Stone lion
The must-have photo.
Yair Haklai — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marokistorique — CC0 · Houssam Atlas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anass Sedrati — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ben Bender — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Safae Boulmane — CC0 · Marokistorique — CC0 · Nouhaila bjaghou — CC BY-SA 4.0
A large lion carved from a rock in a green garden at the heart of Ifrane, the town's emblem and the spot where every visitor stops for a photo. It recalls the Atlas lion, which roamed the forests of these mountains before vanishing from the wild in the twentieth century. Accounts differ about who carved it; the story most often told by residents credits a prisoner held in the town in its early years, around 1930. Ifrane itself is a modern town, founded by the French protectorate authorities in 1929 as a mountain summer resort more than 1,650 metres up, with steep tiled roofs in a European style, which is why locals call it «Little Switzerland». Tree-shaded paths surround the statue, and the town has gardens, quiet streets and Al Akhawayn University. In winter snow blankets the town and the surrounding mountains, drawing visitors from across Morocco to play in it, while in summer people come to escape the heat of the cities, as the air stays mild. The visit is free, and it gets busy at weekends, during school holidays and whenever snow falls. It combines easily with the Cèdre Gouraud forest and Lake Dayet Aoua in a single day, or as a stop in Ifrane on the road from Fes to the south.
The must-have photo.
Tiled roofs and gardens.
Blankets the town.
Garden in central Ifrane, Middle Atlas
Usually between November and March, though amounts vary from year to year, and some mountain roads may close briefly after storms, so check conditions before you travel.