What To Know About The Middle atlas Covered in forests of oak, cork and giant cedar, the Middle Atlas is a beautiful and relatively little-visited region. The dark brown tents of nomadic Berber encampments immediately establish a cultural shift away from the European north; the plateaux are pockmarked by dark volcanic lakes; and the towns initially feel different, too, their flat, gabled houses lending an Alpine-resort feel, particularly at the “hill station” resort of Ifrane, where the king has a summer palace. If you just want a day-trip from Fez, the Middle Atlas is most easily accessible at Sefrou, a relaxed market town 28km southeast of the city, though Azrou should be on most itineraries as well, an interesting Berber settlement with an excellent and authentic souk, and ideally located for forays into the surrounding cedar forests.
At Azrou, the road forks and you can take one of two routes. The N13 heads southeast to the former mining town of Midelt and on to Er Rachidia, a journey that traces the old Trek es Sultan, or Royal Road, an ancient trading route that once carried salt, slaves and other commodities with caravans of camels across the desert from West Africa. Heading southwest, the N8, the main route to Marrakesh, skirts well clear of the Atlas ranges, and is lined with dusty, functional market centres, though Beni Mellal is something of a transport hub along the way. From here you can cut south to Azilal, jumping-off point for the magnificent Cascades d’Ozoud and the stunning High Atlas valley of Aït Bouguemez, or strike out for Imilchil and the epic mountain roads that lie beyond.
The first real town of the Middle Atlas, AZROU makes an attractive “introduction” to the region, an important but welcoming Berber market centre enclosed by wooded slopes on three sides. The town grew at the crossroads of two major routes – north to Meknes and Fez, south to Khenifra and Midelt – and long held a strategic role in controlling the mountain Berbers. Moulay Ismail built a kasbah here, the remains of which survive, while more recently the French established the prestigious Collège Berbère – one plank in their policy to split the country’s Berbers from the urban Arabs.
South of Azrou lies some of the most remote and beautiful country of the Middle Atlas: a region of dense cedar forests, limestone plateaus and polje lakes that is home to some superb wildlife, including Barbary apes. At its heart, and an obvious focus for a trip, are the waterfalls of Oum er Rbia, the source of Morocco’s largest river.
At MIDELT, reached through a bleak plain of scrub and desert, you have essentially left behind the Middle Atlas. As you approach from the north, the greater peaks of the High Atlas appear suddenly through the haze, rising behind the town to a massive range, the Jebel Ayachi, at over 3700m. The sheer drama of the site – tremendous in the clear, cool evenings – is one of the most compelling reasons to stop over. Though the town is comprised of little more than a street with a few cafés and hotels and a small souk, it’s a pleasant place to break a journey, partly because so few people do and partly because of its easy-going (and predominantly Berber) atmosphere. Indeed, there is a hint of the frontier town about Midelt, a sense reinforced by the deserted mining settlements at Mibladene and El Ahouli, 22km to the northeast.
Midelt is so far inland that it has a microclimate of extremes: bitterly cold in winter and oppressively hot in summer. Consequently, one of the best times to visit is autumn, particularly at the start of October, when the town hosts a modest apple festival. Year-round, try to arrive for the huge Sunday souk, which spreads back along the road towards Azrou and is a fruitful hunting ground for quality carpets.
High enough into the Middle Atlas to avoid the suffocating dry heat of summer, Sefrou is a good base for some modest walking. Dozens of springs emerge in the hills above the town and a few waterfalls are active for part of the year.
For a relatively easy target, take the road up behind the Ville Nouvelle post office on Boulevard Mohammed V (Rue Sidi Ali Bou Serghine), which divides into a fork after about a kilometre. The right-hand branch leads to a small, deserted French fort, known as the Prioux, and to the koubba of one Sidi Ali Bou Serghine. The views from around here are thrilling: in winter, the snowcapped Mischliffen; in summer, the cedars and holm oaks cresting the ridges to infinity. You can also reach the koubba (and fort) by taking the left fork in the road that splits in front of El Kelâa, a ksar (fortified settlement) that’s quite interesting in itself and reached on Rue de la Kelâa, west of the sharp bend in the main road across the Oued Aggaï.
Heading up Rue de la Kelâa from the main road and taking the right-hand fork in front of El Kelâa leads to a junction signposted “Cascades”, from where a single-lane tarmac road follows the river to a small hydroelectric power station; 250m beyond this, below imposing rocky outcrops, are the waterfalls, at their best in spring. Flash floods regularly wash away the path here, so repair work may bar your access to a pool beneath for a paddle.
The contrast of magnificent architecture and unforgettable history makes Casablanca a fascinating place to visit. It is the amazing city that is gaining in popularity every year as it becomes cheaper to fly to Morocco.
Morocco had always been a country I was curious about. It’s blend of North African and Arabic influences gave it this air of mystique that drew me in. Plus, you know, I like couscous. So I had high expectations when I decided to pop over from Spain and explore the country for three weeks.
