Morocco Day Trip: Ouzoud Falls

For my next day trip, I ventured to the stunning Ouzoud Falls, located about 2.5 hours outside of Marrakech. Somehow, I hadn’t come across this place in all of my research but my friend, who is French/Moroccan, told me about it before I came. As soon as I googled it and images of the sprawling waterfall came onto the screen I knew it was an oasis that I had to see in person.

Booking with the same agency as Essaouira (will add their exact details later), we left at 8 AM to head to the site. Now, I was probably not thinking thoroughly and being super naive but what I did not realize was the long hike down a large mountain that we would have to descend to make it to the falls. Duh! Silly me, I thought we would just pull up in the van and hop out and voila! the waterfalls would be in front of us lol. Luckily, I had at least worn flats but I was somewhat longing for my sneakers throughout the descent…though by the end of the trip I was glad that I did not wear my new Air Max 1’s just to dirty them up amongst the sand and rocks (hey, what can I say, I JUST bought them).

We hopped over small lakes, crossed tiny bridges over streams of water, walked up and down tons of stairs but eventually we made it and the hike was more than worth it. ‘WOW,’ a few of us said aloud under our breath when the waterfall was finally in full view after 45 minutes hiking. Stopping for a few pictures, we admired the view and continued on closer. When we made it to the waterfall itself, I took one of the small river boats (made that name up) where a guide paddled us all around Ouzoud Falls for up-close views. It was simply amazing. Words cannot really describe the majestic beauty of Ouzoud, but hopefully pictures can.

Next, we walked up dozens (and I do mean dozens) of stairs to have lunch at a Berber restaurant where I had savory, hand-cut fries, chicken kebab skewers and a Moroccan salad (I was too hungry and forgot to take a pic lol). This was by far the best view I have ever had while eating lunch. While everyone else on the tour sought refuge at shaded tables, I perched in a central location, directly under the sun and right in front of the waterfall giving thanks to God for this amazing experience. After lunch, we walked back toward the bus but had one last stop along the way-this time to play with monkeys! Lol. I’ve never played with or touched a real life monkey but on this day, there was quite literally a monkey on my back. They were so cute as they met us to take peanuts out of our hands and munch on them with their adorable little faces =). I keep saying this, but so far Ouzoud is yet another favorite here in Morocco. It is an awe-inspiring, natural wonder.