Could you tell me nice stuff to see that are not in guidebooks?
Thank you in advance!!
João
Contributor
15,973 posts
68 reviews
83 helpful votes I know lots of things that are not in the guidebooks, which would you like to know about?
Maybe I should write a guidebook?
I was wondering if we could have a jump at the river, for instance. The best place for the sunset. ;-)
Thanks in advance, Tim.
Chaouen is a small place with not much to actually do apart from stroll, eat, smoke and sleep. Walking or hiking is probably the main activity that non-stoners come for. The town has a nice old Kasbah that can take up an hour or so (if you walk slowly) and there’s the old Mosque up on the hill out the back of town that’s recently had a face lift that offers good views of the sun setting, but I wouldn’t recommend going up after dark or on your own as the local lads like to ply their business along the rout and they can be a little intimidating if you’re not used to them.
I particularly like going to the hammam in Chaouen (the one just off the main square next the Pension Castellana ). It’s really old, with no electric light (last time I was there), only shafts of light coming from the vaulted roof. A really great experience and one that’s perfect after a hot afternoon shopping and eating.
Another favourite of mine is getting the makings for a picnic from the local market and indulging in some of Chaouen’s beautiful and bountiful produce. A local speciality is the fresh ewe’s milk cheese they make in the area. It’s brought down fresh every day from the farms and is sold, wrapped up in leaves if from a farm or in waxed paper if from a collective, in the medina (down the main street going out) and also other places in the new town. Team this up with fresh bread, olives, fresh salad veg from the market and some local honey and you’ve the makings for a really nice afternoon either on a terrace or out in the hills. You could even take a taxi up to the waterfalls for the afternoon for a really beautiful picnic.
Of course, Chaouen has it’s epicentre that is the main square in the medina, which the town seams to revolve around. I find that I can waist days, if not weeks just sat watching the shenanigans unfolding on the square and chatting with friends and new acquaintances. This is how I would spend my day in Chaouen, doing as little as possible sipping a tea and reading a book…..heaven!
The only activity that I know of that isn’t in a guide book, and that many folk participate in, is a guided tour around a kif (hash) farm up in the hills where they show you a farm and let you have a go at making your own hash, but this would take all day and isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Chaouen is so small that there really isn’t much beyond what the guide book tells you so make the most of it’s best assets which are peace, tranquillity and a good dose of people watching.
Contributor
15,973 posts
68 reviews
83 helpful votes Not really a river, more of a spring over to the east side of the medina where the women do their washing. It's called 'Ras el Ma' which is a fairly common name in Morocco with a direct translation of 'head of water'.
Some thoughts on Chefchaouen on post #6 of http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net/forum/showthread.php?t=304
Edited: 8 years ago
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