around Morocco. We got picked up by the driver in Marrakech and he drove us to Chefchaouen in a lovely jeep. The drive took about 8 hours but was really nice. The driver stopped for rests and snacks multiple times along the way and even bought us some mint tea, he was super funny and friendly and we had a lot of great conversations. We got stopped once by the police, it is very coming coming into/out of small towns - apparently Chefchaouen - Marrakech is a common drug route.

Where we stayed:

We stayed at Riad Baraka in the medina which was great, the people were really friendly and helpful and it had a beautiful terrace with a fantastic view. 

What we did:

We quickly realized that people are a lot friendlier in Chefchaouen and more likely to help you out without expecting anything in routine. I felt a lot safer and more relaxed. When browsing shops, people were quick to say things such as "just come in and have a look, no pressure." The people we met genuinely wanted to share some of their history and culture with us which was really refreshing after being in Marrakech. 


One of the first things we noticed after arriving was the prices! The prices we thought were cheap in Marrakech suddenly seemed very expensive! For example, the 28 dirhams (€2.50) we were paying for mint tea in Marrakech suddenly became 7 dirhams (€0.65) in Chefchaouen. Food was also much cheaper, apparently Marrakech is the most expensive city in Morocco. 


We spent a lot of time exploring and getting lost in the gorgeous blue streets. Some locals told us that the blue colour started out with locals painting their houses because blue was considered a clam happy colour and kept mosquitoes away. Over time, it began to become popular on social media so locals started painting more streets and buildings blue. It is among the top most instagrammable cities in the world.

A must do when visiting Chefchaouen is to walk up the hill to the Spanish Mosque. There is an unbelievable view of the city and very popular spot to watch the sunset. We met some really lovely local guys who were both teachers interested in teaching in Canada so we had some good conversations with them. 

We spent a few hours discovering the beauty of the Rif mountains one day. We took a shared taxi - which is so cool, you only pay for your seat which costs 25 dirhams (€2.30) and the taxi leaves when it is filled up. It is about a 45 minute drive to Akchour, a small town with one street on which you can find a few restaurants and the beginning of some hikes. You can hike to some beautiful waterfalls if you have lots of time, however, we opted for the shorter adventure to The God's Bridge (a natural rock formation over 100 feet high that connects the two side of the canyon) that is supposedly 45 minutes each way but took us a bit longer. Getting there involves walking through a picturesque valley and some hiking through rocky rapids and springs. Jin and I did some minor rock climbing and I fully fell into the stream at one point, the route was mildly challenging, but the views were worth it! The bridge is stunning and what really excited me was that we got to see monkeys! Like real, wild monkeys just living their life not in a zoo or seen as part of a tour, it was so cool! Apparently in the summer, you can swim in the springs around the bridge and the waterfalls. 

What we ate:

The food here continued to impress me. I continued to eat my weight in olives and drink so much fresh orange juice and mint tea. Restaurant Bab Ssour is a hidden gem, tucked away from the main streets/square. I had the most delicious chicken pastilla and Moroccan salad.


We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the Clock Café which consisted of a large mouth watering portion of Berber eggs, bread, fresh orange juice, and min tea for the grand total of 50 dirhams (under €5). We liked it so much, we went back for dinner one evening. The food was really delicious, the servers were super friendly, and there was some really fun live music! They also offer cooking classes and other fun events. Tara had a camel burger which was kind of funny since we only rode them a few days before. I tried a bite, it tasted kind of like beef. We also had the tastiest hot milk/almond drinks!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Madeira, Portugal

Image
Tuesday I headed to the airport bright and early. I got an overpriced breakfast there because, for some reason, I was starving at 4:30 a.m. I got a window seat on the plane, which was awesome, and I slept most of the flight to Porto. I had a 4-hour layover and then continued to  Madeira . Flying into Madeira was a bit scary. We were so close to the water, and I still couldn't see the runway, and it was windy. It was so gorgeous, though, with the mountains, lush green trees, water and my favourite Portuguese red clay roofs. I hung out in the airport for a while and waited for Tori to land. We picked up our rental car and set off on our adventure when she did. In Madeira, they drive on the same side of the road as Canada, so that was nice. The only thing was they gave us a big SUV when I booked a Fiat 500 (or something similar)... the roads around the island are small and windy, so that was exciting in our monster vehicle. We got gas and some groceries and drove to our Bed and Breakf...
Read more

Marrakesh, Morocco

Image
For half term, Tara, Jin, and I headed off to North Africa! This was such a cool trip, so different from anywhere I've been before! Marrakech Where we stayed: We stayed at The Central House Marrakech Medina. This hostel was absolutely stunning! It is one of the fancier/more expensive hostels in the Medina, that being said it was still only about €20/night. We booked a 6 bed dorm and ended up having the whole thing to ourselves for the most part. There was a beautiful terrace, pool, and bar/restaurant. The people that worked at the hostel were absolutely lovely, so friendly and helpful. The hostel did a lovely breakfast including eggs, cheeses, meats, fruits, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, various Moroccan pastries and pancakes, tea, coffee, juice, etc. Greek yoghurt might have competition from Moroccan yoghurt.   What we ate: Atay Café quickly became one of our go to spots. It had the cutest, coziest, most authentic vibe. There was a nice rooftop with a great view and then some lov...
Read more

Tangier, Morocco

Image
Tangier Getting there: We took another shared taxi (where you just pay for your seat) to get to Tangier , it cost 70 dirhams (€6.40) for a two hour drive. It was nice to be near the water, and see a bigger city in Africa, but overall, Tangier was not my favourite place. I typically wouldn't choose to go here, it was just cheaper for us to fly out of. It is less traditional and there is more freedom. You will see more people smoking cigarettes and hash and hear less intense prayer calls.   Where we stayed: We stayed in a private room at Baytalice hostel which has a nice terrace and the friendliest owner with a very nice cat - I woke up at 1am to a very angry Tara when she woke up with a cat on her bed (I thought it was hilarious, she did not).   What we did: We wandered around the Medina and down to the Marina and beach . We stopped at McDonalds for a twix mcflurry and wandered around a mall and grocery store. We found a cafe where we could sit outside and have some mint tea...
Read more