Poplar shores
Trees at the water's edge.
Imane-zergout — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Medakif — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Moumouti — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GuHKS — CC BY-SA 3.0 · AnassTalai — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ngadi rachid — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AnassTalai — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brahim FARAJI — CC BY-SA 4.0
A mountain lake in the Middle Atlas at about 1,460 metres, some fifteen kilometres north of Ifrane on the road to Fes. It is ringed by wet meadows and forests of holm oak and cedar, with a belt of poplars and willows along its shores, and its surface, around 140 hectares, changes with the seasons. It used to be one of the region's favourite outings, with people coming to picnic, walk around it and watch water birds such as coots and herons. It is one of the few mountain wetlands that combine shallow water, meadows, marsh and forest in one place. Its level depends on the rain, though: it dried up completely in 2018 after years of drought, and an agreement to restore it ecologically was signed in 2023. You may find it full after a wet winter, or shrunken in dry years. The visit is free, and it is usually combined with Ifrane and the Cèdre Gouraud forest in a single day from Fes or Meknes. Check the lake's state before you go; it is at its best in spring after the rains, when the meadows turn green.
Trees at the water's edge.
Coots and herons.
Around the lake.
About fifteen kilometres north of Ifrane, on the road to Fes
No, its level depends on the rain, and it dried up completely in 2018, so check its state before visiting; the best chance of seeing it full is in spring after a wet winter.