Your Complete Guide To Visiting The Ouzoud Waterfalls In Morocco Responsibly
In the dry heat of the desert, water is the most precious and valuable resource. To a traveller exploring Morocco, a waterfall is rare and refreshing treat. You may have heard of Ouzoud Falls before, as the multi-step beastly collection of flowing water make up one of the tallest falls in North Africa. ‘Ouzoud’ means “the act of grinding grain” in Berber. Emptying into the El-Abid River gorge, they tower 330 feet tall and draw in crowds of locals and tourists alike.
Looking at any pictures of the falls online, one can imagine that you’d have to undertake a strenuous and serious hike to reach these natural beauties. But the reality is quite different. Here’s all that you need to know about visiting the Ouzoud Falls in Morocco.
Visiting Ouzoud Falls: Road Trip Vs Day Trip From Marrakesh
We stopped at Ouzoud Falls after journeying from Marrakesh to Ait-Ben-Haddou and then through the High Atlas Mountains. If you have around 5 days (or more) this makes for a great road trip loop. (Be sure to read our guide to Tizi n’tichka Pass first)
On the other hand, if you’re just doing a day trip from Marrakesh to Ouzoud Falls expect it to take around 3.5 hours one way. In order to escape the tourist time crunch of visiting the falls during a day trip, we recommend renting a car and going at your own leisurely pace. But for those who don’t have the time or simply don’t want to drive, consider booking one of these day trip tours from Marrakech to Ouzoud Falls:
Where To Stay Close To Ouzoud Falls
If you do take our advice and end up staying in the area for a night or more, I could not recommend Camping Auberge Zebra more. We are savvy budget travelers so we were delighted to learn that a camp spot at this beautiful property is only around $10 USD a night. In addition, the property has places to park vans, campers, and RVs as well as a hotel-like rooms to rent. They had delicious plant-based meal options for dinner and the staff went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and cared for. As a bonus, they have a gorgeous pool onsite that you can take a dip in for an additional $2. We visited during the off-season so it was less of a relaxing swimming experience and more of a cold plunge!
The campsite was less than a 30 minute walk to Ouzoud Falls through the main town. To get there, just turn out the front gates and continue downhill until you reach the main plaza. You’ll know that you’re getting close when people start to attempt to direct you, take you on a tour, or ask you to pay for parking. The exact Ouzoud Falls location is 278J+FV8 Ouzoud, Ouzoud waterfalls, شلالات أوزود Cascades, Ouzoud 22576, Morocco.
What To Expect At Ouzoud Falls
What I expected to happen at the falls and what actually happened were two different things. I thought that visiting the Ouzoud Falls would be a peaceful time in nature with space to relax and feel a bit of serenity. As we started to walk down the paved steps to the falls, I knew that we were in for something entirely different.
The Journey To Ouzoud Falls
To reach the falls you must walk down concrete paths and steps through trinket shops, businesses, and restaurants. We got there early in the morning (for Morocco) around 8:30 AM during their off-season, in January, and were one of the first tourists there. The benefit of this was that shop owners were too busy setting up to try and sell us stuff or haggle with us. The whole area surrounding the falls has been capitalized on, and the only way to get a good view of it without hundreds of people milling about is to be the first one there.
The waterfalls are a striking and powerful force, don’t get me wrong. But all of the hustle and bustle around them can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful. Listen to our discussion around this topic (and how cities can protect their natural wonders without overwhelming them) on the Unruly Travel podcast here.
How To Visit Ouzoud Falls Responsibly
Due to the climb up and down to the falls we saw a handful of people taking donkey rides. While this is tempting because the falls are otherwise inaccessible for those who can’t walk, the suffering that the donkeys experience is never worth it. Just like horses and camels, donkeys must be “broken” in order to be ridden. This harsh processes punishes them for carrying out any natural instincts that they give into, like bolting or fight back, in the face of horrific human dominance and abuse.
Unruly Podcast · #57 Healing Trauma, Loving Horses, And Undomesticating Your Life with Ren Hurst
The Monkeys At Ouzoud Falls
In addition, you may see monkeys while visiting the falls. It reminded me of when I saw monkeys in Thailand and how tourists can end up harming them by interacting with them. Keep wild animals wild! No matter how tempted you are to touch them or feed them, keep your distance and respect their home and space.
How To Respect & Protect The Local Environment
Lastly, no matter where you go in the world, live vegan and choose a plant-based diet. When it comes to eating animals, the fact is that “A result of clearing all this land for cattle, sheep, and other farmed animals is that ‘livestock’ production is now the single greatest driver of habitat loss and destruction globally (Science of the Total Environment, 2015). It is also the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, and water pollution. Indeed, scientists now agree that a mass extinction of species is rapidly underway; they are calling it the Sixth Great Mass Extinction of Species on Earth, with up to 200 species going extinct every day. And it’s being caused by us.” Learn why green, responsible, and sustainable travel requires veganism in Sustainable Travel Tips: Go Vegan To Protect The Amazon Rainforest, Oceans, And More.
Ouzoud Falls Tickets & Cost
If anyone tries to tell you that it costs money to see Ouzoud Falls, they’re misleading you. It’s a free attraction and you don’t need a guide to see the falls unless you want to hear about the history, continue past the falls and hike on a guided tour, or are taking a day trip from Marrakesh where it’s included. The only things that you should pay for are parking or souvenirs on the way down, if you so choose. There’s also an optional boat ride that is NOT required to pass to the other side of the falls. If you decide to take it, you’ll get up close and personal with the falls (be prepared to get wet) and will have to pay a small fee.
Hiking At Ouzoud Falls
If you’re in the mood for a hike, walk across the sandbags or rocks to the other side of the falls. There you’ll see a wooden set of stairs that ascend and hug the earth. Following the path will take you into a maze of hostels, restaurants, and other businesses that lay beyond the falls. Some of the hostel spaces were quite lush and looked like peaceful places to camp, so if that appeals to you it’s worth looking into on HostelWorld.
We tried to look up more information about the hiking trails on the internet before visiting Ouzoud Falls, but it was a failed mission. Once you’re back there you’ll see why. We had to turn around a few times and pass through multiple properties and businesses before making it to the main hiking trail that takes you out and into the mountains. Be prepared for locals to ask you to pay when you pass through (or even just by) their property. There are some stunning swimming holes along the way, but again, be prepared to pay unless you’re there early enough and no one is out.
Once you make it out of the more populated area you’ll find a main dirt trail that is free of businesses and large tourist crowds. We followed it for about a mile before turning around. It’s essential to bring water and sun protection on the hike, and allow yourself to take pauses and admire the beautiful emerald green pools of water below. The hike ascended and descended in a few places and was occasionally marked by paint on the rocks, but overall it wasn’t strenuous. We passed a few local families with young kids and packed lunches stopping by the swimming holes to take a dip and cool off.
