Ifran..Switzerland of Africa

Morocco is an African country, sure, but if you want to feel like you are in the Alps in Europe, there is a beautiful city in the Atlas Mountains, many calls it the “Moroccan Switzerland”, or even “Switzerland of Africa”, this city is Ifrane, the Atlas Mountains' gift to Morocco.

Ifrane is a small city in the Atlas Mountains as we mentioned; it’s located between the two cities of Fez and Meknes, at an altitude of 1.655 above sea level, Ifrane is characterized by the freezing cold and snow covering the slopes of its mountains in autumn and winter and mild weather in summer and spring.

The name of Ifrane means in the Amazigh local language “the caves” because the region is known by several caves, it has also another name in Amazigh, “Orty”, which is not common and it means the gardens.

The modern city of Ifrane was founded in 1929 by the French authorities of occupation to be a kind of winter mountain resort, it was designed to be a version of European mountain towns, the visitor notices the European architecture in its houses, which is the design that the authorities and the citizens keep it until now, which it gives the city its charm and tempts the tourists to visit it during winter to enjoy its snows and in the spring for green and mountainous landscapes.

Ifrane is surrounded on all sides by the forests of cedar, oak forests, sycamore, chestnut and linden trees.  

The city is also distinguished by its waterfalls, lakes, and flowing water due to the snowfall that floods the place every year in the winter.

There are many things to do, and places to go in Ifrane, such as skiing in the ski station of Michlifen which is located only 2.6 kilometers away from the city, or also the water sources in "Ain Vitel" and "Ras Lma", and in the city itself, you should take a photo with its famous sculpture of the Atlas lion.