Chrea

Chrea National Park occupies the Blida Atlas mountains approximately 60 kilometres south of Algiers, making it the national park closest to Algeria's capital city. Covering 265 square kilometres in Blida Province, the park was established in 1983 and protects a remarkable area of Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) forest, Mediterranean maquis, and Afromontane vegetation on the northern slopes of the Blida Atlas. Elevations range from 800 metres at the park's northern margin to 1,827 metres at Lalla Khedidja, the highest point of the Blida Atlas. The park is bisected by the scenic Chiffa Gorge, where the Chiffa River cuts through red sandstone cliffs. Chrea is famous as one of the last sites where Barbary macaques are easily observed in Algeria, and its cedar forests host the only skiing infrastructure in northern Algeria.