Rabat – Chefchaouen has already earned its spot in Morocco’s travelers itineraries, but there are so many more beautiful towns worth checking out.  

Morocco’s smaller towns are just as interesting even if they run at a slower pace. 

Azrou

90 minutes from Fez, Azrou is located at the heart of a cedar forest that covers more than 75,000 hectares as part of Ifrane National Park.

The forest (and the city) is famous for Barbary Macaques which are wild mountain monkeys who have grown very comfortable around people over the years. 

You might see one of these monkeys while you are sipping tea at a coffee shop or while walking around the city. Do not be afraid, they are friendly but they will steal your food!

Azrou is also known for woodcarving and traditional Berber carpets so you can definitely find some nice pieces while you are there.

Tuesday is the main souk day in the city, which means stalls fill the roads around town with produce, spices, and garments.

Taliouine

More than 800 kilometers south of Azrou, the town of Taliouine is located. It is situated near the city of Taroudant. 

Despite a small population of around 12,000, the town stands as one of the biggest saffron producers in Africa. 

In its purple crocus fields, flowers are picked entirely by hand at dawn before they open. This is done to preserve the precious red saffron filaments inside. 

The harvest falls typically in October and an annual Saffron Festival is held yearly in late October or early November, featuring local honey, argan oil, and Amazigh music and dance.

Taza

Perched between the Rif and the middle Atlas, Taza was always the strategic getaway that any power moving towards Western Morocco had to control. Historically, dynasties rising in the east captured it first, before Fez even. 

This history left some of Morocco’s most complete but least visited 12 century Almohad walls and one of the country’s oldest mosques. 

50 kilometers away from the city, one of the deepest cave systems in Africa is found. The Friouato Caves are not to be missed. Above the caves, there is the Tazzeka National Park offering waterfalls, gorges, and cedar forests.

None of these spots are similar to Chefchaouen, and that is the point! 

They are a depiction of the most authentic Morocco whose people are just living their lives and you just happen to be passing by.