Fes to Atlas Mountains Day Trip

Departing from Fes

The Middle Atlas is visible from Fes on a clear day — the cedar-covered ridges of the Bou Iblane range begin less than 80km south of the city. A day trip from Fes into the Atlas covers Ifrane (Morocco’s mountain resort town, built by the French with Swiss-chalet architecture at 1,665m altitude), Azrou (a cedar forest town where Barbary macaques live wild in the roadside trees), and the volcanic lakes of Dayat Aoua or Dayat Ifrah.

The Middle Atlas day trip from Fes is a genuine natural-history excursion: endemic Atlantic cedar forest, the only Barbary macaque population in Morocco outside the Rif, volcanic crater lakes with flamingoes in spring, and Berber market towns at 1,500m where the cuisine shifts from Fes pastilla to mountain lamb and truffle. The pace is entirely different from the medina — cool, quiet, and oriented toward landscape rather than architecture.

This trip is particularly good for travellers who have spent two or more days in the Fes medina and want contrast before continuing their Morocco itinerary. Return to Fes in the afternoon. Your driver-guide handles all navigation and can include a stop at the Ain Vittel springs or the Sefrou cherry town depending on the season. Request a quote.