Cap des Trois Fourches

The cape juts about thirty kilometres north into the Mediterranean from the coast east of Al Hoceima - a spine of bare rock and scrub with a single road running the length of it to a lighthouse at the tip, built in the Spanish period and still working. The interest is on either side: tracks drop off the ridge to coves with clear water and coarse sand, most of them with a handful of fishermen's huts and nothing else, and several are difficult enough to reach that they stay empty even in August. Charrana and Tibouda are among the more accessible. The water is clear and the snorkelling is good; there is no shade, no water and no services anywhere on the cape, so everything has to be carried. The drive itself, along the ridge with the sea on both sides, is the other reason to come.

History

The Marinids built the Tazouda castle in the south of the peninsula, and on 26 August 1923 the ship España ran aground on the cape and was wrecked (Wikipedia, Cape Three Forks).

What's there

• A thirty-kilometre spine - bare rock and scrub with one road along it.
• The lighthouse - at the tip, built in the Spanish period and still working.
• Coves off the tracks - clear water and coarse sand, several nearly empty in August.
• The ridge drive - sea visible on both sides for much of the way.

When to go

May to September. A day. Carry everything you need.

Practical notes

There are no services of any kind on the cape - no water, fuel, shade or food. Tracks to the coves are rough and some need high clearance. The road is long and slow. Wind can be severe on the ridge.

Nearby

Nador and Marchica lagoon are south; Al Hoceima is west along the coast.

Key facts