Cycling Northern Morocco: Tangier - Chefchaouen

This is the first of two parts detailing an eight day cycling tour around Northern Morocco in May 2025. Here is the link to Part Two.

The trip actually began in Tarifa - the most southerly part of Spain. I drove here with my bike as I was already in the region, having just finished running a cycling holiday in Andalucia.

I left the car on the edge of Tarifa and cycled 1km down to the port, from where I would take the ferry across to Tangier (also called Tanger) in Morocco. I had bought a ticket online with DFDS (who have since lost the contract for this route to Balearia), and it was all very straight forward.

I arrived about an hour before departure and joined the small queue of cars. It took a few minutes to cycle through passport control and onto the boat, where I secured my bike using the lock. The ferry took just over an hour and was a bit choppy, but I still was able to admire the impressive views, with both Europe and Africa visible throughout the crossing.

After arriving in Morocco, I had to join the long queue on board to receive the passport stamp. Apparently this is often done during the crossing, but it was too rough on this occasion. Despite the queue being long, it only took around half an hour before I was cycling off the boat straight into the center of Tangier.

For cyclists, I think this is definitely a better ferry crossing than the Algeciras - Tanger Med route which is a lot busier with trucks and more difficult to access on both sides of the ocean.



I arrived in the early afternoon and only had one night in Tangier, so was keen to look around. After checking into my hotel, just outside the Medina, I strolled along the coast and climbed up to a nice viewpoint where there were 'Phoenician' tombs, dating from the Roman era.

From there I descended through the Medina, admiring the whitewashed buildings and picturesque alleways, where the smells and sights were as captivating as you would expect. One highlight was the Ibn Battuta Museum. A resident of Tangier, Ibn Battuta was one of the greatest adventurers and explorers of the Middle Ages. The museum documents his travels which particularly focused on the Muslim world. He visited much of Africa, as well as heading far north into the Tata Khanates of Central Asia.

Overall, I found Tangier to be a well looked after and attractive city, with a more relaxed vibe than I had been expecting.

Cap Spartel & Asilah

The next day I set off on a ride that would take me out of Tangier to the west, riding to Cap Spartel - the most north-westerly point on Morocco. From there I would head south, mostly on back roads to the picturesque coastal town of Asilah.

my brief ride in the city from the ferry terminal to my hotel, I realised that this wasn't necessary. It seemed far easier and more enjoyable to follow the main road along the coast and the P4061 heading to Cap Spartel. Traffic was lighter than I had anticipated, the road was wide and drivers were mostly very courteous.

It was a nice way to leave Tangier, with a short but sharp climb up to Rmilat Park. When the traffic did get slightly busy, there was a lightly cobbled hard shoulder which was fine for riding.

After 11km, I turned off the main road and climbed around the edge of a military area, before following a gravel road to Cap Spartel. I couldn't find much info on this beforehand, so was unsure if it was possible to ride here (due to the proximity to the military area), but it was fine and was a very scenic way to reach the lighthouse that marks the end of the pensinula.





Having enjoyed riding along the tranquil gravel trail above the coast, it came as a bit of a shock to arrive at the lighthouse at Cap Spartel. There were a lot of people hanging around (mostly tourists), enjoying the impressive ocean views.

I joined the road here heading south and descended along the coast, passing several picturesque beaches, before arriving at the Caves of Hercules. This is supposed to be an impressive natural complex, but it was busy and I didn't have anywhere to leave my bike and panniers so didn't stop.

Even though there were a lot of people around, the roads here were pretty quiet and fine for cycling, with a good surface and a lightly cobbled shoulder in places.

From the Caves of Hercules I headed south on the P4601, which soon became a wide, well surfaced road running parallel to the coast. It was very quiet and enjoyable for riding, with some nice coastal views on the right, and some less pleasant industry on the left! Quite a few locals had parked vans up along the edge of the road and were selling fancy looking coffee from the back of their vehicles.

It was a nice spot, and I would have liked to have enjoyed it more, but by this point I was battling against a strong headwind that was barrelling in from the Atlantic.




My least favourite part of the ride, and probably the whole cycle tour, came shortly after crossing the N1 and A5 motorways. I joined the P4603, which was not a great road for cycling. It had a broken asphalt surface and there were a few trucks going from the motorway to various quarries and cement works situated along the road.

Most of the drivers overtook safely, but there were a couple of close passes. My discomfort was compounded by the strong headwind, which meant I couldn't hear the vehicles coming until they were already passing! The scenery was also not that great in this section. It was barren and the nice views of the coast had disappeared.

Things improved after passing the town of Hjar Ennhal. The road surface became a lot smoother, traffic began to thin out and there was a nice short climb. This was just enough to blunt the headwind and to offer some nice valley views from the top. From there it was all relatively easy going into Asilah.

Asilah

Asilah is an extraordinarily beautiful town. I stayed on the edge of the Medina, which is comprised of a network of narrow alleys, steps and picturesque squares, all enclosed within its original fortifications.

The town also has several beaches and is known for its excellent seafood. I think it would be a great place to spend a few nights relaxing, as it has a very laid back vibe. It is quite touristy in some ways, but also has a lot of local charm, and doesn't receive anywhere near as many visitors as places like Chefchaouen or Tangier.




The following morning I departed from Asilah and began a 165km route heading east through the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen. I had contemplated doing this in one day, but it had over 3,000m of elevation gain and a headwind was forecast, so I decided to split it into two days, spending a night in Jajouka.

I quickly entered the countryside on quiet, narrow roads that were mostly well paved. Much of this day was spent riding through picturesque arable and pastoral farmland, with villages and small towns every few kilometres. Even though there was very little traffic, it was rare throughout the ride to go more than a few minutes without seeing someone. It's still a very agricultural region with farmers and shepherds moving around by donkey, motorbike or on foot. Pretty much everyone I encountered was very friendly, with nobody bothering me in a hostile way.

There were a few short gravel sections before I joined the R410, shortly before Jajouka. In Jajouka I stayed in a family run accommodation called 'The Blue House', which was one of the only lodgings in this region. It was a really nice place to stay, although it was a steep climb up from the main road.

The family were very generous, plying me with copious amounts of mint tea and biscuits. In the evening I enjoyed a huge lamb tagine, which took around two hours to prepare, but was well worth the wait!





The next day I was suitable refuelled and ready to ride around 90km into Chefchaouen. The vast majority of this route was on the R410, which I had briefly cycled along yesterday. This is a fantastic road for cycling. It has a perfect paved surface, very little traffic, beautiful scenery and enough climbs and descents to keep things interesting!

There is no specific town or monument to see on this section, nor is there a single incredible viewpoint, but it was all just very, very enjoyable riding. There are quite a few shops and cafes in the villages along the way, particularly in the larger settlements of Souk L'Qolla and Tanaqoub.

This part of the route on the R410 was one of the reasons why I was excited to ride in Northern Morocco. It is relatively untravelled by visitors, so offers a different experience than following the more established tourist trails.

The same thing can not be said about Chefchaouen, which is one of the most visited cities in the country. To get there, I had to briefly ride along the N13 and N2 roads, which were a little busy but perfectly fine. The final climb up was on the R412, which I was a bit concerned about.

Fortunately my fears were unfounded. The road was quite busy, but it was fairly wide and cars tended to drive cautiously and passed with plenty of space. Once again, I was impressed with the Moroccan drivers - some of who even completely stopped to give way as I was hauling myself up the very steep climb into the heart of the old town.

I would spend two nights in Chefchaouen before continuing my journey through the high mountains to Tetouan...