TRAVEL | MOROCCO | AFRICA

Why You Should Visit Chefchaouen, Morocco

It is so much more than just the blue buildings!

To say that we were delighted and amazed by pretty much everything in the Chefchaouen area, would still somehow be understating it.

We arrived there (read about our first impressions) weary and jetlagged after traveling across the Atlantic Ocean from Canada. We had no idea what to expect, we hadn’t researched this place online, and we didn’t even know how to pronounce the name (it’s CHEF-CHOW-AN for those interested) before we arrived. Of course, I had seen the odd picture on Instagram of its famous blue walls, which has created the monicker “The Blue Pearl”, but, of course, those pictures do not do this place justice!

Our very first morning in Chefhaouen we were up for the first Muslim call to prayer. This is the first time that either of us had ever heard it!

We initially spent a week in Chefchaouen before heading off to Fez and the Sahara Desert. This gave us the time required to get over our jetlag and allowed us a bit of time to get to know this beautiful city. After our 7 days were up, we were sad to be leaving, but we vowed that we would be back. This place has a sort of magnetic pull, once you discover the charm of it, you yearn for more.

After our trip to the desert, we decided that we wanted to head back to Chefchaouen to see what opportunities awaited us. It felt like there were many, and we were eager to get back to turn them into something concrete.

So, we went back for 5 more weeks!

We secured a great exchange with Riad Baraka where we painted pieces of artwork, in exchange for our accommodation. This meant that we were able to live there pretty cheaply, and only had to worry about finding ourselves a few meals per day.

We fell terribly in love with the tiny streets and alleyways of Chefchaouen. Each and every time we went somewhere, we would try to turn down some street we hadn’t been on, or down some set of stairs that beckoned us. Each time we were delighted and amazed by what we found, and we realized that it could take many months to explore the intricacies of the little alleys that grace the hillside of this mountain town.

While staying at the hotel, we met many travelers that only stayed there for one night. It was a real shame and I felt terrible for people who had planned such a tight schedule, that they had no flexibility to just stop for a few days to enjoy this peaceful town. It is definitely worth staying in Chefchaouen for much more than one night!

Read on for some reasons why!

THE SCENERY IS TO DIE FOR

Before arriving, when I dreamt of what Morocco must be like, I had visions in my mind of vast desert landscapes and camels wandering too and fro.

So when we drove our rental car from Tangier, at sea level, up into the hillsides, I couldn’t have been more shocked and amazed to find towering mountains and drastic landscapes.

Chefchaouen sits in a bowl below towering cliff walls at its back. From rooftop terraces (these are also one of our favorite things!), you can look down into the Rif Valley below, and just contemplate life.

Because we were there for a few days while we had a rental car, we were able to travel over to a neighboring valley, and the views and landscape is breathtaking. Emerald green farmers' fields stretch for miles beneath the dramatic backdrop, donkeys and carts still doing the heavy hauling on the farms.

We also took the time to hike around the city, out of the walled-in Medina, to check out the views from above. The Spanish Mosque is a favorite sunset locale, and we highly recommend heading up there at that time of day, to sit and witness life going on far below. You will be joined by many locals who also make this a part of their daily routine.

Hiking past the Spanish Mosque will take you out along hillside paths that criss-cross and meander past farmers' fields and more rural houses. The people here are so friendly, and they will likely invite you in for a cup of famed mint tea.

Everywhere is safe and okay for anyone to explore, and just simply exploring the streets will demand more than a day in itself!

THE AIR AND WATER ARE CLEAN

Don’t drink the water in Morocco! We were warned about this before leaving Canada, and I have to say that in Chefchaouen, it is a nonissue.

Moroccans are very clever with how they direct their water, and there are numerous filling stations around the city with functioning taps where people just fill up their bottles if they need to. This water comes straight off the mountains above and is as clean as if it were in the Swiss Alps. We never had to worry about whether or not our food had been cleaned with dirty water, it just doesn’t exist there.

Plus, the air is as clean and as crisp as any mountain air that you would hope to find in any country on earth. It certainly is equal to the clean air that I breathed as a child growing up in the Rocky Mountains of Canada!

If you love places with clean air and clean water, I mean, who doesn’t (?), you will love Chefchaouen!

THE COOLEST SOAP SHOP

This soap shop is located just off the main plaza and is very understated from the outside. I mean, it really does look like any other soap shop that is in the town. That is, at least, until you go inside, climb the stairs, breathe in about a thousand different natural scents and behold a visual spectacle that is like nothing you have ever seen.

The little bundles of soap that hang from the ceiling, or any other spot that things can hang from, are all made with 100% natural ingredients. There are baskets of small blocks that look like soap but are actually little perfume blocks. They are small cubes, about 4 sugar cubes in size, that have the most amazing natural scents added to them somehow. You simply rub the small block on your skin, and you are instantly covered in the nicest aroma!

They also have perfume oil that is again made with natural ingredients. I tell you, when I rub mine on my hands or face, the scent sends me into pure euphoria. They also carry natural teas, spice mixes, and other body products!

If you go to the main plaza and ask anybody about the soap shop, they will point you in the right direction. If you only shop in ONE store in Chefchaouen, please make sure it is this one. It truly is divine.

THERE ARE CATS EVERYWHERE

I mean, this really wouldn’t appeal to people who aren’t fond of cats, but this was a real highlight for us!

It is decreed in the Quran that you should be nice to cats, in fact, it is decreed that you should be nice to all animals, but somehow cats seem to be treated better than the rest. So, although they aren’t necessarily taken care of, as in brought into homes and cuddled at night, they are fed with leftover food scraps that people put outside. Plus, they are free to roam restaurants, waiting patiently for food to drop from the tables.

At night people have to make sure that doors and windows are closed so that the cats don’t go into places that they shouldn’t be. You can hear them out in the alleys, fighting, screaming in heat, and just walking around announcing their presence to whoever will listen.

I don’t know about you, but we find them quite entertaining, to say the least.

And of course, there are kittens! Lots and lots of kittens.

THE TERRACE IS WHERE IT’S AT

Moroccans don’t have yards, at least not the ones that live in towns and cities. If you live out on a farm, great, but most places don’t have room for a yard as buildings are built onto each other, leaving no room on the ground. Instead, Moroccans have terraces.

Terraces are the top level of the building or home, and it is usually open to the elements. These are places where people hang laundry and those sorts of things, but they are also places where people might set up a whole second kitchen and dining area or even a cozy extra living room space. In the summer, we are told that the people of Chefchaouan mostly live on their terraces.

It seems to almost be a contest between restaurants as to who has the best terrace. You climb up thru multiple levels of the building, normally at least 3, just to arrive at the best part, the open-air terrace with a great view. And I have to say, sipping coffee high up on a terrace, while overlooking life going on below, is a pretty great way to spend some time.

THE PEOPLE ARE AMAZING

The vibe in Chefchaouen is very slow and laid back, which we love. I’m thinking it has to do with the amount of hash and keef that is smoked since Chefchaouen is THE place in Morocco for the best of both. Keef, a by-product of the hashish production, is what the men in Chefchaouen put in their long pipes. It has no THC crystals on it, it is only plant matter, and it is a standard of life there. You will see all ages of men sitting around coffee shops and in parks smoking their keef. Tourists can be sure that they will be offered whatever they need from the sometimes pushy salesman who just wants to give you a good time.

But I have to say, the guys selling hash are about as pushy as it gets, and really, they aren’t that pushy after all. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Morocco at the lack of aggressiveness that we experienced from the shop owners. In the big cities, like Fez and Marrakesh, they are more hasty and aggressive and will pull out all stops to get you to buy something. While in Chefchaouen, they mostly just let you look, will aid you if you need help, and are fine if you politely decline and move on.

The Moroccan people are as friendly and helpful as anyone could hope for, in fact, I do believe that they are some of the kindest people (as a general population) that we have found in all of our travels. We experienced many a kind gesture, and this was done quite often with no hope of us giving them anything in return. Moroccans truly believe that when each individual is doing better, the collective population does better. And this transfers into fellow businessmen, family members, and even tourists. We are all in this together, and you can truly feel it when you are amongst the people of Chefchaouen.

THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL NEARBY

Akchour Waterfall is definitely worth the hype! The walk is 2–3 hours in, and about 1 out. You will be doing some scrambling, so bring some good walking shoes, but there is nothing that the average person in decent shape couldn’t get up or down.

The actual falls at the very top, were not running very strong when we were there, (video here) but the valley that it is in is absolutely breathtaking! We call it Fern Gully on steroids but realize that there is only a certain demographic of people who will understand what we mean when we say that. Just go! It’s seriously epic!

Depending on the time of year, you may want to dress in a few layers as we found it very cool at the top, and weren’t able to stay for long as we didn’t have enough clothing. That being said, in the summer there is tons of swimming, so bring your bathing suit!

Bring money as numerous food vendors are cooking up mean tajines and mint teas along the way. You will also find a guy right at the falls, so you can enjoy the stunning beauty while having a freshly cooked meal. You will also find fresh-squeezed orange juice (the only way they do it in Morocco!), and lots of different goodies to purchase.

Maybe bring a garbage bag and consider taking some garbage out with you. Unfortunately, the Moroccans have little concern if they litter, and the valley really could use a good clean-up.

THE ALLEYWAYS AND ARCHWAYS ARE ADORABLE

I remember landing in Tangier, then exploring the old medina, and thinking, ‘these alleyways are so cute’. Little did I know what was waiting for us in Chefchaouen, because these alleyways surely must be pictured in the dictionary next to ‘cute’ or ‘quaint’ or ‘adorable’!?

As stated above, we spent much of our time wandering up and down these teeny tiny streets, each time we absorbed a little more, and saw something different. When we first arrived, we felt like we had come to some sort of adult Disneyland or something. I mean, it’s so friggin’ adorable, that you can’t even believe that people actually live there.

But alas, they do, and thankfully, they were happy to share their home with us as we wandered around gasping in amazement at every corner. I’m telling you, you have never seen anything like it!

Make sure that your phone or memory card has ample space available because you DO NOT want to miss taking about 100 photos per day!

THE ARTS SCENE IS ALIVE AND WELL

Thankfully, upon arriving in Chefchaouen, we were introduced to a group of artists that gave us an insight into the town a little more than what we would have found on our own. They have a great studio and gallery, but they aren’t the only ones.

Paintings of all sorts line the walkways as you meander through the medina, however, they aren’t the only items that represent art in this country.

The people of Morocco, for the most part, are still very steeped in tradition when it comes to their creations. Most handmade items, (and let’s be honest, most things here are handmade in general), are created using traditional methods that go back hundreds, if not thousands of years. They are very proud of the traditions that have been passed down from their elders, and they quite often have no desire to use the more modern methods that have become available with technological advances.

It’s a beautiful thing to witness how dedicated they are to their crafts, and how much time and attention to detail they employ to make sure that what they make is well made and will last for years to come.

THE SCHEDULE IS JUST RIGHT

I’ll never forget our surprise when on our first morning in Chefchaouen, having been woken by jetlag at 6:00 am, we were not able to find one open coffee shop. We walked and walked and felt certain that SOMEWHERE must be catering to the early morning crowd in this town.

But alas, there was nary a person to be seen, and certainly, there were no businesses or coffee shops open at that god awful hour! We were surprised that it wasn’t until 8:00 that we finally passed the first person of the day who was slowly making their way down the alley.

After spending 2 years in Central America, we had become accustomed to the hustle and bustle at even 5:00 in the morning. But here? Oh no, this quiet and laid-back mountain town doesn’t even get going until 10:00, and many businesses won’t even open their doors until 11 or 12.

We were pleasantly surprised by this because we generally run on artist hours, staying up until 2:00 am, then sleeping until 9 or 10 in the morning. Our schedule fits in just perfectly there, and quite often we were still astonished when we walked by a business that was still going strong at 11:00 at night!

Yes, the schedule in Chefchaouen suited us just fine!

So yeah, do yourself a HUGE favor and plan AT LEAST 2 nights in Chefchaouen! There are so many things to see and do, and if nothing else, it is a great place to just put your feet up, relax a little, and just take in the chill vibe of this beautiful mountain town.

Trust me, you will thank me later!

Do you like my writing? Consider signing up for Medium for just $5/month. It will give you unlimited access to not only my writing but that of thousands of other writers on all topics. Plus, if you use my referral link below, I will get a small commission for your patronage. Thank you for your support and happy reading!

Hi there, we are 2 Canadians, Jill and Chris from Artistic Voyages. We have been nomadic since 2017 living in numerous different countries, and experiencing the life and diversity of our planet on the ground and firsthand. We have now been on the African continent for 2 years! Join our adventure by hitting the links below!

Website: www.artisticvoyages.com

Patreon: www.patreon.com/artisticvoyages

Facebook: www.facebook.com/artisticvoyages

Instagram: www.instagram.com/artisticvoyages

Twitter: www.twitter.com/artisticvoyages

YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/artisticvoyages