Azrou
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Azrou

Azrou

Middle Atlas town in Morocco, known for cedar forests and Barbary macaques nearby.

Azrou is a Berber market town in the Middle Atlas, about 80 km south of Fez, sitting at 1,200 metres between steep wooded hills and a volcanic rock outcrop. The name comes from the Berber word for "rock" — see the Azrou Rock in the centre of the old quarter. After the souk chaos of the imperial cities, it feels like somewhere people actually live.

The town has a long tradition of weaving — it was a trading post for nomadic Berber people — and you can still find well-made rugs and blankets at the Tuesday souk or the Ensemble Artisanal. The green-tiled roofs are a local signature. The pace is unhurried, the hassle low.

The cedar forests south of town are the main draw. Barbary macaques live in them, unbothered by visitors, and you can walk for hours through the trees. The forest stretches roughly 15 km before giving way to the volcanic cone of Jbel Hebri, and the wider Ifrane National Park takes in lakes and karst country east of town.

Guide

Day Trips

The Middle Atlas around Azrou rewards exploration. Most of these require a car or a hired taxi — grand taxis are easy to arrange from the main square.

Le Belvédère d'Ito (15 km) is a viewpoint above the mountains, best visited in the morning before haze builds up. Bekrit, 49 km away, is a quiet village beside Lac Sidi Ali, a high-altitude lake good for fishing and wandering. Mrirt (32 km towards Khenifra) has a good Thursday market.

The springs of the Oum R'biaa are about two hours' drive from Azrou — a series of sources where the river begins, surrounded by straw-hut restaurants at the base of a waterfall. It is an unhurried half-day: eat, swim if the season is right, drive back slowly. Le Lac Afenouir is 21 km towards Midelt on rough roads; the drive itself is the point.

Guide

Getting There

Azrou is on the N8 highway between Meknes and Khenifra, 80 km south of Fez and a comfortable hour and a quarter by car. Grand taxis from Fez to Azrou run all day from the main taxi station near Bab Boujloud; CTM coaches also stop in town on the daily run to Marrakech.

Within the town everything is walkable. For excursions to the cedar forest, the lakes, or the monastery, a hired grand taxi from Place Mohammed V is the standard option — agree the fare and the waiting time before setting off.

Guide

Things To Do

A morning at the Azrou Rock and a wander through the medina is enough to see the town itself. If it is Tuesday, the souk is unmissable; on other days, the Ensemble Artisanal gives a good sample of local weaving.

The real reason most travellers come is the surrounding country: the cedar forests, the Barbary macaques, and the high lakes of Ifrane National Park. Allow at least a full day for that, with a picnic and a hired taxi.