Ceuta to Fes by Bus

Village on the way to Fes

WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2008

We had sailed from Tangier to Ceuta, which is a Spanish enclave. and feels very much like Spain.

It was drizzling when we caught the bus from Ceuta to the Moroccan border. We walked across the border to Morocco and went through immigration, with the aid of a helpful man who directed us and then wanted some dirhams. 

We took a taxi to Tetuan, following a coastal route to start with where there is a lot of construction work for new apartments and hotels. When we arrived at Tetuan we were led on to a coach before we got into the bus station. Although the coach was definitely passed its sell by date, it was cheap – about £4 for the two of us for a 200 mile journey. There were several road blocks by customs officials, presumably looking for drugs. The coach went through the Rif Mountains and we passed Berber men and woman in straw hats and shawls working in the fields. Mules and donkeys are used for transporting people and goods but we only saw a couple of camels. There were Oleander bushes in full flower and large bushes of red geraniums growing wild along the roadside.

The view changed from lush mountains to dry, sandy coloured land and huts. It had become quite cool in the mountains but gradually became warmer as we headed south.

The journey took about 6 hours and we went straight to our hotel, Rhiad Sheherazade, which is a restored 19th century palace with a beautiful patio with a pool. We were given mint tea and buscuits while we completed the paperwork and were then shown to our room. It was decorated in Moroccan style with a sofa and television on a mezzanine floor, and a view of the patio and pool from the balcony. We had dinner on the patio and the staff were exceptionally friendly and attentive.