chefchaouen is quite small [in the best way possible] so after exploring the village on our first day we met a group of gals who were taking a grand taxi to cascades d'akchour. we obviously love hiking and thought it would be a fun experience to see this unique area, so we agreed to join them.
the drive is about 45 minutes from the medina and costs 10 euro per person [the taxi driver will sit and wait for you while you hike/explore which is awesome]. the road winds through small little villages and is a great way to see the rif mountains. when we arrived to akchour a local man approached us offering to take us on a hike through the mountains, explaining the area and ending at swimming holes. in all cost us $10 for 3 hours and was 100% worth it. he showed us a cool mix of things. a hike through his village up steep climbs, an entire mountain filled with marijuana/hashish plants that the locals harvest and sell, fields of lavender and rosemary, the "rock bridge" and a secret swimming hole that had zero tourists, or anyone for that matter, which was such a perfect way to end the hot ... long ... day.
the following morning we woke up earlier to "hike" to the spanish mosque. this doesn't require a taxi and is just through town and up the mountain about 20 minutes. it has the best views of the village and mountains, great in the morning for pictures. anyone looking to get active on their trip – i would highly recommend both of these stops.
