IFRANE & THE MIDDLE ATLAS MOUNTAINS
Nicknamed “the little Switzerland” of Morocco, because of the architecture of its houses but also its snowy landscapes in winter, the city of Ifrane is perched at an altitude of 1713 meters in the Middle Atlas. The region has multiple lakes and water sources…
It also has the largest cedar forest in the world. This forest is the home of the famous 800-year-old “Gouraud cedar”
For the love of travel. Lamiae
MEETING IN CEDAR FORESTS
Ifrane National Park is a Moroccan natural park , one of the most representative for the richness of its ecosystem and its landscapes.
Mountains, lakes, forests as far as the eye can see, green meadows…welcome to little Moroccan Switzerland.
The hiking trails cross the largest cedar grove in the world, rich in its flora and fauna biodiversity. We are attracted by its immense Atlas cedars, and its large clearings dotted with impressive rocks, craters and cliffs which bear witness to its volcanic past.
THE FLORA OF IFRANE
The Ifrane National Park is located in the Middle Atlas 60 km south of Fez and extends over an area of 51,800 hectares between 1300 and 2440 m altitude.
The park is home to a flora of more than 1000 species including around 250 endemic species.
Holm oaks, poplars, fruit trees and flowers of all kinds complete the colorful landscape of the hiking trails.
THE WILDLIFE OF IFRANE
The multiple sources and bodies of water form a privileged habitat for a wide diversity of migratory birds such as storks, herons and ducks.
This biodiversity is part of a preserved natural setting, where we can also observe protected species such as the otter or the Barbary deer, reintroduced to the region in the 90s.
There remains an emblematic animal, the Barbary macaque , also called Magot, which we come across more and more often and which we hear in the remote undergrowth. Today it represents the only free-ranging primate in Europe.
As for mules, accustomed to winter temperatures, they remain man's friend in accompanying all hikes.