A Day in the Green Mountains — Elite d’Or’s Trip to Chrea National Park

A nature retreat to the Chrea National Park, Blida

When the City Needs to Wait

Some days, the best thing a school can do for its students has nothing to do with books, lessons or exams. Some days, the most educational thing in the world is simply to step outside — to breathe air that has never passed through a classroom, to walk on ground that has never seen a whiteboard, and to let the mind rest in the way that only nature knows how to offer.

That is exactly what our trip to the mountains of Chrea was about. A day away from desks and schedules. A day of green, silence, fresh mountain air and the simple, irreplaceable pleasure of being together in a beautiful place.

Chrea — Algeria’s Green Mountain Escape

The Chrea National Park sits in the heart of the Blida Atlas mountains, rising to an altitude of over 1,500 meters above sea level. Established as a national park in 1983 and covering more than 26,000 hectares of protected land, Chrea is one of Algeria’s most treasured natural spaces — and one of its most accessible.

What makes Chrea truly special is the remarkable variety of its landscape. At lower altitudes, dense forests of Atlas cedar, Aleppo pine and holm oak cover the slopes in a deep, permanent green that seems almost too rich to be real. Higher up, the terrain opens into rocky peaks and wide mountain panoramas that stretch across the Mitidja plain all the way to the sea on clear days.

The park is also home to a thriving population of Barbary macaques — one of the few remaining wild populations of this species in the world — as well as wild boar, numerous bird species and a rich variety of mountain flora. In winter, Chrea receives significant snowfall and becomes one of Algeria’s main ski destinations. But in the warmer months, it transforms into something entirely different — a green, peaceful, almost meditative world that invites you to slow down and simply be present.

For our students, parents and teachers making the journey from the coast of Dellys, arriving in Chrea felt like entering another world entirely.

A Day Made for the Soul

From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere of Chrea worked its quiet magic on the entire group.

The air was cool and clean — the kind of air that you notice immediately, that you breathe in more deeply than usual and that carries the faint scent of cedar and pine mixed together. The light filtered through the tall trees in long, soft beams. The sounds of the city — the traffic, the noise, the constant movement — were completely absent, replaced by birdsong, wind in the branches and the distant sound of running water.

The mood of the group shifted almost instantly. Shoulders relaxed. Voices softened. The usual energy of a school group — busy, loud and always in motion — gave way to something quieter and more peaceful. Even the most restless students seemed to feel it — that particular calm that mountains offer to anyone willing to receive it.

We walked through the forest trails, taking in the extraordinary beauty of the cedar trees — some of them ancient, their trunks wide enough that two people cannot wrap their arms around them, their branches forming a high canopy of green above our heads. The ground beneath our feet was soft with fallen needles, the paths winding gently through the trees in a way that made every turn reveal a new view, a new angle of light, a new reason to stop and look.

The Monkeys of Chrea

No visit to Chrea is complete without an encounter with its most famous and most charming residents — the Barbary macaques.

As we moved through the forest, we heard them before we saw them — the rustle of branches, the occasional call, the sudden movement high in the cedar trees. And then, one by one, they appeared. Bold, curious and entirely at ease in their mountain home, the macaques of Chrea have long grown accustomed to human visitors — though they remain, at heart, wild animals living on their own terms.

For our students, the encounter was a highlight of the day. Watching these intelligent, expressive animals move through the trees above — leaping from branch to branch with effortless confidence, grooming each other in the afternoon sun, occasionally descending to investigate the visitors below with their sharp, knowing eyes — was a reminder that the world is full of life and wonder beyond the walls of any classroom.

The children were captivated. Several stood completely still for minutes at a time, watching the monkeys with a focus and attention that their teachers would have been delighted to see directed at a grammar exercise.

The Barbecue — A Perfect Ending to a Perfect Day

As the afternoon light began to turn golden and the mountain air carried its evening coolness, we gathered together for the moment that — if we are being completely honest — many in the group had been quietly looking forward to all day: the barbecue.

There is something about cooking and eating outdoors — in the open air, surrounded by trees, with the smell of wood smoke mixing with the smell of the forest — that transforms a simple meal into a genuine celebration. Fires were lit, coals were prepared and the serious business of grilling began, accompanied by the equally serious business of everyone having a strong opinion about the correct way to manage a barbecue.

The students gathered around the grills with wide eyes and wider appetites. The smell of grilling meat drifting through the cedar forest was, by all accounts, one of the finest things any of them had ever smelled. When the food was finally ready and plates were filled, the group sat together among the trees and ate with the particular satisfaction that comes only from a meal earned by a full day of fresh air and walking.

The reaction of the students said everything. This was not just good food — it was an experience. The combination of the setting, the company, the day they had shared and the mountain air made every bite taste better than it would have anywhere else. More than a few students declared it the best barbecue of their lives — a declaration made with the full sincerity that only a hungry child in a beautiful place can produce.

A Change of Scenery That Changes Everything

What struck us most about this trip — more than the beauty of the landscape, more than the monkey encounters, more even than the legendary barbecue — was the effect that a simple change of environment had on our students.

Away from the familiar routines of school and home, something opens up in young people. They become more curious, more communicative, more themselves. Conversations happen naturally — between students who rarely speak to each other in the classroom, between students and teachers in a different register entirely, between parents and children sharing a new experience together.

Our students came back from Chrea different — not dramatically, not permanently, but in the small, important ways that accumulate over time. A little more relaxed. A little more connected to each other and to the natural world around them. A little more aware that their country holds extraordinary beauty within driving distance of their front door.

That, we believe, is an education in itself.

We Will Be Back

Before we had even made the journey home, the verdict was unanimous: this trip needs to happen again.

Chrea has earned a permanent place in the Elite d’Or calendar of adventures. The mountains, the cedar forests, the macaques, the peace and — yes — the barbecue will be waiting for us when we return. And we fully intend to return.

To our students: you showed us once again that the best version of yourselves appears when you step outside your comfort zone and into the open air. Keep that spirit.

To the mountains of Chrea: thank you for the day. We will see you again soon.

Until the next adventure — Elite d’Or Academy.