Cala Iris beach, Al Hoceima, Morocco

Al Hoceima city has so many amazing beaches but the most beautiful is Cala Iris beach, it’s also an amazing seaside resort on the Mediterranean coast. This small sandy beach is around 60 km from Al Hoceima going west, It’s a part of a rural community named (Beni Boufrah). It is a breathtaking seaside landscape. It's a postcard that displays on the eyes of the tourist, national or foreign, who arrives at this place.

view of the Cala iris Beach from the mountains around it

Cala Iris is a haven of peace throughout the year and especially during the summer when people from different backgrounds come together to spend their holidays in the most peaceful way, I visited it more than 10 times in my life. Because This small sandy beach is literally invaded in the summer.

For those who wish to go camping, Cala Iris is equipped with a camping-caravanning, very close to the fishing village built on the site of another amazing beach near to Cala Iris named (Badis beach). And in front of Badis beach you can see the beauty of the island of Penon Velez de la Gomera, occupied by Spain, which was once a nest of pirates before becoming a penal colony.

Morocco is managing a huge of 340 hectares, which will house luxury hotels and entertainment facilities: golf, marina, commerce ...etc, This large-scale project will make Cala Iris a tourist center of great luxury, for a clientele exclusively foreign tourist.

What makes this place even more charming is that this beach is located in the countryside, bordering the coastline and spreading over the forest. In addition, Cala Iris is the western boundary of the Al Hoceima National Park, whose dominant features are: a rocky coast with little exploitation, with protected coves and the presence of cliffs of variable height, generally inhabited by fishermen.

picture of the forest of Cala iris beach

Moreover, Cala Iris is known for its small fishing port (Yellich), that you can see in the picture below, which was built for free by Japan. A fishing village was created as part of the Moroccan-Japanese cooperation. In addition to the port infrastructure, it includes a fish market and premises for fishermen. There is a variety of fish, but especially seafood. some people already opened fish restaurants in this marina near to the fishing port, where you can try varying meals of fresh fish of this region, especially the delicious Sardine of Al Hoceima.

the fishing port (Yellich)

In addition to seaside tourism, the trilogy mountain-forest-sea provides an exceptional environmental framework conducive to the development of ecological tourism products, and mountain. The region is rich in historical and archaeological cultural heritage. Local crafts are a pole of attraction characterized by women's pottery, basketry and traditional weaving.

Food and drinks :

as I mentioned before, you can eat in restaurants near to the fishing port, or you can take a sandwich with you from the city, there is no other way to eat in this place.

Accommodation :
On this beach there is no house or hotel to stay, you must find accommodation in AL Hoceima city. Which have so many hotels and apartments to rent, but if you have your sleeping bag and a tent you can sleep in Cala Iris for free, to enjoy the amazing sunset and to practice night fishing if you are a fan of it.

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