Ifrane: The Moroccan Switzerland and its Millennial Cedars

Ifrane is an extraordinary city in Morocco: built by the French protectorate in the 1930s following a plan inspired by Swiss alpine resorts, with its chalets with red roofs, cobbled streets and flowering parks, it receives snow every winter and houses the largest cedar forest in Africa.

The alpine town at the heart of the Middle Atlas

Built in 1929 at 1,650 metres altitude on the slopes of the Middle Atlas, Ifrane is a unique urbanistic curiosity in Africa. Its timber-framed chalets, Norman villas and well-maintained parks have earned it the nickname 'Moroccan Switzerland' and make it one of the cleanest cities on the African continent.

In winter, Ifrane can receive up to 4 metres of snow — a rare spectacle in a country one spontaneously associates with sand and heat. The ski resorts of Aïn Leuh and Michlifen are accessible in less than an hour, attracting many Moroccans discovering winter sports in their own country.

The cedar forest and the Barbary macaques

The cedar forest of Azrou, 15 km from Ifrane, is the largest Atlas cedar forest in Africa. Some millennial cedars reach 40 metres in height and 5 metres in circumference. The forest is home to a population of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) — the only wild primates in North Africa — who live freely and allow themselves to be approached without fear.

Encountering the Barbary macaques is one of the most moving experiences of travelling in Morocco. These pink-faced macaques with thick fur live in family groups of about ten individuals. It is important not to feed them with human foods that disrupt their natural diet, but watching them search for food under the cedars or care for their young is a fascinating spectacle.

The lakes of the Middle Atlas and trout fishing

The Ifrane region is dotted with natural lakes with crystal-clear waters, fed by Middle Atlas snows: Aguelmane Azigza lake, the Aïn Leuh lakes, Dayet Aoua lake. These turquoise stretches of water surrounded by cedar and cork oak forests create landscapes worthy of the Swiss Alps.

Trout fishing is a traditional activity in the Ifrane region. The rivers and lakes of the Middle Atlas are renowned for their rainbow trout and brown trout. Fishing permits are available in Ifrane, and several lodges offer fishing stays with local guides for memorable days by the water.

Skiing, hiking and the Middle Atlas national park

Ifrane is the ideal base for hiking in the Middle Atlas. The hike to Lake Aguelmane Sidi Ali (2,050 m altitude) offers panoramic views of the Atlas ranges. These volcanic lakes with their deep blue waters are surrounded by cedar forests and alpine meadows of rare beauty. In winter, the Michlifen ski resort, 17 km from Ifrane, welcomes Moroccan families for days on the slopes with its 3 alpine skiing runs.

The Ifrane National Park, created in 2004, protects 125,000 hectares of cedar, oak and juniper forests, as well as populations of Barbary macaques, foxes, otters and numerous bird species. Ifrane is ideally visited as a half-day trip from Fès (65 km) or Meknès (70 km), or as a stop on the Marrakech-Fès road via Khénifra.

How to reach Ifrane from Fès, Meknès or Marrakech

Ifrane is ideally positioned to be integrated into an imperial circuit. From Fès, the town is only 63 km away via a panoramic road that climbs into the Middle Atlas and offers cedar forest landscapes from the very first kilometres. From Meknès, it is 67 km. These short distances allow Ifrane to be visited as a day excursion from these imperial cities, or integrated as a stage between Fès and Meknès.

From Marrakech, the journey is longer (about 4 hours) but the road crossing the Atlas and Middle Atlas is itself a spectacle. Tour Come Morocco offers private transfers Marrakech-Ifrane-Fès or 3 to 4-day circuits covering Ifrane, the Azrou cedars, the Ouzoud waterfalls, Meknès and Fès for a complete exploration of inland Morocco. Access is trickier in January-February when heavy snowfall sometimes closes the road.