Day Hikes from Fez
The Middle Atlas Forests of Cedar
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
GRADE ONE - WALKING MOSTLY ON PATHS AT LOWER LEVELS, SOMETIMES ROCKY, SELDOM FLAT, FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS EACH DAY. GOOD TRAINERS WOULD DO, BUT TAKE BOOTS IF YOU ARE USED TO THEM. FOR ANYONE WHO LEADS A REASONABLY ACTIVE LIFE. HIKING ALWAYS INVOLVES SOME EFFORT.
ITCTFES05 - departures: daily (6 hours hike)
Departure from Fes at around 8.30 in the morning for an exciting 2hours' drive towards the south and the foothills of the Middle Atlas Ranges After some 30 minutes, we arrive at the small 1920s French-built hill station of Immouzer du Kandar (1220m), perched on the limestone edge of the Saïss Plateau. Here we'll pause for a while by the ruined kasbah of the Aït Seghrouchen for a look at the little medina and a visit of the still-inhabited troglodyte homes, before continuing on to Ifrane (1650m). We shall stop for a short visit of this squeaky-clean Moroccan pseudo-Swiss town, with its slanted, russet-tiled roofs hidden amidst a forest of short cedar, which trees cannot grow below 1600m, dominated by an hotel and King Hassan II's Gothic château palace. Ifrane is mainly a winter ski resort - and a summer hideaway for rich Moroccans wishing to escape the hustle and heat of the large cities.
We shall then drive up alongside the trailing edge of the Cedar Forest to the first real town in the Middle Atlas - Azrou - which in the local Tamazight Berber dialect means "rock," for, next to the mosque, is the massive outcrop of rock from which this town takes its name. Azrou was for a long time a strategic settlement established even before the advent of the French Colonial regime to effect some form of control of the independent mountain Berber peoples. On Tuesdays there is a souq to where the Beni M'Guild tribes come to trade. In this traditional Amazigh Berber green-tiled roofed market square village we shall start our walk by crossing the medina to follow the Oued Sebah at the feet of the Adrar Bou Drâa (1500m) up through small stands of silver juniper and evergreen oak growing beside small waterfalls. As we hike higher along the slopes, the trees become taller and thicker, the sounds of the river and the twittering of the many birds seemingly louder amidst the immense quiet of the massive trunks.
We leave the valley slopes and, as we hike up to cross the Tizi Tioumliline (1600m) we catch sight of the magnificent Forêt de Cèdres and the distant peaks of the Middle Atlas. An easy walk awaits us as we hike up through a forest of maple, holly, evergreen oak and young cedar amidst the shrills of rock dove, blue tits, short-toed tree creepers, firecrest, finches, warblers and choughs and that hammering of green woodpeckers. The shelter provided by these trees gives rise to a seasonal carpet of pink peonies, blue germander, scarlet dianthus and a vibrant variety of orchids, all of which play host, in spring and summer, to a myriad of tortoiseshell and cardinal butterflies.
We shall cross a small track and hike up through the thickening belt of the forest, shafts of bright sunlight piercing the vast canopy, to be greeted by the regional Barbary Apes, no real friends of this forest, as they strip off the bark and chew on the rejuvenating budding cones. You may hand-feed these creatures should you wish before we continue on, for about half an hour, to stop for our picnic and build our campfire for a cup of tea amidst these massive red trunks and the delicious odour of their resin. Once refreshed, we'll set out through this impressive forest to reputedly the oldest tree in Morocco's Middle Atlas - Gouraud's Cedar. Surrounded by other trees of the same calibre, this cedar is said to be some 800 years old, though some say the original tree of, some 980 years of age, was felled in the 1900s, yet stands 40 metres high and has a girth of some 8 metres. Immediately prior to World War I Colonel Gouraud was the second in command to the French regional commander General Lyautey, but why this cedar was named after him is still unclear.
We shall now carry on through the cedars to some stands of oak on up to the Tizi Ougmass, where we'll enjoy a panoramic view of the pisé homes of the Berber village of Igherm Ouadâa and surrounding wooded slopes and valleys. We go down through fields of wheat, corn and barley to rejoin our vehicle at Azrou around 5 in the evening rejoin our vehicle to take us back to the oldest of all the Imperial Cities.
Our price includes:
Experienced, licensed, bi-lingual mountain guide throughout. Round trip transportation Fez - Azrou - Fez. Light picnic lunch.
Picnic lunch - fresh Moroccan salad, cheese, tinned tuna fish*, bread, fruit, mint tea.
* If vegetarian or vegan, please pre-advise.
Our prices do not include:
Personal medical or accident insurance. Any expenditure of a personal nature. Bottled or gaseous water, nor anything not specifically mentioned in the itinerary. Gratuity to guide.
It is recommended that you bring:
Good trainers or walking boots. Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, nibbles, filled water bottle, binoculars, hygienic 'wipes'.
NB: 48 hours' notice is required when booking for 3 or more persons, given the scarcity of minibuses in Fes.
Tel: (08707) 406 306
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