Fez (Dh90, six hours)
Meknès (Dh105, 7½ hours)
Rabat (Dh140, 10 hours) This bus is timed to arrive in Taza in time to connect with the night
train headed for Marrakesh.
Several small companies also serve the aforementioned destinations. There are at least three
buses a day to Tetouan and Tangier (Dh80 to Dh90, nine hours). These stop in Chefchaouen
only if there’s enough demand. Otherwise, they’ll drop you on the main road at Dardara, from
where you can share a grand taxi into Chefchaouen (Dh10, 15 minutes). Heading east, there
are also a couple of buses a day to Nador (Dh35, two hours) and Oujda (Dh120, six hours).
Taxi
Grands taxis line up on the road at the southern end of Blvd Mohammed V and at Place du Rif.
The most popular destinations are Taza (Dh70, 2½ hours) and Nador (Dh55, 2½ hours),
although occasional taxis do go to Fez (Dh120). Taxis go through Nador to Melilla, not direct.
Around Al-Hoceima
NATIONAL PARK OF AL-HOCEIMA
The undiscovered National Park of Al-Hoceima is the hidden jewel of this region. Its great
mesas and dry canyons are reminiscent of the American southwest, except that they border the
sea, where the limestone cliffs resemble Mallorca. Its isolation has helped preserve several at-
risk species, from its thuya forests to an important colony of fish eagle. The park extends to
485 sq km (including 190 sq km at sea). The area is dotted with Berber settlements and criss-
crossed by dirt roads, making it an ideal trekking and mountain-bike territory. While a 4WD
opens up your options, a 2x4 will get you through the main tracks. The park offers two regions:
the central Rif bordered by the N16 in the south and west, and the coast.
Central Rif region: Of the 15,000 people living in the park, most are of the Bokkoya tribe
and live in rural communities and villages centred around fresh water supplies. The women have
good knowledge of the medicinal use of local herbs such as the abundant lavender and thyme.
A number of rare trees can be found here, such as wild carob (mostly disappeared
throughout Morocco) and the endangered thuya, highly prized for its wood. Other plants include
wild olive, ilex, pomegranate, ericas, bulbs and orchids. Animals include jackals, wild boar,
rabbits and hares.
Coastal region: This area of the park extends out to sea and is rich in biodiversity. There
are 86 species of fish and three types of dolphin (Pandion haliaetus). Many species
represented here are rare elsewhere in the Mediterranean, such as red coral, various molluscs
and algae. Among the birds, there is a considerable population of osprey.
There are several remote and scenic beaches, of which the highlight is the fantastic sight of
El Peñón de Velez de la Gomera, one of the plazas de soberanía (see the boxed text, Click
here ). After a long trek through a canyon, the fortress looms on the edge of a striking scythe
of beach below high walls of rock. Attached by a spit of sand that ends at a guardhouse, this
tiny piece of Spain is one of the world’s strangest national borders. A few stone walls nearby
are all that is left of Bades, a city wiped out by a flood in ancient times.
At the time of research, there was no office at the park, but information brochures including a