Jebel el-Kelaa

Chefchaouen is built against the base of Jebel el-Kelaa, which rises to 1,616 metres immediately behind the blue town, and the walk up is the standard day out for anyone staying more than a night. The route starts at Ras el-Maa, the spring at the top edge of the medina where women still wash clothes in the channel, climbs past the Spanish Mosque on its knoll - the usual sunset viewpoint over the town - and then goes on up through cistus scrub and holm oak into a col before the final push to the summit. It is around six hours return and there is no water above the spring. From the top the Rif runs away in ridges to the east, the Mediterranean shows on a clear day, and the town is a pale patch far below. Guides are easy to arrange in Chefchaouen and are worth it for route-finding in the upper section.

Highlights

• 1,616 metres over the town - the peak rising directly behind the blue medina.
• Ras el-Maa - the spring at the medina's top edge where the walk starts.
• The Spanish Mosque - a knoll viewpoint over Chefchaouen on the way up.
• Rif ridges - the range running east, with the Mediterranean on a clear day.

When to go

Spring and autumn. A day; start early. Summer heat makes it unpleasant.

Things to know

It is about six hours return with real ascent and no water above the spring. The upper route is unmarked and easy to lose - a guide is sensible. Cannabis cultivation is widespread in the wider Rif and walkers should stay on the main routes and hire locally. Summer heat is severe.

Nearby

Chefchaouen's medina is at the foot; Akchour is north-east.