3 Valleys Tour from Marrakech: Ourika, Asni and the Atlas

This is a private trip, so the departure time is yours. Most travellers leave Marrakech around 8:00 in the morning, which gives an unhurried day in the valleys, but you can set an earlier or later start when you book. Your driver-guide collects you at your riad or hotel and brings you back in the late afternoon or early evening, after about nine hours out.

The Ourika Valley, green and narrow, with the river beside the road. Sidi Ali Ofarss, the high one, reached by a mountain road climbing to around 1,800 metres. And the Asni basin, wide and planted with apple, cherry and walnut orchards. The return crosses the Kik Plateau and stops at Lake Takerkoust, so you see five landscapes in a day rather than three.

Yes. A home-cooked Moroccan meal, usually tagine or couscous, with bread from the family oven and mint tea, eaten at a Berber family table rather than in a restaurant set up for tour groups. It is included in the price. Vegetarian and other diets are available on request, so please tell us when you book.

Monument and site entrance fees, drinks other than the mint tea served with lunch, anything you buy at the argan cooperative, the optional camel ride, tips and travel insurance. The full list is in the What’s Included & What’s Not section on this page. Fuel, tolls, the vehicle, the driver-guide and lunch are all covered.

The price is per person and falls as the group grows, because the vehicle and the driver-guide are shared across your own party. It runs from 180 EUR for a single traveller down to 40 EUR per person for a group of 14 to 17. The full grid, from 1 to 17 travellers, is in the price table on this page. Nobody outside your party joins the vehicle.

Not as part of the planned route. The waterfalls sit above the village of Setti Fatma, at the top of the Ourika Valley, and reaching the first one means a rocky scramble of around thirty to forty minutes each way. Because this trip is private, you can ask your driver-guide to include it and trade the time against another stop. Tell him in the morning rather than on arrival, so the day can be rearranged properly.

No. Short camel rides are available near the foothills and are paid on the spot if you want one, which is why the ride sits in the excluded list. It is not part of the route and skipping it changes nothing about the rest of the day.

Short valley walks on tracks and paths, at the pace you set. There is no climbing and no technical ground on the planned route, so it suits most ages and most fitness levels. Wear proper shoes: the ground is uneven and often loose. If you want a longer walk, say so and your driver-guide will find one.

The three valleys trip covers the most ground and gives you variety: a river valley, a high pass, an orchard basin, a plateau and a lake. Our Ourika Valley day trip stays in one valley and leaves time for the waterfall climb. Our Imlil day trip goes to the Toubkal trailhead and suits walkers. Pick this one if you want to see how different the valleys are from each other.

A private air-conditioned vehicle, sized to your party: a car or 4×4 for a small group, a minivan or minibus for larger ones, up to 17 travellers. It is yours for the day, with your own driver-guide, and no other passengers are added.

Spring is the strongest season: wildflowers on the Kik Plateau and blossom in the Asni orchards. Autumn is clear and comfortable. Summer is hot on the plain but noticeably cooler at 1,800 metres, which is part of the appeal. Winter brings snow to the peaks and a cold wind at the high stops, so bring a warm layer whatever the month says.

Yes. The trip is private, so the route is a starting point rather than a timetable. You can spend longer at a viewpoint, add the Setti Fatma walk, skip the cooperative, or stop for tea wherever you like. Tell your driver-guide in the morning so the day is rearranged rather than rushed.