We Travel To Morocco: Tangier And The Rif

Today we travel to Tangier and the Rif, two fantastic places in the rich geography of Morocco, a land little known to many, but which hides really wonderful secrets and that everyone should visit once in their life.

In our visit to Tangier and the Rif, we are going to stop first in the mountain range and region that encompasses this part of Morocco, to later travel to certain places in the city of Tangier that are worth visiting.

Rif mountain range

The Rif is a mountainous region of Morocco and one of the greenest areas in the entire country. It is located in the northern part, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, so it combines two great passions of thousands of travelers, water and vegetation.

The Rif mountain range runs from the westernmost region of Morocco, called Yebala, to Kebdana, which already borders the neighboring country, Algeria. Along its 300 kilometers long, it has created its own habitat full of fantastic fauna, flora and wonderful traditions among its inhabitants, who are mainly Berbers and Arabs.

In the Rif area we can locate six different Moroccan provinces, which are Taza, Berkane, Driouch, Uchda, Nador and Alhuceima. Some of these names may be reminiscent of our language, and the fact is that the passage of the French and Spanish has left a deep impression on its people, who speak these languages ​​well together with the Arabic dialect and the tarifit, native to this part of the world.

In addition, in the middle of the Rif we find the Spanish city of Melilla, a vestige of a past and distant colonization of which the town of Ceuta, also under Spanish rule, also remains in this land.

Visit to Tangier

And at the western end of the Rif mountain range, very close to the Strait of Gibraltar, in northern Morocco, we find the wonderful city of Tangier, which today remains the capital of a region known as Tangier-Tetouan. But what is worth enjoying in this fantastic town?

Mendoubia Gardens

In the heart of the city, next to the famous Plaza 9 de Abril, which we will talk about later, we find the colorful Mendoubia Gardens, which are very striking within the town. In them, the bayan tree stands out, which is spectacular for its 800 years of life and its enormous size. An ideal space to escape the hustle and bustle of the local inhabitants.

Nahon Synagogue

We continue in the area of ​​the Plaza 9 de Abril, but in this case, we travel briefly to the Nahon Synagogue. This place is standing within the city of Tangier since 1878 and remains today one of the most beautiful monuments of the place, especially inside. Inside it you can find an impressive room with more than 40 lamps designed in silver and other really beautiful objects of worship.

Medina of Tangier

We now come to the medina of Tangier, which, like most of the populations of Morocco, not only preserves it, but is beautiful and attractive. In it you can find alleys of all kinds and sizes, places that seem taken from The Thousand and One Nights  and places where you can discover how the inhabitants of the town live.

The Caves of Hercules

Another beautiful area of ​​Tangier that you should visit are the Caves of Hercules, next to Cape Spartel. In them you will see a whole plethora of rooms full of nooks and crannies and even an exit to the sea, so the great humidity that exists within these natural manifestations is not surprising.

April 9 Square

We end our visit to Tangier in the aforementioned Plaza 9 de Abril. A corner of the city where you will see what the inhabitants of the place are really like.  In addition, it is a starting point from which to go to the medina and other fantastic areas of the population.

Note as a curious fact that in the Plaza 9 de Abril was where King Mohamed V gave his great speech proclaiming the independence of Morocco.

What are you waiting for to start your journey through Tangier and the Rif? This is a unique opportunity to get to know two wonderful Moroccan places that combine history, beauty and nature in its purest form.