Middle Atlas Day Trip from Fez: Ifrane, Azrou and the Cedar Forest

What to see

• Ifrane, a tidy mountain town at about 1,650 metres with winter snow.
• The cedar forest near Azrou, home to Barbary macaques.

Please do not feed the macaques. The Middle Atlas cedar forest is one of the last homes of this endangered monkey.

Travel time

Ifrane is about an hour from Fez and Azrou about 90 minutes.

Ifrane, the little Switzerland of Morocco

Ifrane was built from 1929 as a mountain resort, with sloping red roofs, gardens and wide streets that make it look more like the Alps than Africa. A stone lion, carved during the colonial period, is its favourite photograph. The town is home to Al Akhawayn University, opened in 1995, and in 1935 it recorded minus 24 C (minus 11 F), one of the coldest temperatures ever measured in Africa. In winter the nearby Michlifen slopes welcome skiers.

The cedar forest

The Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, grows only in the mountains of Morocco and Algeria, and the forest between Ifrane and Azrou is one of its finest stands, protected since 2004 inside Ifrane National Park. Some trees are several hundred years old. The forest is also the main home of the Barbary macaque, the only wild monkey in Africa north of the Sahara, which is listed as endangered.

Lakes and springs

• Dayet Aoua, a lake framed by trees, beautiful in spring and autumn.
• The circuit of lakes of the Middle Atlas, with birdlife in winter and spring.
• The springs of Ain Vittel in Ifrane, a pleasant short walk.
• Azrou, which means rock in Tamazight, named after the big rock that stands beside the town.

Combine it

These stops sit on the road to the desert, see Fez to Merzouga, and combine well with Sefrou and Bhalil. Browse our tours and itineraries.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons for walking in the forest. In winter the Middle Atlas often has snow, which is beautiful but can slow the roads, and in summer the mountains are a cool escape from the heat of Fez.

A suggested day

• Leave Fez after breakfast and drive up to Ifrane for a short walk and a coffee.
• Continue to the cedar forest near Azrou to walk among the trees and watch the macaques from a respectful distance.
• Have lunch in Azrou, then return to Fez in the afternoon, or continue south towards Midelt and the Sahara.

If you add Sefrou and Bhalil on the way back, the day becomes a full loop of the Middle Atlas foothills. See Sefrou and Bhalil from Fez.

Respecting the macaques

• Keep a few metres away and never touch them.
• Do not feed them, even if others do, because human food makes them sick and aggressive.
• Keep food and bags closed near them.