.jpg)
Ifrane is a small mountain town in Morocco's Middle Atlas, around 65 km south of Fes and about 1,665 meters above sea level. With its pitched red roofs, tidy gardens and lakes, it looks more like a resort in the Alps than a Moroccan town, which is why locals call it the Little Switzerland of Morocco.
For most travelers, Ifrane and the neighboring town of Azrou are the first highlights of the road from Fes to the Sahara. In under an hour you leave the medina behind and climb into cool cedar forests, where wild Barbary macaques live in the trees beside the road.
Ifrane shows a side of Morocco few visitors expect: snow in winter, green meadows in spring and fresh air in summer, when Fes and Marrakech are at their hottest. The modern town was established in 1929 by the French administration as a hill station, and its alpine-style houses, wide avenues and parks still give it a calm, orderly feel.
The town also holds a famous climate record: on 11 February 1935 the temperature in Ifrane fell to -23.9 °C, the lowest ever recorded in Africa.
Planning your trip? Explore our private tours from Fes to Merzouga, our 3-day luxury desert tour from Fes and our 3-day tour from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara.
A short drive south of Ifrane, Azrou is a Middle Atlas market town at about 1,250 meters. Its name comes from the Tamazight (Amazigh) word for rock, after the large outcrop in the town center. The hills around it are covered with Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), a tree that grows naturally only in the mountains of Morocco and Algeria.
The forest is part of Ifrane National Park, created in 2004 to protect a large share of the world's Atlas cedars and one of the last strongholds of the Barbary macaque, an endangered monkey native only to Morocco and Algeria. In the Cèdre Gouraud forest near Azrou, groups of macaques are often seen close to the road.
To keep the monkeys wild and healthy, watch them from a respectful distance and do not feed them: human food harms them and makes them dependent on visitors. Your driver can suggest a quiet spot for photos away from the busiest roadside stalls.
Ifrane and Azrou are not usually a destination on their own; they are the scenic first chapter of the classic route from Fes to Merzouga. After the cedar forests, the road crosses high plateaus to the town of Midelt, at the foot of the Eastern High Atlas, then follows the Ziz Valley and its palm groves down to the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Our 3-day Fes to Merzouga guide describes this route day by day.
On a private tour, you choose how long to stay: a coffee stop and a short walk in Ifrane, time to watch the macaques near Azrou, or a slower pace with lunch in the mountains before continuing south.
Spring (April to June) is the greenest season, with mild days and wildflowers in the meadows. Summer is pleasantly cool compared with the cities and the desert. Autumn brings clear light and fewer visitors. Winter is cold, with snow on many days; it is beautiful, but snow can occasionally slow traffic on the mountain roads, so it is worth allowing extra time.
Ifrane is in the Middle Atlas Mountains, around 65 km south of Fes, at about 1,665 meters above sea level. It lies on the main road from Fes to Azrou, Midelt and the Sahara.
Because of its alpine-style houses with pitched red roofs, its parks and lakes, its cool climate and its snowy winters. The modern town was built from 1929 as a mountain hill station.
Yes. Barbary macaques live in the cedar forests around Azrou, part of Ifrane National Park, and are often seen near the road. They are an endangered species, so watch them from a distance and do not feed them.
Yes, Ifrane receives snow in most winters and is one of the coldest towns in Morocco. On 11 February 1935 it recorded -23.9 °C, the lowest temperature ever measured in Africa.
Yes. Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest are on the classic route from Fes to Merzouga, so a stop adds mountain scenery, fresh air and a chance to see wild macaques with very little extra driving.
Our team designs fully private, tailor-made luxury tours from Fes, including the drive through Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest to the Sahara, with expert drivers, hand-picked stays and every detail arranged for you.
Plan Your Trip