Fez → Ifrane & Azrou: cedar forests, Barbary macaques and mountain air

When the heat builds up in Fez, the locals know where to go for a breath of fresh air: Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest, less than an hour's drive away. It's the easiest nature escape from the city — perfect for a family day out.

Ifrane, Morocco's "little Switzerland"

About 60 km from Fez (a 1-hour drive), Ifrane surprises visitors with its steep-roofed houses, immaculate lawns and crisp mountain air (around 1,650 m above sea level). A clean, quiet garden town, it's the ideal spot for a coffee break and a stroll. In winter it snows here regularly: Ifrane is even a small ski resort, which says a lot about the mountain climate of the Middle Atlas.

The cedar forest and the monkeys of Azrou

Some twenty kilometres further on, Azrou opens the door to one of the largest cedar forests in North Africa. This is home to the free-roaming Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), the only macaque on the African continent. The Atlas cedar forests are its favourite habitat, and the Middle Atlas shelters around 67% of the world population of the species, according to the Barbary macaque reference page. The species is nevertheless classified as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List (it moved from "Vulnerable" to "Endangered" between 2000 and 2008), its population having fallen sharply due to habitat loss and poaching. The site of the Gouraud cedar, a landmark tree several centuries old, is a meeting point everyone knows.

How to behave around the monkeys

• Don't feed them processed food (crisps, biscuits, bread): it's bad for their health, makes them dependent and weakens an already threatened species.
• Keep your distance and don't touch them: they are wild animals.
• Watch, take photos… and leave without leaving any litter behind.

Good to know before you go

• The road is paved and suitable for any car; drive slowly, as animals do cross.
• Bring a jumper even in summer: it's several degrees cooler than in Fez.
• Allow half a day to a full day, easy to combine with lunch in Ifrane.

It's also a natural first leg if you're then heading further afield, towards Midelt and the Merzouga desert. To pick the best time of year, see our article When to visit.