Café Royal € FAST FOOD
(Blvd Mohammed V) Near the square, this is the local place for pizza.
Getting There & Away
Berkane’s bus and taxi stands are scattered all over town. The CTM office is next to Café
Laetizia on the west side of the main square. There is just one early evening departure for Fez
(Dh110, six hours), Meknès (Dh125, 7½ hours), Rabat (Dh160, 10 hours) and Casablanca
(Dh185, 11 hours). Long-hauls to Spain also leave from here.
Most other long-distance buses gather in the streets behind the CMH petrol station, and
serve the above destinations. The buses to Nador (Dh20, one hour) stop immediately behind
the petrol station, and run hourly until mid-afternoon.
Local buses for Taforalt (Dh9, 30 minutes) depart from Blvd Mohammed V twice a day, while
grands taxis for Taforalt (Dh10, 25 minutes) and Nador (Dh25, one hour) use the car park on
the opposite side of the road, between the Shell petrol station and the bridge.
Grands taxis for Oujda (Dh18, one hour) leave from near the bus station; for Saídia (Dh8, 15
minutes) or Ras el-Mar (Dh10, 15 minutes) from the square in front of the municipal building at
the end of Blvd Mohammed V; and for Nador from the car park opposite the Great Mosque.
Beni-Snassen Mountains
Far more alluring than Berkane are the beautiful Beni-Snassen Mountains that border it to the
south. While technically termed a ‘site of biological and ecological interest’, they are for all
intents and purposes a national park. This is a verdant area of scenic gorges that few imagine
when they think of Morocco, and even fewer visit.
From Berkane, take the national road to Taforalt (Tafoughalt) which passes through beautiful
mountain scenery. Taforalt is a somewhat haphazard settlement that arose around a former
French military installation, but the northern end, which you come upon first, contains a
charming strip of cafes and restaurants. One of these is the Rotana Club Touristique (
0648 91 92 22/0673 58 97 40; http://taforaltclub.com; Apr-Oct; ) with a simple restaurant
and swimming pool (admission Dh50) in a pretty garden.
Soon after you enter Taforalt from Berkane, turn left at the post office, then immediately turn
left again and follow signs to the Infokiosk, which has a small but well-done display on the
natural history of the park, and an observation platform with heavenly views of a distant mesa.
If you’re lucky you will catch sight of a big-horned Barbary sheep from the adjacent reserve.
They generally arrive around 4pm, when it is cooler.
About 2km back down the national road is a right turn signposted for two grottes (caves).
The Grottes des Pigeons (1km) is the site of an active excavation by Oxford University that
has revealed human remains from the Pleistocene era, including some of the earliest human
jewellery (80,000 years old).
Another 5km brings you to the Grottes de Chameau , a multistorey cave complex with three
entrances that has been closed for years due to flooding damage. Three kilometres more
brings you to the pretty Zegzel Gorge and a beautiful serpentine drive. Don’t miss the chance
to sample the kumquats, a local industry. Even the Romans remarked upon them.