Come, Enjoy A Walk Up Bouanane

By Roqaya El Guiri

The city of Tetouan has a great location, it is surrounded by mountains and gigantic hills to the north and the south. One cannot visit the city of Tétouan without taking a detour up to Ain Bouanane, the famous spring and woods on the south side of the city. This area is very popular for its solitude, its greenery and its fresh water springs.

Whenever new artists in residence arrive in the city of Tetouan, Green Olive Arts offers a list of optional activities for artists. The residency staff connect artists with English speaking local volunteers to go on outings. Among these activities is a walk up “Mt. Bouanane,” the locals name for the mountainside* area where natural springs meet forest slopes. We have a great group of volunteers who are willing to walk, exchange thoughts and knowledge, or simply share a laugh and accompany artists on a hike. I was lucky enough to join five local volunteers and three guest artists on a walk up into the woods. To get there, we shared two grand taxis for a few Dirhams each up to the start of the trails, where a bunch of local cafes are. This is also the end of the paved road, where cars have to stop.

A Perfect Escape

As soon as we arrived at Ain Bouanane (ain = ‘spring’), I instantly understood why everyone goes there. The fresh air, the majestic view of the city were all so wonderful! It was indeed a refreshing escape. Getting away from the urban noise and traffic, that walk up to Bouanane was exactly what I needed after a busy week at work.

From the road, we began to hike up a gravel trail into the wooded area across the face of the mountain. On the way, we passed several shepherds with their goats and sheep. They were grazing along criss-crossed footpaths and drinking from the cool springs. As we continued walking up, some of us stopped for pictures with goats. Everyone clearly enjoyed the view. It took us about an hour to reach the rocky top-point of the mountain.

The View from the Top of Bouanane

Once we had arrived at the peak of Bouanane, and had caught our breath, I was excitedly confused. we were surrounded by so much beauty my eyes couldn’t decide what to look at. The blue of the nearby  Mediterranean sea stretched out toward Spain in the distance. The mesmerizing white houses of Tetouan’s medina were stacked like sugar cubes, protected by the kasbah’s walls. The beautiful rocks around me were wreathed with grass, palms and other bushes like some sort of story land scene. Indeed an exotic fusion of views and colors made me wish I had more than two eyes so I could stare at everything at once.

 

After lots of exclamations about the view, we sat there calmly for the next 30 minutes taking it all in. Occasionally we chatted with each other about how amazing the walk was, the view and even about our future plans. In that restful place, far from the “busy” and “productivity” of life in the city, I felt like we really bonded. We got to have some surprisingly heartwarming conversations too. After a good long rest, we decided to walk back down to Ba Amran’s cafe, at the base of the trail, before it got dark. There we shared a delicious anchovy tajine and sipped glasses of Moroccan mint tea.

Not only is Tetouan a city where culture and history are treasures to be discovered but natural beauty, like Bouanane’s trail, is just minutes outside the city. Care to join me for a walk?

*The actual name of this mountain is Mt. Ghorghiz, but most know it as “Bouanane” after the well known springs and growing neighborhood there, both by the latter name.

Enjoy this nice fly-over video by drone videographer Dji Lover …