In the middle atlas region of morocco, with a population of 73,782 (Nov 2014) and located at an elevation of 1,665m, Ifrane is one of the most touristic places in morocco; the meaning of Ifrane is “caves”.

The modern city was established by the French administration in 1928.This town is a resort town placed high in the mountains, tourists can find relief and joy there.

Ifrane is a hill station, garden city; it is also imperial city, a mountain resort, a provincial administrative center, and a college town.

Historical town:

The 16th century witnessed the first settlement in this area by “Sidi Abd al-salam when he established his community in Tizguit valley.

Only in the last 50 years or so its inhabitants build their community, start living above that ground, and used the caves in that area for animals or storage.

Modern town:

During the French administration in 1929 the modern town was established, the town was to be a hill station, where colonial families can find relief and spend a nice time during the summer heat, royal places was also built for sultan Mohammed ben Youssef.

Ifrane is considered one of the best and cleanest cities in the world, that is why it is called by some tourists ) Switzerland Morocco( , its special clean parks reflex the beauty of this city.

Moreover, we will talk about them all in this article

ifrane city

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Ifrane design:

The design of Ifrane is similar to the garden city model, which was a fashion between the two world wars, Ifrane has a unique designs, different from Moroccan desert cities, these designs, parks, streets and hospitality makes you feel like you are on other planet, in addition to all that, there are many of things you can do in this great city!!

Ifrane had with its garden design a curvy streets and chalet-houses, and the rest was planted as a garden, large parts of the center of the town had public gardens.

At first, Ifrane had public buildings like post office and a church, hotels and royal palaces, so that Ifrane is considered as an imperial city.

ifrane city

Ifrane Climate:

Because of its location, Ifrane has an oceanic climate where it is effected by the cold north Atlantic current and it changes from cold winter to warm summer, In addition to a severely cold winter nights where the temperature drops below zero

The city also witnesses snowfalls starting as early as October and lasting well into spring season

ifrane winter

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Unique species!

Ifrane has unique flora and fauna most of its species are endangered :

Mammals species can be seen in Ifrane these animals can be found in many parts of the town, you can find there the Barbary macaque the is an endangered monkey species, the golden jackal  which is a canid species lives in the forests around Ifrane, the caracal  is the wildcat species that can be seen a lot in Ifrane.

Many bird species can also be seen in Ifrane:

The atlas coal tit, the crimson winged finch, and the white scavenger vulture

Ifrane flora species includes a lot of planets and trees

The Atlas cedar (Cedrus Atlantica)

The Green Oak (Quercus rotundifolia)

The Portuguese Oak (Quercus faginea)

The Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster ssp. Hamiltoni var. maghrebiana)

The Spanish Juniper (Juniperus thurifera)

Genista quadrifolia

Cistus laurifolius

Artemisia mesatlantica

Barbary macaque
the-golden-jackal
the-caracal
the-caracal--baby
the-coal-tit
the-crimson-winged-finch
the-white-scavenger-vulture
The-Atlas-cedar
The-Maritime-Pine
The-Portuguese-Oak
Cistus-laurifolius

Things To do and visit in Ifrane:

When visiting Ifrane in the cold weather first thing you want to do is to check a bowl of Harira (Moroccan soup), which you will never forget.

Moreover, do not miss the experience of giving monkeys some peanuts gifts when visiting the Monkeys forest, it will be a safari trip, to the forest that surrounding Ifrane, and to give its inhabits monkeys some peanuts and popcorn.

The famous sculpture of the lion, you cannot visit Ifrane without checking this statue, tourists and visitors comes all over the world just for a photo with it, Do you want to know why???

No words can explain this amazing statue, but its design and curves, and how it is a symbol for the city because elders will reply when you ask them about it: “this sculptor was a legionary” makes it a lot different from any other experience.

Also, you might want to give the Al Akhawayn university a visit, this university is much different from any other one in Morocco, education there is based on American education system, while all other universities in Morocco are teaching by the French system.

Ten kilometers from Ifrane, you will find an amazing waterfall called (El Refugio falls).

Visiting this waterfall during rainy season is unforgettable.

The Salle de Conferences is located in the heart of the city of Ifrane and has its own garden. It is an Alpine-style building ocher tiles and various units within that open to the public for government acts as well as for some of the most powerful families in the area, this place is much more worthy than you think to give it a visit and discover everything about it. Even a lot more of what you can do, see or visit in this stunning city.

moroccan-soup-harira
The famous sculpture of the lion
ifrane El Refugio falls
this beautiful, quite, clean city in the Atlas Mountains will give you an experience of your life when you visit it, and its people will change your view of kindness and hospitality.

Share your opinion about this city, in case you have been there before, and tell us what do you think about this amazing city, and are you planning to check it and give it a visit?

Do you really think it deserves the title of “Switzerland morocco”??

Give us your comment, and don’t forget to share the link with your friends.

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