Morocco Destination Guide
Ouzoud Waterfalls
The Highest Falls in MoroccoWhere the Atlas
Turns Green
Ouzoud Waterfalls is the highest waterfall in Morocco and in North Africa: around 110 metres, falling in three tiers into a red gorge lined with olive trees. The name comes from the Amazigh word for olive, and the old stone mills at the top of the falls still grind them.
It is the greenest place most Morocco itineraries reach, and after the drive up from Marrakech through dry plains the contrast is really startling. Wild Barbary macaques live in the olive groves along the descent, and small boats take visitors right under the spray at the bottom.
Most people come as a day trip from Marrakech, which works but means arriving at the busiest hours. Staying a night at the top turns it into something considerably better.
Ouzoud Waterfalls Quick Facts
What to See
and Do
A half day at the falls covers everything. Five things worth building it around.
The Boat Under the Falls
Small painted boats take you across the pool to within a few metres of the base. You will get wet and it is the best thing here.
The Macaques on the Descent
Wild and habituated, living in the olive groves along the path. Watch them from a distance and keep food out of sight.
The Olive Mills
Stone mills at the top of the falls, water driven and still working in the autumn olive season. Ouzoud Waterfalls means olive in Amazigh.
The Rainbow Hour
Late morning, when the sun reaches into the gorge, a rainbow sits permanently in the spray at the base of the main fall.
The Gorge Walk to El Abid
A quieter two hour walk downstream into the Oued el Abid canyon, past Berber villages and almost no other visitors.
Tagine on the Terraces
Simple restaurants built into the rock beside the pool, cooking over charcoal with the noise of the falls behind you.
How to Visit
The Ouzoud Waterfalls Properly
Ouzoud Waterfalls is busy between eleven and three. Four ways to avoid the worst of it.
Stay the Night at the Top
A handful of simple guesthouses sit above the falls. Staying gives you the site at dawn and at dusk, entirely without day trippers.
Descend First, Photograph Later
Go straight down on arrival while the path is quiet, then work back up through the viewpoints as the light improves.
Combine With Bin el Ouidane
An hour further on, a turquoise reservoir in the mountains with lakeside lodges. Together they make an excellent two day loop.
Eat at the Bottom, Not the Top
The restaurants on the terraces beside the pool are cheaper, better and considerably more pleasant than the ones at the car park.
When to Visit the Ouzoud Waterfalls
Ouzoud
The falls change dramatically with the season, and so does the crowd.
March to June. Snowmelt gives the strongest flow, the gorge is green and temperatures are perfect for the descent.
July and August. Hot at the top but truly cool in the gorge, and popular with Moroccan families. Go early.
September to November. Lower flow but far fewer people, and the olive harvest brings the mills back to life.
December to February. Cold, sometimes wet, and almost empty. The falls still run and the light in the gorge is beautiful.
Journeys That
Include the Ouzoud Waterfalls
Ouzoud Waterfalls works as a day from Marrakech or as a green break between the city and the Atlas.
9 DaysSustainable Morocco
Family owned guesthouses, Amazigh guides and two days walking between High Atlas villages.
View Journey
8 DaysSignature Luxury Morocco
Five star riads in Marrakech, a private 4×4 over the Atlas and two nights in a luxury camp in the dunes of Erg Chebbi.
View Journey
12 DaysUltra Luxury Morocco
Palace hotels in Marrakech and Fes, a private kasbah in Skoura and the most exclusive camp in the Sahara.
View JourneyThey Travelled With Us
During a week long trek in the Valley of the Roses, Mohamed made this trip very pleasant thanks to his good humor and his contagious joie de vivre. A big thank you to all his team.
Super Trek away from the roads that took us through authentic Berber villages with sublime scenery, great organization and tasty, excellent and abundant traditional local cuisine. Many thanks to Mohamed and all his team.
We did a 6 day Trek to Toubkal with Mohamed. That was really great. Mohamed is an excellent guide and he bent over backwards so that everything went well for the whole group of 16 people. I highly recommend.
Add a Day
of Green to Your Trip
We can build Ouzoud Waterfalls into a Marrakech stay as a private day trip, or as an overnight on the way to the Ait Bouguemez valley.