Trekking in the Rif Mountains

This morning we dragged ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 6.30 in order to trek through the Rif Mountains of Northern Morocco. Whilst I initially thought that this was a crazy thing to do voluntarily, especially whilst on holiday, it turned out to be a gorgeous hike through beautiful countryside.

Our tour guide, Mr Ahmed, was surprisingly knowledgable about the history of the area and answered all our questions on Moroccan and Islamic traditions and cultures, including an impromptu Arabic lesson. He tooks us through the mountains, where we saw some great views and interesting farmyard animals. The tour culminated at an early-20th century mosque built by the Spanish. However, in an example of the heights of colonial stupidity, it has never been used by locals because it lacks any running water, which is essential for ritual washing.