Ras el Maa — "head of the water" — is a spring at the top of the medina where a fast-running stream tumbles down from the Rif and flows through a small washhouse. Local women still do laundry here as they have for centuries, laying clothes to dry on the flat rocks downstream. It is one of the most photogenic corners of Chaouen and also, refreshingly, one of the least touristy.
The path to Ras el Maa leads through the upper reaches of the medina, where the blue paint gives way to older whitewash and the streets grow quieter. Follow the sound of water uphill and you will find it. Just above the spring, a café has tables set beside the stream — a good place for lunch after a morning of wandering, with fresh trout from the mountain rivers on the menu.