The Blue Pearl of Morocco

I spent this past weekend in Chefchaouen, a small city up north in the the Rif mountains of Morocco. Nicknamed, “the Blue Pearl of Morocco”, Chefchaouen is known for its stunning blue-washed alleys and buildings – an atmosphere I was thoroughly excited to be completely immersed in. I traveled with four of my other coworkers making for a great weekend break from our work lives in Marrakech.

We started our travels by taking the train from Marrakech to Tangier, and then a bus from Tangier to Chefchaouen. We had a brief pit stop in Tetouan, which gave me some deja vu from my brief visit in high school! While the trip up north was long, the views made the journey worthwhile. The mountains and plains of Northern Morocco were so lush and green, a refreshing view compared to the typical red sand I’m used to in Marrakech. The ride was smooth as we passed alongside valleys, lakes, and small mountainside villages. At our brief stop in Tangier, we even had a chance to walk to the beach and dip our toes in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Upon arrival in Chefchaouen, we made our way to our Airbnb which was quite an unexpected trek. The streets of Chefchaouen are remarkably steep in certain areas, and a combination of the long travel day, a lack of sleep, and my heavy backpack left me pretty out of breath by the time we reached our accommodation. Alas, the journey was entirely worth it because our mountainside four-floor Airbnb had such a unique, earthen feel to it; complete with a beautiful rooftop terrace and panoramic views of the city. Arriving in the evening we spent the rest of the night enjoying a candlelit dinner overlooking the city and walking around the medina.

[Side note: I personally did not get the greatest treatment as an Asian American in Chefchaouen. Especially on our first evening, men were not afraid to aggressively yell racist harassments, especially since I stuck out a lot as a foreigner. Definitely a bit scary, and an important reminder to be extra cautious in more remote areas and to travel in a group if necessary.]

For our first full day, I woke up extra early in an attempt to see the sunrise from our rooftop. I didn’t realize that the mountains would block most of the view, but it was still nice to be up and enjoy the peace of the early morning before things got busy. When the others rose, we walked down to Plaza Uta el Hamman and enjoyed a sunny breakfast at a cafe rooftop. Since Chefchaouen is literally built into the mountainside, there are incredible views from pretty much any perspective. We spent a while at breakfast enjoying the warm sun, looking at the mountains, and people-watching in the plaza square below.

Next we headed to the Kasbah of Chefchaouen, an old fortification built in 1471 to resupply and launch counterattacks on the Portuguese. Stepping past the gate into the secluded Kasbah was a nice break from the loud, busy square. It was lovely to walk around the gardens, living quarters, prison barracks, a small museum, and the main watchtower overlooking the city. The Islamic window shapes with idyllic views of Chefchaouen made for great pictures and we spent a good amount of time finding the best photo spots.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the medina and finally getting to the enjoy the beautiful blues of Chefchaouen. It is truly remarkable how BLUE everything really is; the buildings, doors, roofs, stairs, flower pots, windows, everything truly is blue! There are several theories on why the consistent color usage: some say it’s to repel mosquitos, some say it’s to symbolize the sky or water. The most probable explanation is from the 1900s. During World War II, Chefchaouen became a popular refuge place for Jews facing persecution from the Andalusia in Spain due to its hidden location in the mountains. The Jewish community during this time had a strong tradition of painting things blue as a reminder of heaven and God. Their culture and heritage is still very much preserved by the vibrant presence of this color which is impossible to miss. While pictures don’t capture the full-scale of how immersive the blue felt, I tried to capture small unique sights:

It was so fun to just wander the streets and leisurely shop around the medina which was significantly kinder and more relaxed than Marrakech. I had to buy a little painting of the blue streets and mountains because I never want to forget how pretty this scenery is. We had a late lunch at Cafe Clock, a popular restaurant known for their signature camel burgers. Again, we sat on their rooftop which had a spectacular, sunny view of the city. We all decided to be adventurous and try the camel burgers, which weren’t bad! I definitely prefer beef but it was neat to try one for the experience.

The next morning we coordinated a taxi to take us about 45 minutes outside of Chefchaouen to Akchour, a small village known for its rivers and waterfalls. When I tell you this was by far the most beautiful taxi ride I’ve ever taken…. travelling on winding cliffside roads we passed deep valleys, forests, mountain faces, grassy plains, and lakes surrounded by villages. Pictures truly don’t do the scenery justice at all, so I spent a lot of time just soaking everything in and trying to internalize mental images of how incredible the drive was.

When we arrived in Akchour, we started off with a traditional breakfast overlooking the mountains. We decided to turn down hiring a guide and attempt the hike on our own, not really knowing what to expect. The hike began at a dam where two of the valley rivers come together, one trail veering left towards a small waterfall and one trail veering right towards The Grand Cascades and the God’s Bridge point. We decided to go all in and take the long route to the upper falls and cascades. The base of the hike was really fun with plenty waterside cafes grilling tagine, offering tea, and providing a place to swim. The water was SO blue and clear but still a bit too cold to swim in. As we climbed increasingly higher the views became even more spectacular. Certain points on the trail were pretty steep and rocky and I fell probably four or five times oops.

We stopped at several outlook points to look down and see how far we had come and look around at how beautiful the view was. I always take pauses in moments like this to really just appreciate where I am and the true solitude of being in the middle of nowhere. While I love the craziness of urban environments, moments like this always remind me of the rare, indescribable peace and beauty of rural settings. Places like this feel untraveled and unseen, and always give me a deeper appreciation for the seemingly secret beauty of North Africa that isn’t typically shared when people think of this region of the world. In the midst of the surrealness, I always take a moment for gratitude and recognize that I’m very lucky to have these experiences.

After about two hours of hiking, we finally reached God’s Bridge, a 100 meter high natural rock bridge formed above a running river below. While the trail down to the water below was closed, we were still in awe of how beautiful the view was from the bridge. The scenery was entirely worth all of the sweating, slipping, and falling. After making the long journey back down, we stopped by the rocky edge of a water pool for a glass of mint tea and to rest our feet. It felt great to get outside of Chefchaouen for the day and be truly immersed in the lush, green mountains in nature. Not to mention the hike was a great workout! I would love to come back to this region in the summertime to enjoy swimming in the wading pools and perhaps eating tagine at a waterside cafe.

On our last evening in Chefchaouen, we took a hike up to the Spanish mosque for a great overlook of the city. The mosque was constructed in the 1920s during Spanish colonial rule of the region, and was built to try and gain support of the local Muslim population. The mosque was actually boycotted and never attended by the residents of Chefchaouen, and today it is restored as a scenic tourist attraction. After a short fifteen minute walk up the hill we reached the mosque which had the most spectacular view of the blue city. It was really incredible to see the distinct blue houses built right into the side of the mountains. Sadly it was pretty cloudy so the sunset wasn’t anything special, but the view was still just as lovely to enjoy.

Overall I had an AMAZING weekend in Chefchaouen! The mix of the city and mountains was a perfect balance of spontaneity and relaxation. I would absolutely recommend a visit to this region if you are looking for unique, quirky sights, time away in nature, or a good calf-workout from all the stairs. The beautiful blues created such a bright, calming atmosphere that undoubtedly reflects the deep Jewish and Moroccan heritage that has stood the test of colonialism, persecution, and time. Chefchaouen is truly a hidden treasure of Morocco!