Fes Berber & Middle Atlas Day Trip: A Detailed Review & Guide

So, you know, escaping the intensity of Fes for a single day and trading it for a dose of nature plus a peek at Berber culture just seemed too, too perfect an opportunity to skip. Very, very quickly, the Middle Atlas Mountains just sort of became the cure for my overloaded senses. We opted, too it’s almost fair to say, for one of these day trips focusing on the Berber communities around there, that also winds its way through some fantastic scenery. The experience turned out very different from what I was picturing and so I’m gonna talk about what the tour gave, what parts were amazing, plus what maybe could’ve been better.

Leaving the Ancient Walls of Fes

It’s almost hard to explain, really, but there’s this feeling of stepping back centuries when you are inside Fes’s medina. Leaving the gates early one morning, that ancient scene started fading very, very slowly as our 4×4 drove towards the mountains. This trip seemed a bit symbolic right away, like your leaving behind that concentration of urban life to instead, you know, discover Morocco’s varied landscapes and the people who shape it. Initially the change felt gradual, a little almost. At first we just passed these open plains; you could still see farming there. The buildings started getting spaced out, and you just sort of caught glimpses of regular Moroccan rural existence.

Imouzzer Kandar: A Pause in a Quaint Town

Our initial pause occurred in Imouzzer Kandar, yet quite a sleepy town when we got there. It wasn’t even really on my radar before the trip. Seemingly, in some respects it’s known mainly as a calm location that local people come to in summer to evade the intense heat lower down, in some respects almost, arguably. What’s pretty cool, basically, is that we were afforded a pause here that had the feel of some, like your, local discovery more than any tourist event. You are able to grab some mint tea at that little café; very Moroccan! Also, we could have this really speedy walk around a local market (depending on that day; the Berber souks aren’t all on all days) . That just provided a glance into day-to-day local existence in this part of the Atlas region.

Ifrane: Stepping into a Swiss Dream

Ifrane, though; now there’s a spot that completely challenges assumptions of Morocco. Nicknamed “Little Switzerland,” Ifrane just sort of stands apart using its manicured gardens plus its Alpine-styled homes. Really, this place feels more Swiss than Morocco. We heard all about the background; the French made it in that colonial era, and so it’s now is known to appeal to richer Moroccans using its cooler environment and also European architecture, right. It’s so different! We wandered around; we took some images. It did offer a weird pause on the way and that starkness just showed the mix of cultures as well as history that describes Morocco.

The Cedar Forest and the Barbary Apes

Seemingly, you could say that one spot that I just truly couldn’t stop loving was that Cedar Forest that has the Barbary apes. This area is really an aspect of the Middle Atlas that displays it within the natural greatness that you will find right there. Really, that forest is just really gorgeous, using aged cedar trees filling the place, honestly. The absolute coolest element has to be, for instance, those Barbary apes. As a matter of fact, they are accustomed to humans, and it’s easy to have interaction with them. Though seemingly used to humans, remember you still need to manage that respectfully plus not give food, that protects the monkeys plus you.

Lunch and Berber Hospitality

Typically, that element of real connection occurred in the time of our lunch, when, seemingly, we ended up at a Berber home. To be honest, hospitality is no joke inside Berber communities, arguably. We shared a tagine that the family created; you could tell it was created in the traditional style. Chatting over tea was wonderful, a little bit like your really just sitting at their table also simply discussing their existence, in some respects, so. These simple links simply emphasize which Morocco, to me, feels most unique and personally rich – really linking with individuals in a real means.

Points to maybe consider

• Timing in villages: This might be better, at the end of the day, if there had been more real planned engagements. We did see those sites, yet it sometimes just seemed as if we just drove past. You, like your, can often wind up wanting an actual, in depth connection when learning about unique societies.
• Comfort while you travel: We rode around inside a 4×4 to travel over some quite difficult paths in parts; ensure that the provider that you picked utilizes a vehicle well taken care of plus secure for these kinds of conditions, for instance.
• Think About Asking Questions: Feel encouraged, literally, to talk to the guide regarding those particular cultural nuances; also ask all you want regarding Berber customs; also, that makes it much more memorable at the end of the day.

Making a judgement regarding the Value

Okay, like your, I have gotta just be very fair and simply provide you that good plus that bad concerning that whole Fes day trip. When I think regarding that tour, at the end of the day, you come away having appreciated that landscapes located in the Middle Atlas as well as also gained many glances to Ifrane and Berber customs, literally, very arguably. You have some wonderful image opportunities, basically, to share; that cedar woodland is, I mean, seriously gorgeous, seriously. Should you wanna get free from the intensity inside Fes’s medina, without question, one day tour makes perfect sense.

However, at the end of the day, that tempo might be pretty quick, as a matter of fact, plus it can feel as if the experiences that you had can stay more on the superficial side, if I am being serious. At the end of the day, if your intent is simply surface seeing many places instead of connecting really into some community, possibly that day tour is wonderful. However, if one seeks any much deeper level, one requires that this tour must focus upon lengthier remain times for people in particular destinations.

On balance, that “Fes Berber and Middle Atlas Day Trip” did provide those recollections, as I was saying, yet there exists place to get improvement when taking those excursions, for instance. With somewhat revised tempo controls or possibly more community involvement then perhaps others will rate this extremely extremely high. As is? Very, very much good… Yet still short for amazing, arguably, and for that real real cultural “connection”.