Ouzoud is the highest waterfall in North Africa and the day there is built around one thing: getting to the bottom and back up. The water drops about 110 metres in three stages into a pool you can reach on foot, and there are resident Barbary macaques in the olive trees on the way down.
It is three hours north east of Marrakech, which makes it a full day rather than a half one.
Things to do at Ouzoud
| Walk down to the pool | Thirty to forty minutes of steps and path through olive groves. The main event |
| The Barbary macaques | Wild, habituated, and along the descent path. Do not feed them, whatever anyone offers to sell you |
| Boat to the base of the falls | Small blue boats, ten minutes, and you get wet. Worth it for the view looking up |
| Swim in the pool | Cold all year. Summer only, unless you are hardy |
| The old olive mills | Stone mills still turning above the falls, grinding olives the way they always have |
| Lunch above the drop | Terraces on the clifftop, with the falls in front of you and the spray reaching the tables |
| The rainbow, late morning | Permanent in the spray when the sun is at the right angle, roughly 11am to 1pm |
| Tanaghmelt village | The Berber village downstream, twenty minutes along the river. Almost nobody walks to it |
| The gorge walk | Downstream from the pool, flat and shaded, and it leaves the crowd behind within five minutes |
The descent, and how hard it is
The path down is steps and stone, shaded by olive trees, and takes thirty to forty minutes at a normal pace. Coming back up takes longer and is where people struggle, particularly in July and August.
It is manageable for most people and for children, but it is not flat and it is not a handrail the whole way. If climbing back up is a problem, the view from the top terraces is genuinely good on its own.
The monkeys
The Barbary macaques are wild and live in the olive groves along the path. They are used to people and come close, and vendors will offer you nuts to feed them.
Do not. Feeding changes their behaviour, makes them aggressive with the next visitors, and the species is endangered. Watching them at two metres is better than being climbed on anyway.
When to go
The flow is strongest from March to June, after the winter rain and the snowmelt off the Atlas. By late summer it thins noticeably, though it never stops. Autumn brings it back.
Arrive early: coaches from Marrakech land around eleven and the path becomes a queue. A private trip that leaves at eight gets you the pool almost to yourself. More on the seasons and what the name means.
Ouzoud or Setti Fatma
Setti Fatma, in the Ourika valley, is closer to Marrakech and much smaller: a series of cascades reached by scrambling up a riverbed. It suits a half day and rewards a bit of effort.
Ouzoud is bigger, further and organised, with a proper path. If you want one waterfall day, take Ouzoud. If you want a mountain valley with water in it, take Ourika.
How long you need
A full day: three hours of road each way, four or five hours on site. A private day trip lets you leave early and beat the coaches; the shared version runs to a fixed schedule for about half.
Practical notes
Shoes with grip: the stone is wet near the bottom and worn smooth in places. Cash for the boat and lunch. Something dry if you take the boat, because you will be sprayed. And leave the drone at home, it is not welcome over the pool.
The other six kinds of day are on things to do in Morocco.
