The name Azrou means rock in the Berber language, and the town takes it from a large outcrop that rises above the centre. It lies at about 1,250 metres in the Middle Atlas, a market town where the roads from Fez, Meknes and Midelt converge, and it has an easy-going character, with a bustling souk, craft shops, and a scatter of cafés on the main street. The people are mostly Amazigh, and Azrou is the place in the region where you hear the language spoken everywhere.
Crafts are the pride of the town. The cooperative workshops sell carpets with bold geometric patterns, carved cedar wood, and pottery, and watching the woodcarvers at their work is a pleasure, since cedar from the surrounding forests is the main raw material. Prices are negotiable, but be fair, and decide what you want before you start. The Saturday market draws farmers from the surrounding valleys, and the livestock section is worth a wander.
For riders, the real treat is the cedar forest just south of town, where the road climbs into a world of huge, ancient trees draped in lichen. A famous old tree known as the Cèdre Gouraud, named for a French general, stands there, and the Barbary macaques that gather beneath are used to visitors. Further on, small lakes and volcanic craters appear among the trees, and the road rolls over a high plateau with views of snow-capped peaks in winter. Traffic is light, though lorries and slow vehicles are part of life, and fog and ice can make winter riding tricky.
A short ride away, the village of Aïn Leuh has waterfalls that tumble over a series of steps through a gorge, a fine place for a break in spring when the water is high. Azrou itself has fuel stations, a handful of mechanics, and plenty of simple restaurants serving grilled meat, harira soup and couscous on Fridays, the traditional day for it. The climate is cool, with rain and snow in winter, so bring waterproofs, and use Ifrane, a short ride to the north, as an alternative base if you prefer a quieter town.