Hiking

The Zalagh hillside range sits above Fez’s medina. In Berber, Zalagh, means male kid goat and a hike along the backbone of this massive beast of a hillside gives you a taste of the Berber way of life at less than 30 minutes from the urban labyrinth below. Leaving the Oued Zhoune car park the road winds steeply up from the medina and in  5 minutes you are already in countryside driving up through olive ancient groves.  Turn the corner and you are plunged into Berber countryside. Your chauffeur takes a dirt track and for 15 to 20 minutes you can take in the scenery dotted with vernacular farmsteads. The population lives in almost complete self-sufficiency, using mules to farm, cooking with firewood and collecting their water from the local well. A passing shepherd waves as you drive by and as far as the eye can see the Rif mountain scenery stretches out to the end of time. On the shorted hiking option, reaching Zalagh’s summit and onwards to the peak of the range is easy enough for all and takes no more than an hour and a half, even at a leisurely pace. The elevation provides the ideal temperature for an escape from the heat and the walk along the top of the ridge offers you stunning views of the entire ancient city, the Sebou Valley, Rif Mountains and Sais Plains. Your guide will bring you back to the perfect spot for a picnic and you will dine in the shade of the pine trees before walking back down to the car. Despite its proximity to the city, it is never crowded, much to the delight of mountain bikers and hikers alike.