After exploring the medina and kasbah in Tangier, it’s time for a day trip outside the city. Within easy reach are two sites with very different appeals. Asilah is a quintessential heritage medina with whitewashed homes inside a city wall. At Cape Spartel you can see a lighthouse, walk on the beach and visit a cave linked to an old legend. Both destinations make great day trips from Tangier.
Asilah
Only a short ride from Tangier is the adorable seaside town of Asilah. Ownership of the port town went back and forth between the Arabs, Portuguese and Spanish for centuries. The result is a wonderful mix of styles from these different cultures.
Surrounding the town is a perfect 15th century Portuguese-built wall. Its four old rounded gates provide the only way to access the medina inside. Today, local merchants have turned some into a unique location for their shops.
A few watchtowers stand above the town to keep an eye on its access points from land and sea. They also give the town a unique character.
Krikia Tower is not in very good condition, but its position on the edge of the water allows perfect sight lines up and down the coast. As well, it offers visitors a fantastic view of the city wall.
After exploring the town’s gates and towers, the next best thing to do is wander aimlessly through the medina. Cute white and blue homes draw you in and encourage you to explore the narrow maze of streets.
The Arab-built homes show the community’s artisan side. They have wrought iron decorative window coverings, arched doorways and many are painted with murals.
In many tight lanes, small arches provide passage between and under buildings. The horseshoe-shaped windows on top are clear indications that you are in a Moroccan medina.
In the middle of the medina is the 20th century Raisuli Palace. It was built and lived in by a pirate who called Asilah home. Today it is a cultural centre and is only open for festivals and events.
Small artisan shops line the narrow streets and display their paintings, pottery and rugs on the medina walls. Since the area is popular with tourists, quite a few also sell typical tourist fare. In the summer Asilah has many artisan markets, making it a very popular destination for visitors.
On the edge of the walled city is the long, wide Asilah Beach. It was a little cool on our November visit and therefore not very enticing
Asilah’s Christian past can be seen just outside the city wall. San Bartholome is a plain, white church with two tall bell towers. Most church bells in Morocco are no longer allowed to ring on Sunday mornings, but this church is an exception. Unfortunately, the church is closed to visitors and is only used by the resident nuns.
How to get to Asilah
Only 45 km from Tangier, it’s easy to visit Asilah on a day trip. The easiest way to get there is by train. The 30 minute train ride travels the route 4 times a day. Tickets are very inexpensive and its worth it to buy 1st class tickets. If you don’t want to go on your own, there are many tours offered in Tangier to visit Asilah.
Cape Spartel
Its location on the northwestern point of Africa puts Cape Spartel at the confluence of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. At its tip is Cape Spartel Lighthouse. Built in 1864, it is Morocco’s oldest lighthouse. A small maritime history museum is housed inside. It seems to be a popular place for Moroccan tourists.
A little further down is a sign indicating the exact spot where the two waters meet. It has rocky cliffs that make it quite a picturesque scene. Unfortunately, busy tourist cafés spoiled the view a bit for us.
Between these rocky points and Hercules Cave is a 2 km long stretch of sand that makes up three beaches. They have very nice, soft sand, and are likely very popular in summer months. We visited in November, so the beaches were very quiet, except for the tourists taking camel rides.
There were signs saying that swimming is not allowed, but we’re not sure of the reason.
At the far end of these beaches is the popular Hercules Cave. You cannot reach it directly from the beach so, when you reach Achakkar Beach, make sure you walk up to the road for the final couple hundred metres.
The cliffs on the edge of the beach are host to a long series of caves created by waves crashing into the weak limestone. The cave system is called Hercules Cave because of its role in the legend of the Labours of Hercules. As part of his penance for killing his wife and child, Hercules had to complete Twelve Labours for King Eurystheus. If you remember, in the 10th Labour, he created Gibraltar. The legend says that before completing the 11th Labour, Hercules rested in this cave.
Many of the caves in this region were used by Amazighs (Berbers) in ancient times. They mined limestone from the cliff walls. Because of this, the cave walls have many obvious man-made mining scars, so it barely felt like a real cave.
The cave’s natural entrance to the sea is touted as looking like the outline of Africa. I suppose if you look from the right angle, and use your imagination, it could look like Africa.
Another legend says a tunnel travels under the Strait of Gibraltar to connect the cave with St. Michael’s Cave on the other side. The fable explains that the Barbary macaques used this tunnel to end up in Gibraltar.
The cave itself is not very interesting, and the entrance fee is high for what it offers.
Getting to Cape Spartel
The cape is only 15 km from Tangier but there are no public transit options between the two. You can take a private Petite Taxi, but be prepared to haggle. Grand Taxis (Share-Taxis) leave when full from the bus stop opposite Mohammed V Mosque. There are also many tours offered in Tangier to visit Cape Spartel, but other than transportation, the tours don’t provide much value.
Unless you have a car, it would be difficult to visit both Cape Spartel and Asilah in one day.
Note – Throughout Morocco, there are Grand and Petit Taxis. Grand Taxis only travel inter-city routes and are often shared. Petit Taxis only travel within a city. They usually have separate stands with signs indicating a Grand or Petit Taxi.
You can find Cape Spartel and Asilah at the top of the map below. Click on the image to be directed to an interactive map.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Morocco.
To read more of our adventures in Morocco, click here.
Coming Next – Tetouan Medina: An Authentic Moroccan Experience
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