Full day excursion to Bhalil,Sefrou & the slopes of the Middle Atlas Mountains
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Full day excursion to Bhalil,Sefrou & the slopes of the Middle Atlas Mountains
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Full day excursion to Bhalil,Sefrou & the slopes of the Middle Atlas Mountains

1 day
Full Day
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Your driver will pick you up from your Hotel or Riad at 9AM.

Travel from Fez to the small town of Sefrou. The town is clearly among the best destinations for one-day trips from Fez. It lies more than 900 metres above sea level, and every spring the rivers become so fierce that buildings and agriculture is threatened.

The city is cut in two halves by the seasonal river Oued Aggaï, which could have been beautiful were it not that it doubles as trash can for the locals.

Over the river small bridges allows people, but no normal car traffic to pass. The city is dominated by white houses, simple in their designs, but often with terraces that are generally uncommon in Morocco.

Sefrou's history is dominated by religion. It was a Jewish town before Islam was introduced in the 8th century. There are many festivals in town, celebrating the cherry harvest, the prophet Daniel, the 17th century saint Sidi Lahcen Ben Ahmed or Lalla Rekia and her miraculous spring that cures madness.

Now Sefrou is declared as a UNESCO Non Material Heritage for its Cherry Festival that takes place every June .

The architecture is simple but effective, and the walls of the houses are whitewashed, which gives Sefrou a fresher and cleaner feeling than Fez.

After you will travel to the village of Bhalil.

The village of Bhalil is easy to pass by, it is not on the main road, and really not on the beaten track of tourism in northern Morocco.

But there are two clear reasons why you shouldn't miss out on it. First, it is a very charming village, with fairly well-kept houses, a seasonal river dividing it and covered with numerous bridges. When you climb up to the top, you will pass through the good parts of the Morocco that is about to disappear, where people work in the streets, making simple handicrafts or preparing crops of different kinds, all in a relaxed tone. The view from the top is beautiful, with a green valley and small hill tops.

The other reason to come here is the main reason for most: The cave houses. There aren't too many of them left now, but if you click "Continue" you can step into one of them.

The cave houses in Bhalil stand next to ordinary "over-ground" houses, and there is no other difference between them than practical ones. Digging into the cave allows good conditions for keeping a home cool in summer and keeping the worst cold out in winter.

Back to Fez by the mid-afternoon.
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Included
  • Transport by private vehicle
  • Driver/guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Not included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
65%
Aquatic
25%
Reviews
4.0
1
R
Romola H
4 | 2018-02-16

Hassan picked me up from my accomodation. I was the only traveller with him.We headed out of Fez to Bhalil, Hassan's home town. We visited a family who live in a cave. The man of the house served Moroccan tea. He speaks multiple languages as does Hassan but I'm a bit naive on the custom of tipping and felt very bad after we had left when I emptied my pocket of coins and Hassan told me that tips are his income. From then on we didn't go anywhere that needed tips. Moroccans pay for their house water like we do in Australia but hey also have public water in a lot of places so locals take buckets to the taps or do laundry in the public areas. Bhalil is a small town built on hills. No roads, cars are parked in a communal parking area at the base of the hill and looked after for a few dirhams a day. We then headed to Sefrou and had a view of the town from the top. Then down to the medina. Hassan says it is market day but am not sure what that really means as the medina is open every day. I was a bit concerned that I might have been pressured into buying something I may not really want but Hassan wasn't like that. He knew I loved food so took me to have white beans and chickpeas with a tomato base with an aubergine salad. MMMM yum.Then on for some fresh orange juice. Then a walk around the medina and we stop for fava bean soup. The 2 meals and juice for 2 I had to pay for Hassan cost less than 10 Australian!! SO filling and so tasty! I love that mandarins are sold with stems and leaves - you can be sure that they are really fresh. Another walk around the medina and a man who sews tiny buttons asked Hassan if I wanted to see buy some. Hassan said no to him. Thankfully he was right. The buttons are delightful but totally impractical for the clothes that I wear.. The scenery in this part of the world is lovely. A really lovely day out with a perfect gentleman!

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