For those who have been to Morocco and spent their time in and around Tangiers, there is another trip to consider which will be even more interesting.
Take a day or two trip into the Rif mountains and see a different Morocco altogether. Our travel arrangements were made for us by Seamus Whooley of Golf Experience, and included cars, overnight accommodation, food and guides.
We headed to Chefchouen, about two hours from Tangiers, and from there to the village of Meshkerella, about a further 30 minutes in a 4×4 over mountain dirt-track. We arrived in early evening, leaving enough time to explore our surroundings and understand that we had actually gone back in time!
This was a hillside village where the women were harvesting the wheat and the young boys were herding the sheep and goats. There were no paved roads, no footpaths, no street lighting, no shops, no pubs, no cafes or restaurants, just peace and quiet, children playing and the sounds of chickens, cocks and donkeys. The corn was being thrashed and young boys were having great fun somersaulting into the wheat and chaff to help with the process.
Our host Mustafa, at the gite, or guesthouse “Rihana”, was a gracious and welcoming host. After showing us to our rooms, he provided us with an afternoon tea (mint) with freshly baked bread, pastry, jam, honey and goats cheese. Then he proudly showed us around his garden, pointing out the vegetables and herbs that would be used in the evening meal.
Take a walk around the village, or up the steep hill behind it to get a sense of your surroundings, but be sure to witness the spectacular sunset over the valley.
Everyone seemed very friendly and welcoming and almost all of the women wore the same distinctive local garments, however they were not at all keen to have photographs taken, so be sure to respect their wishes.
Time doesn’t mean much in Meshkerella, so meals are served when the food is ready, not when you might have suggested you’d like to eat. However, when it does arrive it is wonderful, fresh and totally organic. Be prepared to eat whatever is put in front of you, which in our case, was a tagine of fresh vegetables & herbs from the garden, with goat, proceeded by soup and followed by local yoghurt with honey and crushed almonds. Gorgeous.
Our accommodation was perfectly good, with a sitting-room with TV and fridge, bedroom with four-poster bed and en-suite bathroom. No need for an alarm clock in the morning since the local cocks and donkeys will oblige. Breakfast comprised of more of the afternoon tea fare but with abundant freshly squeezed oranges.
Had we been energetic, we could have walked back to Chefchouen the following morning, about 2 hours, but we wanted time to visit some of the sites in the town, so we used the 4×4 again. The old part of the town, distinctively painted in white and blue, is well worth a ramble around with a guide and if you want to buy any of the locally produced goods you will find the prices very much better than in Tangiers.
The local agent who arranged things for us, specialise in walking holidays in the area, geared to the energy levels of their guests, so we’d be very keen to return for a longer trip next time and see more of the area and experience more of the wonderful hospitality.
We really enjoyed our short visit and hope that it remains unspoilt for our next one.