Akchour and Talassemtane

Waterfalls And A Natural Rock Arch Known As God'S Bridge In Talassemtane National Park In The Rif, Reached On Foot From The Akchour Roadhead About 45 Minutes From Chefchaouen · Chefchaouen, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima

Akchour is a roadhead on the Oued Farda about 30 km east of Chefchaouen, inside Talassemtane National Park, and it is the best walking day in the Rif. From a small dam and a bridge at the end of the road two separate paths leave in opposite directions, which is the one thing visitors get wrong. Up the river a path climbs past a chain of small cascades to the big waterfall, commonly quoted at about an hour and a half each way and closer to two for most people, over rock, roots and stepping stones. The other way, about an hour each way, ends under God's Bridge, a natural rock arch the river has cut through a limestone spur, with green pools beneath it. Above both, the park protects Moroccan fir and cedar forest on ridges over 2,000 m, and Barbary macaques live in it. Honest caveats: the path is rough, slippery and genuinely busy at weekends; the river floods after rain and the crossing stones vanish; people set off in sandals and turn back; and the surrounding Rif is cannabis country, so visitors are approached.

Akchour trailhead in Talassemtane National Park, about 30 km east of Chefchaouen by road up the Oued Farda, Chefchaouen, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco

There are no gates and no opening hours: the park is open ground and the paths are walked in daylight, which in practice means setting off between about 8:00 and 10:00 and being back at the roadhead well before dark. Winter light is short and the grands taxis back to Chefchaouen thin out through the afternoon, so the return is the part to plan rather than the walk itself. River cafes at the roadhead and along the lower path run from spring to autumn and most of them close in winter. Getting there: shared grands taxis leave Chefchaouen from the ranks near the main square, roughly 45 minutes on a winding mountain road, and the usual arrangement is to buy all six seats or agree a return time with the driver; a hired car reaches the car park by the dam. Nothing needs booking except a guide, and only if you want one.

Akchour and Talassemtane on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos