Everything you need to know before planning your day trip to Ouzoud Falls from Marrakesh
Ouzoud waterfalls is an extremely popular day trip from Marrakesh and is an excellent way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. In most Riads, the staff will be able to organise you a trip out to the falls, as well as plenty of tour operators offering the service throughout the medina. We actually booked our trip online (Which is something we normally try to avoid) and it ended up being the cheapest, and the most hassle free way to do so.
Our bus picked us up from Jeema El-Fna around 08:30am but the journey to Ouzoud falls is extremely long. The two and half hour journey that was advertised was nowhere to be seen. After around 30 minutes circling around Marrakesh, it was a further 3 hours before we finally arrived at Ouzoud falls. There was pit stop around an hour from the falls, to allow for a toilet break and give everyone the chance to purchase some snacks. The views along the way are absolutely breathtaking, and it is an excellent way to see a little more of what Morocco has to offer.
The trip we had booked was literally just for the transportation. There were around 14 of us on the minibus and everyone had only paid for the transportation the same as us. We were under the impression that a tour guide was optional for this hike, however we were greeted by a friendly Moroccan who acted as our guide from the offset. I’m sure at this point we could have refused and continued on the hike on our own, however I really enjoyed chatting with him – and he was charging 30MAD per person for his services for the day which in my opinion, was well worth it. Our guide offered lots of information about the surrounding areas and was bursting with historic facts.
The hike down to the bottom of the waterfall is not strenuous. It took a couple of hours but offered fantastic views and our tour guide filled us with information about the surrounding areas and local traditions. The area is filled with amazing nature and we had two friendly wild dogs accompany us on the hike down to the bottom of the falls. I wore trainers but there were people wearing everything from hiking boots to flip flops. I personally wouldn’t have been comfortable in flip flops, but anything with a decent grip will be enough for the walk.
My personal highlight of the day happened once we arrived at the bottom of the falls – you have the option to take a raft onto the water (20 MAD). Each raft seats around 8 people, all carefully balanced to ensure the raft stays afloat. The men working the rafts were up for a laugh and take you very close to the base of the falls – prepare to get soaked! The others who were on our raft had come much more prepared and stripped down to their bikinis and jumped straight in. I would seriously recommend this, it looked so much fun! Be sure to take a waterproof bag as well to keep all of your valuables safe as once under the falls, everything will be drenched.
Next it was time for lunch, and as per usual on a day trip like this – the food was below average in quality and above average in price. We were all shuffled into one of the restaurants and seated before we could say anything. In hindsight we should have either chosen another restaurant ourselves, and met back up with the group later; or taken our own food to eat along the way. There was no menu (which was fine) but the portions were small and it all felt a little chaotic.
After lunch it was time to start making our way back up to the top of the waterfall – walking up the opposite side. The sights on the way back up were equally as beautiful as the way down, made even better by the conversation and jokes with our guide. There were plenty of stalls on the way up selling lots of trinkets but there was no pressure to buy. Walking back this route gives you the opportunity to see the berber monkeys, with the option to feed them peanuts and have some photos taken with them.
Ouzoud Falls is a great trip from Marrakesh, and was one of our favourite days in Morocco. Although the journey there is long, it is well worth it- giving you an insight into another area of the country. After a few days in the chaos of Marrakesh, a break into the mountains will be just what the doctor ordered. Here is a full four day itinerary for your trip to Marrakesh, including everything else to see on your visit to Morocco.
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