What is Al Hoceima National Park on the Mediterranean coast?

Al Hoceima is the park I point coastal lovers toward, because it shows a Morocco most visitors never picture — a wild Mediterranean shore. It protects a rugged stretch of the Rif coastline west of the town of Al Hoceima, where pale limestone cliffs plunge straight into a startlingly blue sea, broken by tiny coves and fishing inlets. Inland it shelters thuya, juniper and pine woodland clinging to steep, sun-baked slopes.

For wildlife, the headline is the osprey. These coastal cliffs host one of the most important breeding populations of osprey in the Mediterranean, and watching one fold its wings and plunge for a fish off those rock faces is unforgettable. The park also protects falcons, gulls and a marine zone rich enough to matter for the small-scale fishermen who've worked these waters for generations — there's a genuine conservation purpose beneath the scenery.

On the ground, it's about the coast and the coves. Boat trips from Al Hoceima or nearby Cala Iris take you along the cliffs to beaches you can only reach by sea, and the water clarity over the rocky bottom is superb for swimming and snorkelling. The landscape is the draw here; this is somewhere to slow down, take a boat, swim in a hidden cove and watch the cliffs rather than tick off big-game sightings.

A few honest notes. Al Hoceima town is the base, reachable by road or its small airport, and summer is high season for Moroccan holidaymakers, so it's livelier than the southern parks. The terrain is steep and access to the wildest coves is by boat, so I arrange a local skipper. It pairs beautifully with a wider northern loop taking in Chefchaouen and the Rif — a side of Morocco that feels closer to Spain across the water than to the Sahara.