Day Trip from Fes to Atlas Mountains
Day Trip from Fes to middle Atlas mountains
Join the best Day Trip from Fes to Atlas Mountainst, exploring small towns and a rolling landscape of cedar forests and peaks.
Main info
- Duration: 1 Day
- Departure: 10:00 AM.
- Starting Location: Fes.
- Ending Location: Your hotel in Fes.
Highlights of our tour
- Explore the Moroccan city of Ifran, which resembles a little Switzerland.
- In Azrou, try a typical Moroccan tajine.
- Meet the wild barbary monkeys as you stroll through the magnificent Cedar Forest.
- Admire the stunning scenery and lush green plains of the Atlas Mountains.
- At the summit of the Atlas Mountains, explore a Berber community.
Day Trip overview
Discover Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains on a full-day trip from Fez, exploring small towns and a rolling landscape of cedar forests and peaks. Soak up the European feel of Ifrane, sometimes known as “the Switzerland of Morocco”, then descend to Azrou, a Berber market, in search of the monkeys that thrive in the nearby cedar forests. With pick-up and drop-off at hotels in Fez, this full day trip from Fes to Atlas mountains goes off the beaten track to find the quieter, rural side of Morocco. Return to your hotel in Fez at the end of the day.
Day Trip Itinerary
Your Middle Atlas day trip begins when your driver from Fes Desert Trips picks you up from your hotel or riad in Fes at 10 am. (times can be adjusted to suit if needed, just ask us, we are always willing to help and are very flexible.)
This day trip incorporates visits to villages in the Middle Atlas Mountains (elevation up to 1360 meters above sea level) where you can enjoy breathtaking panoramas and breathe deeply of the clear, fresh, cool mountain air.
Firstly, you will be driven to the village of Immouzer, famous for its apples, fragrant and beautiful with apple blossom in the spring and in July hosts the famous National Apple Festival.
Next, you can see the delightful Ifrane, a charming Alpine-styled, chalet filled town, nestling prettily in the atlas mountains and known as “The Switzerland of Morocco“. It is a relief to visit these cool atlas mountain towns if you visit in the summer, a pleasant escape from the oppressive heat and if you visit in the winter, Ifrane and the nearby ski-resort of Michliffen offer many snow sport activities.
Catching tantalizing glimpses of the Middle Atlas Mountains as you ascend into them through huge forests of cedar and cork, your next stop will be to explore Azrou, ‘The Rock‘ in the local Berber language, an ancient settlement still lived in by the Amazigh (Berbers), Morocco’s original inhabitants before the arrival of the Arabs. It is a lovely village with flower bed and cherry tree-lined streets and green tiled roofs in the heart of the magnificent cedar forest, the largest in Morocco. Near here live the Barbary Apes, actually a type of macaque monkey, who may try to share your lunch. You will be able to see the tribal herdsmen and hard at work milling flour or engaged in traditional carpentry and carpet making. Enjoy haggling for a rug if you wish, especially if you arrive for the Tuesday market, as the prices here can be much lower than in Fes and the people are very friendly.
Tour includes and excludes
Tour includes:
- Pickup and drop off from accommodation.
- English speaking driver;
- Transport by private vehicle with A/C
- Car Fuel
Tour excludes:
- Lunch
- Tips
- Soft drinks
Testimonials
Nice day excursion outside the madness of the Médina
My wife and I planned a day trip from Fes to Atlas Mountains to explore several Berber settlements and the Cedar Forest. We wanted to experience a different region of Morocco after a few days in the old city, thus this tour seemed ideal. The cedar forest was lovely and peaceful, and there were a lot of monkeys! Our driver, Mohommad, was a kind and safe driver. Good English and pleasant company. Along the way, he fought us about Morocco.
If you’re seeking for a change of scenery after Fes, I highly recommend this business and the day excursion to the Middle Atlas.
Sean P
A Relaxed and Interesting Trip
Hassan picked us up from our hotel at 10 a.m. and drove us on a relaxing and culturally enriching day trip from Fes to Atlas mountains region near Fes. The day was a welcome respite from the suffocating hustling of the Fes Medina. Views of the highlands and visits to Berber cave houses in Immouzer were highlights for us. Hassan drove us back to Fes after the tour and took us to the Royal Palace, a panoramic viewpoint over the ancient city, and a ceramics cooperative all for free, and these were some of the highlights of our Fes vacation.
Hannah G