§01 The experience
An hour south of Fez the land rises, the air drops ten degrees and the architecture starts looking like Switzerland. The Middle Atlas is where Fassi families go when the medina gets too hot, and it is the easiest escape from the city there is.
Ifrane was built by the French in the 1930s with pitched roofs and dormer windows, and is kept so clean that Moroccans call it Little Switzerland. It holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in Africa. You will have coffee there and photograph the stone lion.
Then the cedars. The forest around Azrou contains some of the largest Atlas cedars on earth, including trees over eight hundred years old, and a troop of Barbary macaques — the only macaque species outside Asia and the only wild monkeys in North Africa. They are habituated and will come close. We bring the right food and will tell you honestly what not to feed them.
Depending on the season we add the Dayet Aoua lake circuit, a Berber market town, or the trout springs at Ain Vittel. It is a soft, green, unhurried day, and it is the one we recommend to families and to anyone who has had enough of the medina for a moment.
§02 Highlights
- 01Ifrane — pitched roofs, clean air and the stone lion
- 02The cedar forest of Azrou and the thousand-year Gouraud cedar
- 03Wild Barbary macaques, up close and ethically fed
- 04Dayet Aoua lake and the Middle Atlas plateau
- 05A Berber market town away from the tourist route
- 06Ten degrees cooler than Fez in summer
§03 Day by day
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09:00
Leave Fez
Riad pickup and a gentle climb south onto the plateau.
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10:15
Ifrane
Coffee, the stone lion, and a walk through the strangest architecture in Morocco.
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11:30
The cedar forest
Into the forest above Azrou: the big trees, the silence and the macaques.
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13:00
Lunch
Grilled trout or a tagine in Azrou, or a picnic in the forest if you prefer.
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14:30
Dayet Aoua and the lakes
The lake circuit, the plateau and the shepherds' country.
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16:00
Return to Fez
Down off the plateau, arriving around 17:00.
§04 What the price covers
- Included
- +Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the whole day
- +Riad or hotel pickup and drop-off in Fez
- +Fuel, tolls and parking
- +Planned stops along the route
- +Bottled water
- +Appropriate food for the macaques
- Not included
- −Lunch
- −Local guide or forest walk guide — available on request
- −Gratuities
§05 Questions
Will we definitely see the monkeys?
Almost always. The troop above Azrou is resident and habituated, and in fifteen years we have rarely come back without a sighting.
Is it safe to feed them?
With the right food and sensible distance, yes — we bring it. Never feed them bread, sweets or anything salted, and never hold food above your head.
How cold does it get?
In winter it can snow, and Ifrane has recorded the coldest temperature in Africa. Bring a warm layer between November and March.
Is this good for families?
It is our most family-friendly day trip by a distance. Short drives, open space, animals and no crowds.
Can we combine it with something else?
It pairs well with a night in Ifrane or as the first leg of a desert circuit. Ask and we will build it.
Do I pay now?
No. Reserve now and pay your driver on the day.
