Best Tips for Ifrane, Azrou and Ifrane National Park: Your N°1 Complete Tourist Guide

Here's the most European city of Morocco! Nicknamed "Little Switzerland" because of its European urbanism and its climate, Ifrane is a city of the central Middle Atlas at 1713m altitude in the region of Meknes. And who says Ifrane says its famous cedar forest which is certainly the largest cedar forest in the world! Yes, it is not Lebanon but Morocco which has the largest cedar forest which is located between the National Park of Ifrane and the National Park of Khenifra.

Ifrane city

🚌How to get there?

There are several ways to get there.

By air

The closest international airport is in Fez then a little further Rabat !

By land

You should know that Ifrane is not served by train. If you don't have a car, I recommend taking a bus depending on where you are. The most practical is Meknes or Fes which are notably served by the train then take the bus or a large Taxi:

• From Fez: around 1h20 drive from the city exit. By bus: The most famous companies that you can book online or by phone are CTM and Supratours .
• By grand taxi: Go directly to the Tangier bus station and ask for the grand taxis that lead to Chefchaouen. There will be 6 of you in the taxi, you just have to wait for the taxi to be full for it to start otherwise you can pay the 6 seats and leave comfortably.
• From Meknes: allow 1h10 by bus for this trip. Likewise, the most famous companies that you can book online or by phone are CTM and Supratours .

🌞When to go?

The best time to ski and have a European experience is obviously in winter 🌨️☃️.

Otherwise, the weather is nice the rest of the year with fairly high temperatures in summer 🌞

✏️Etymology

Ifrane is the plural of Ifri in Amazigh which means "cave". Indeed, the region is known for its natural caves. Historically the old name of Ifrane is Tourtite, which in Amazigh means garden.

📜History

Human presence in the region dates back to the Neolithic period as evidenced by caves such as those of Tizguite as well as archaeological remains dating back to prehistoric times, 50,000 years ago. Ifrane will be inhabited later by a population from the two large Tamazight speaking Amazigh tribes of Morocco.
In 1929, a summer resort was created for the French settlers and on January 14, 1947 the municipality of Ifrane was created

📣Ifrane officially holds the record for cold recorded on the African continent with a temperature of -23.9 ° C on February 11, 1935.

🤸‍♂️Activities

Downtown: this pedestrianized area is full of bars, restaurants and terraces, which makes it an ideal place to eat.
The stone lion: It is located a few meters from the previous streets. It was sculpted by a German soldier during World War II in honor of the last lion in the Atlas.
Visit to Al-Akhawayn University: it was created in 1995 by King Hassan II of the Morocco and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. It is currently the only Moroccan university following an American education system and having more than 40% international staff.

🍽Restaurants :

To live a local adventure, I highly recommend the Ifrane market with a wide choice of Moroccan and international restaurants at low prices.
In the city center I tested and I recommend the restaurant La Paix and its beautiful terrace and My Lil Rome (their pizza is very tasty🍕)

🏨Accommodation

I've always dreamed of a stay in a Nordic country in a warm glazed chalet with a view of the snow-covered fields and mountains. Well imagine, I found this luxury in Morocco and cheaper! 🤩

🏨 Palais des Cerisiers

I am happy to present to you "Palais des Cerisier" a real haven of peace with European charm and one of my favorite hotels for a winter getaway 😍

📍Located in the heart of the Middle Atlas and freshly renovated, Le Palais des Cerisiers is located almost in Ifrane National Park and only 5km from Azrou and 11km from Ifrane.

🛏 I loved the comfort of the rooms with panoramic views of the cedar forest and the Middle Atlas mountains. The fireplace provides a friendly and romantic atmosphere for lovers.

💰The price is starting from 1300 dhs for a double room for two people.

🍽The restaurant is a bit expensive but the quality of the meals is excellent. Price of the dinner is 250dhs 💰 per person with a choice of starter and dessert (see photo). Breakfast is generous but not very varied.

🤸‍♀️Activities:
-Hike to the Cedre Gouraud forest, spend the day there. Eat a tagine on site.
-Visit the Gouraud cedar farm 500 m from the hotel where you can buy excellent goat cheese 🧀

➕
The heated indoor pool is a great highlight in winter with its magnificent view of the mountains.
The common living space is cozy and warm.
The staff were very welcoming and attentive to the customer's needs .

➖ The high price of the dishes which raises the bill especially since the place is isolated for lunch or dinner outside the hotel. A variation of the menu would be better for small budgets Breakfast and lunch can be served on the terrace to enjoy the magnificent view.

Parc National de Ifrane

Although Lebanon boasts of its great Cedar forest (on its flag possibly 🇱🇧) but Morocco is home to the largest Cedar forest in the world! 🤩

This forest is located in the Ifrane National Park: created in 2004 and which is home to the largest number of species of flora and fauna in the country.

Ifrane National Park

📌Location of Ifrane National Park

Located in the heart of the Middle Atlas, Ifrane National Park covers an area of 125,000 ha, at an altitude varying from 1,500 to 2,400 meters. It extends over the western portion of the central Middle Atlas over more than 500km², over the territories of the provinces of Ifrane and Boulmane.

💧Morocco's largest water reserve

The park site is a real water tower and the largest water reserve in the kingdom with its neighbor Khenifra National Park. The Ifrane National Park is crossed by many rivers. Several sources have also made their home there. Not to mention the bodies of water that supply the surrounding towns and the permanent natural lakes. In the park there is also a hiking circuit called "circuit of the lakes".

🤸‍♀️Activities

The particularity of Ifrane National Park is based on the diversity of its landscapes: mountains, forests, valleys, springs, lakes and caves.
🔹Caves: Ifri Ouberid.
🔹Hiking in the majestic Forest
Cedre Gourand (I will talk about it in detail on the next post.)
🔹Parc: Tizguite park and Val d'Ifrane park
🔹Sources and Lakes: Vittel, Lake Daït Aoua, Daït Hachlaf, Daït Ifrah sources , Daït Iffer, Lake Aguelmame Tifounassine and others
🔹 Michlifen Ski Resort, equipped to accommodate skiers from the first snowfall. It is 20 km from Ifrane and 26 km from Azrou.

🎉 Festivities :

Main festivity in Ifrane National Park: the festival of lakes. It takes place every year in July around Lake Dayet Aoua.

Cedre Gouraud Forest

In the heart of the cedar groves of the Middle Atlas which is the last green barrier before the Sahara is the forest of Cèdre Gouraud in the National Park of Ifrane on the national road 8 between Azrou and Ifrane.
It is known especially for its oldest cedar called Gouraud cedar and also for the Magots monkeys, Barbary macaques that live in freedom in the forest.

🌲 The Gouraud cedar

Named after the name of the French general Henri Gouraud. This tree of height between 40 and 42 meters is almost 800 years old. But unfortunately it suffered a tragic fate: it died in 2003 for reasons which remain unclear and since it has been kept upright.

🐒Magot Monkey

The place attracts a lot of tourists, for the cedar but also the Magots monkeys, Barbary macaques which are considered a sedentary species of the Maghreb. It is true that it is fun to give peanuts to the nesting monkeys, but we do not realize that this food changes the diet of the nest egg and therefore the ecosystem of the cedar and the whole forest.

📣Activities

A few meters from the Cèdre Gouraud, you will find:
- souvenir, drink and peanut stands.
- Tagines that you can eat on site in the middle of the forest from 50dhs.
-And also you can take a tour of the forest on horseback 🐎

📍Ain Kahla Forest

Finally, I took all my courage to make my first wilderness camping experience in the Ain Kahla forest.

🌳 Ain Kahla is a forest ecosystem of cedar and holm oak in the Sidi M’Guild forest at an altitude of 2039 meters (which unfortunately cannot be found on the map). This mixed cedar grove is a suitable habitat for populations of the magot monkey. 

📍It is located about ten kilometers from Ain Leuh in the heart of the Middle Atlas and it is also the meeting point of the National Park of Ifrane with the National Park of Khenifra.

🔍 We do not find it in the MAP but it is easily accessible from Ain Leuh. It is indicated on the road otherwise ask the locals once you arrive in Ain Leuh.
The exact place where we camped is towards the end of the forest towards a former forest post known in the area.

⛰ The Middle Atlas offers a completely authentic face of Morocco, between mountain landscapes, cedar forests, green oak groves, fields of flowers, lakes, streams, waterfalls and beautiful and original small villages with Berber authenticity. 

📌The region of Aïn Leuh (source of wood), has sites representative of bioclimatic, semi-arid (mixed cedar grove with holm oak and Asylvatic lawn), subhumid (green oak grove with oxycedar), and humid (pure green oak grove of Dir). 

📣This great geographic and climatic diversity gives it exceptional environmental richness.

Camping

In these times of pandemic, now is the time or never to savor the bivouac with guaranteed social distancing 😅

🏕 Pitching a tent in nature requires this little adventurous side, far from being innate in some of us.

👎However, one will always find the eternal refractory to the idea of sleeping in a tent lost in the middle of nowhere, far from the daily grind. The temperature, the weather, insects, wild animals, dependence on the weather are the arguments that come up most often. 

👍We will answer that yes, these arguments are not negligible but that all that is very insignificant in comparison:
-Summptuous landscapes that wild camping can offer upon awakening.
-Physical and psychological well-being of the ultimate sensation of watching the movement of clouds, sunrises, sunsets and being woken up by birdsong.
- Benefits for the nature, in fact, it is a sustainable mode of travel that brings us closer to nature and encourages us to reduce our impact and protect flora and fauna.

So is it worth the detour?

Acceuil