ATM Tour – Fes to Meknes via Ifrane – Day 8 – 18 January 2026

Ayman was the gem in Fes. He had been so helpful, friendly and hospitable that I felt that visitors chose the Riad Dar Mansoura from reviews of the host's nature. He suggested places to see, food to savour and what to avoid. As usual, he placed before me a huge breakfast consisting of Malawi olive - a kind of Moroccan pizza - Moroccan Pancake, an omelette, bread, apricot jam, butter, two types of olives, orange juice and coffee. I was not in a hurry this morning as the distance to be covered to Meknes via Ifrane was under 150 km. Therefore, I took my time to polish off all that was placed before me.

It was quite cold when I left Fes closer to 9 am from the parking lot. Mercifully, the weather was decent. Nearly 70 km from Fes lay the pretty town of Ifrane, in Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains. Known for its alpine-style architecture and nearby ski slopes and forests, it is also nicknamed "Switzerland of Morocco" because of its severe cold and snow in autumn and winter and mild weather in spring and summer. It was established as a hill station during the French colonial rule in 1928 for the Europeans to escape the summer heat of Morocco.

Being a holiday, the town was overcrowded with visitors and finding a parking spot was difficult. The town was fully snowed under. I had to be extra careful to avoid slipping on thin ice. A stone statue of a lion near the Parc la Prairie is a well-known landmark in the town. Visitors queued up to take selfies and photos with it in the background. The valleys and lakes of Ifrane were frozen over. The petite train of the town was parked too. The coronation square had knee deep snow. It was freezing cold and the roads had become slushy from the melting snow. A couple of skidding accidents on the way to Ifrane indicated how tricky the roads are.

After nearly an hour, with hands and feet getting number by the minute, I left for Meknes, about 60 km away. Almost immediately as I started the descent from the pretty hill station it started raining. The rain continued till I reached Meknes about 90 minutes later.

The contact from Riad Royal, where I was booked for the night halt in Meknes, had sent me precise directions to park just outside the Medina entrance. The Riad, one of the best accommodations I stayed in in Morocco was brilliantly done up - it was like staying with royalty in a museum.

I could do very little sightseeing in the evening because of the rain and biting cold. I walked past the Bab Mansoura gate, through the medina market and across the el-Hedim Square. The Bab Mansoura Gate is a monumental gate facing the main square of the city, the el-Hedim Square, in the old city. Completed in 1732, the purpose of the gate was more ceremonial than strategic. It was meant to impress visitors to the Kasbah. It continues to wow visitors as it is one of the most famous and admired landmarks in the city.

The large square across the ceremonial gate is the el-Hedim square built in the late 17th century. It is an open-air market place, very similar to the Jemma el-F'naa  in Marakkech, near the Koutoubia Mosque. With rain coming down steadily the square was deserted.

I walked through the covered medina market, much smaller in size as compared to the ones I had been in the past few days. The various types of olives on display, vegetables in brine, dry fruits and fresh fruits awed me. I bought dates, walnuts and figs to carry back home. The quality and price were good. It had become very chilly as I was returning to the Riad.

I walked into a cafe for a cup of Cafe au Lait. The massive TV screens in the rather small cafe were turned on at full volume with pre-match reviews of the African Cup football finals match between Morocco and Senegal. The seats were so arranged to give the feel of being in a theatre.

Later in the evening, I went to a traditional Moroccan restaurant and had a magnificent feast of Chicken Tajine and a glass of pulpy orange juice. As I left the restaurant, I noticed that the atmosphere was getting built up everywhere for the African Cup football finals between the host nation, Morocco, and Senegal, to be played later that evening.