Blue City Escape
A full day north through the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, Morocco's blue-washed mountain town, with time to wander and photograph.
Free cancellationfrom$120 per group
Middle Atlas Nature Route: cedars, monkeys and mountain air
Private tour · Licensed local guideFez, Morocco
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Full dayAbout 8–9 hours door to door
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Driver, guide on requestEnglish · French · Arabic
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Private vehicleAir-conditioned, pickup at your riad
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Family friendlyJust your party, 1–6 people
About the Middle Atlas Nature Route
An hour south of Fez the landscape changes completely. The plains give way to cedar forest, the air cools by ten degrees, and the towns start to look oddly European — Ifrane was built by the French in the 1930s and still has the pitched roofs and flower beds to prove it. It is the easiest escape from the heat of the medina and the best day out with children.
The centrepiece is the cedar forest around Azrou, where troops of Barbary macaques live among trees that are several centuries old. Beyond that the day is yours: mountain lakes, the source of the Oum Er-Rbia, a Berber market town, or simply a long lunch by the water. You travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle with your own driver.
Your day, hour by hour
Pickup in Fez
Collected from your riad and south into the foothills of the Middle Atlas.
Ifrane
The alpine-looking town, its stone lion and the university quarter, with coffee in the square.
The cedar forest
Walk among centuries-old cedars and meet the Barbary macaques that live in them.
Lunch by a lake
A relaxed lunch at Dayet Aoua or a trout restaurant near the springs.
Azrou market town
A stop in the Berber town below the forest, known for its cedar carving and weekly souk.
Drive back to Fez
Back down through the foothills, arriving in Fez in the late afternoon.
What's included
Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver
- Riad or hotel pickup and drop-off in Fez
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Bottled water in the vehicle
- Flexible timings on the day
Not included
- Lunch and personal spending
- Peanuts or food for the monkeys
- Gratuities for your driver
