"Berber Azrou" a Azrou Travel Page by johnsakura

Azrou is a very friendly Berber town situated 80 kilometer south of Fez. It’s a wonderful place to stop and relax when you can’t take anymore souks and hustlers. The town lies between steep wooded hills and a volcanic outcrop, at an altitude of 1200 meters. Thus, the town’s name comes from the Berber word, Azrou or"rock". Azrou has a tradition of weaving as it was an old market town of a nomadic people. Newly woven rugs and blankets can be found at the Tuesday souk or the Ensemble Artisanal. The town is famous for its green tiled roofs.

The region is exceptionally beautiful. The cedar forests, with its monkeys, is a great place to wander about. The cedar forests stretch south of Azrou for approximately 15 km, until you reach the volcanic cone called Jbel Hebri.. Nearby you can visit Le belvedere d'Ito at 15 km with great views over the mountains. The best time to go is in the morning. Bekrit is a small village about 49 km from Azrou. Close to the village lies the lake of Sidi Ali, a lovely body of water filled with fish. Other excursions include le Lac Afenouir, 21 km of bad roads in the direction of Midelt, and Mrirt, 32 km in the direction of Khenifra with a good market on Thursday.

The springs of the Oum R'biaa make for a great daytrip. At about 2 hours drive from Azrou, the springs are a fantastic place to relax. Eat lunch in one of the many straw huts at the base of a waterfall. This is a very unique and beautiful excursion worth the drive. Do be careful of the small children during the drive down, who play chicken with cars by running out into the road.