6-Day Route Through Northern Morocco

6 days tour to the North of Morocco.

• Departure from Tangier.
• Duration: 6 days/5 nights.

ITINERARY:

Tangier and the Caves of Hercules- Assilah- Chefchaouen- Akchour (Waterfalls of Oued kelaa and the Bridge of God)-Kenitra-Lake of Siddi Boughaba- Exotic Gardens of Bouknadel- The forest of Maamora-Rabat and Necropolis of Chellah Sellah-Tangier.

End of tour: Tangier.

DAY 1.- TANGIER- THE CAVES OF HERCULES- IULIA CONSTANTIA ZILILIL (DCHAR JDID)- ASILAH.

We will start our tour with a guided tour of the most representative of Tangier. I refer you to the guide section of the site for a more detailed explanation of what we will see in it.
Fourteen kilometers from Tangier are the caves of Hercules, of great beauty for the formations it contains.
Its name responds to an ancient Greek legend. According to it, Hercules spent the night there before carrying out the third of the works commissioned by Eurystheus.
To obtain the power of Zeus, Hercules had to go through twelve labors and pass a series of tests that would determine whether Hercules belonged to the world of mortals or of the gods. These are tests of self-improvement and elevation of the spirit towards its immortal nature.
Hercules was to steal the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides that some classical Greek writers located near the city of Lixus.
The caves were discovered at the end of the 19th century. In the archaeological work carried out, the remains of a series of clay statuettes were found, evidencing its occupation since the Neolithic era, approximately 7000 years BC.
The cave has two entrances, one on land and the other towards the sea, which is believed to have been opened by the Phoenicians. This exit to the sea has been immortalized through photography and is an iconic image of Morocco. Its shape is similar to that of the African continent and is therefore known as “the map of Africa”.
Before heading to Asilah we will stop in Dchar Jdid to see the historical ruins of the Roman city of Iulia Constantia.
Northern Morocco was part of the Roman province of Tingitania, was the last bastion of Roman culture in the area and that is why in this area of the country we can find important archaeological sites, such as Volubilis, or the city of Iulia Constantia, 13 kms from Asilah. This enclave was occupied from the fourth century BC until its final abandonment in the early fifth century AD. Of the buildings on the site, the most spectacular is a paleochristian church. We will take a guided tour of the complex.

We will arrive at the end of the afternoon in Assilah where we will spend the night in a beautiful riad in the medina.

DAY 2.- FREE DAY IN ASSILAH.

Asilah, is a beautiful, small and quiet coastal town located 40 kms from Tangier. Like other enclaves of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, the history of Asilah is a succession of conquests and occupation. With a privileged location it has historically been an important commercial enclave.
Archaeological remains have been found that tell us of the occupation of the area in the second century by the Phoenicians, just as there is evidence of visits by the ancient Greeks, was occupied by the Carthaginians and they were replaced by the Romans in the first century BC. In 712 A.D. it was conquered by the Arabs, Umayyads, Almohads and Almoravids ruled it. It has been a Portuguese stronghold and was also part of the Spanish crown.
In the guides section of the page you have more information about Assilah.
It is a very small city with a lot of charm. You can spend the day walking through the quiet streets of its medina and see the murals painted on them, get lost and shop in the Bazaar, watch the sunset from the viewpoint of Caraquia, take a walk along the promenade or walk barefoot on the golden sand of the beach near the fishing port, enjoy the beach, eat by the sea delicious freshly caught fish to the sound of the waves.
Overnight in Asilah.

DAY 3.- CHEFCHAOUEN

After breakfast we will head to Chefchaouen, where we will spend the day. In the guide section of the website you will find information about this quiet and beautiful city that you will surely not forget.

DAY 4.- CHEFCHAOUEN- AKCHOUR (OUED KELAA WATERFALLS AND THE BRIDGE OF GOD) – CHEFCHAOUEN

Today will be a day of hiking. This excursion is really a must to do when you are so close to Chefchaouen.
Akchour is a small village about 30 kms from Chefchaouen, from it depart two routes that will allow us to enjoy the scenery of the Talembote Valley in the Talassemtane National Park: the route of the Bridge of God, parallel to the river Farda, and the route of the waterfalls, along the banks of the river Kelaa.
It is up to you to decide if you want to do both, or one of them depending on your physical condition.
The route of the Bridge of God is a route of a little more than an hour and a half outward and return by a route in constant ascent. It requires a continuous uphill climb.
The route of the waterfalls is longer, requiring more than two and a half hours one way and, logically, the same time on the return trip. The first stage of the route, which leads to the first of the waterfalls (the Small Waterfall), is relatively easy and flat, however, the second, which leads to the Great Waterfall is more complicated, the route narrows, moves uphill, although we will also find large flat areas and requires crossing the river several times by somewhat slippery steps, but reaching the Great Waterfall, over 70 meters high is a reward worth the time and effort invested.
In both cases, you can take advantage of the evening to take a well-deserved dip or cool your feet in the cool waters of the river.
After the excursion we will go to Kenitra, where we will spend the night.

DAY 5.- KENITRA- SIDDI BOUGHABA LAGOON- EXOTIC GARDENS OF BOUKNADEL- THE MAAMORA FOREST-RABAT.

Next to Kenitra, the neighboring town of Mehdia, both at the mouth of the Sebu River, is an area where lagoons and marshes abound. We will make a brief tour of the Mehdiya Lagoon before heading to the Siddi lagoon.

Boughaba (a term that translates as “The Father of the Forest”), located in the National Park of the same name.
The Siddi Boughab wetland, which only a high dune separates from the Atlantic Ocean, is an extraordinary natural site of great ornithological richness. It is a remnant of the last freshwater marshes of the northwest coast of Morocco. There are days when the mist caused by the fog endows the landscape with a certain dreamlike air that only enhances the beauty of the environment.
It is a perfect place to observe the local fauna and flora. At the entrance to the road leading to the lake there is an educational center run by the Society for the Protection of Animals and Nature, where you can learn about the biodiversity present in the wetland.
The lake is located on a bird migration route, more than 171 species, most of them winter residents, although there are sedentary species. In the lake we can observe marbled teals, flamingos, ducks, harriers, coots, white storks, etc.
The Sidi Boughaba Biological Reserve, unfortunately, like so many other wetlands in Morocco and in so many other parts of the world are endangered areas of conservation because of development projects.
After this start of the day in the local flora and fauna we will visit the Exotic Garden of Bouknadel.
The Garden is a themed garden with fourteen different spaces, an aviary and a reptile terrarium housing nearly eighty different species of animals.
It is inspired by the wild nature of different parts of the world and also in the landscape conception in which the hand of man intervenes and, in this way, we can visit in the “Gardens of Culture” Japanese gardens, Andalusian gardens, gardens of South Asia, Polynesia, Congo, Mexico, China, Peru, Brazil, Caribbean and African Savannah coexisting harmoniously in the same space.
In the gardens we can find more than six hundred species of plants from the five continents.

It is a must visit for nature lovers. These gardens have been repeatedly praised for their beauty and diversity, for the creativity of their compositions and the meticulous realism of the environments they recreate.
Our last visit of the day, before heading to Rabat, will be to the nearby Mamora Forest, the largest cork oak forest in the world, where we will make a short route to relax in the middle of nature, admire the landscape and the fauna that resides in it.
We will spend the night in a beautiful Riad in Rabat.

DAY 6.- RABAT AND NECROPOLIS OF CHELLAH SELLAH

In this our sixth day of route we will start a little earlier making a guided tour of the most important sites of Rabat. You can find information about what we will visit in the guide section of the Marrakchia website. After which, we will visit the Necropolis of Chellah Sellah. It is located outside the walls, about 3 kms from the center. Chellah Sellah, in Roman times was the city of Sala Colonia.
After being a prosperous Roman city, it was abandoned and rebuilt in the 13th century by the Almohads as a necropolis. It was built on the outskirts of the city overlooking a meander of the river and was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755.

Inside there are remains of the Roman city with remains of fountains, the market, the forum, baths and we highlight the building of the curia, which most likely dates back to the time of Trajan (98-117 AD).

The Muslim part, which is opposite the Roman city, consists of the Merini necropolis with a large gate and the remains of the mosque of Abu Yusuf Yacub, of the thirteenth century, with the minaret in ruins.

Behind the minaret is the tomb of Abu El-Hassan, “The Black Sultan”, of the fourteenth century, whose exterior is adorned by a beautiful canopy decorated with stalactites and next to the mosque is the laida of Chams ed-Duha (“Morning Sun”), a European citizen converted to Islam and wife of Abu El-Hassan. The latter was the most important of the Marinid sultans and fought to extend his empire throughout the Maghreb.
Maghreb.

DAY 7.- RABAT- TANGIER.

After breakfast, we will return to Tangier, where you can spend some free time, if you decide to spend a few days in this famous city or, otherwise, we will transfer you to the airport to take the plane to take you to your city of residence.
End of our services.

The tour INCLUDES:

• Arrival and departure transfers from your hotel/riad.
• Transportation throughout the tour in a private high-end air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver and guide.
• Visits detailed in the program.
• Accommodation in Riad or hotel, on bed and breakfast basis, except half board (breakfast and dinner).
• Free time to visit the visits detailed in the program, as well as the stops that are requested to walk or take pictures.

The circuit does NOT include:

• International flights.
• Drinks.
• Tips for visits.
• Half day lunch.
• Entrance fees to museums and historical monuments.
• Everything NOT specified in “the price includes”.