Morocco
Azrou
Barbary macaques in ancient cedar forests where the air smells of resin and damp earth.
The cedar forest closes around you like a cathedral — massive trunks rising thirty metres, their canopy filtering the light into green shafts where Barbary macaques sit in family groups, grooming each other on branches thick enough to walk on. The air smells of resin and damp earth. Undergrowth barely exists; the forest floor is a carpet of needles and shadow. The Cèdre Gouraud, an 800-year-old specimen, stands at the heart of the forest like a monument to patience.
Azrou is a Middle Atlas town at 1,250 metres, situated at the edge of one of Morocco's most significant cedar forests. The Cèdre Gouraud forest contains Atlas cedar trees over 800 years old and supports a resident population of Barbary macaques — one of the world's few remaining wild populations of this species. The town itself is a Berber market centre with a Tuesday souk that draws farmers from surrounding villages. In winter, snow covers the surrounding plateau, and the nearby ski station of Michlifen offers basic runs. The road from Azrou south over the Middle Atlas passes through some of Morocco's most dramatic highland landscapes.
Family
Children are fascinated by the macaques, and the forest trails are gentle enough for young walkers. The cedar trees themselves are large enough to inspire genuine awe.
Solo
The forest offers walking that is meditative rather than strenuous — ancient trees, quiet trails, and the chance to sit with macaques in a silence broken only by birdsong and wind.
- The Cèdre Gouraud cedar forest contains trees over 800 years old — some of the oldest in Africa.
- Barbary macaques are habituated to visitors and can be observed at close range.
- The Tuesday Berber souk is one of the largest in the Middle Atlas.
- The surrounding forest is dense enough to feel temperate European — a world away from the desert.
Berber market stalls selling dried figs, walnuts, and wild honey on Tuesday souks.
Grilled lamb brochettes at roadside stalls on the cedar forest road.
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