Ouzoud Waterfalls Guide: Visiting from Marrakech

• 110 m high, in three tiers, in Azilal Province
• About 3 hours by road from Marrakech
• Free entry, about 20 minutes' walk down to the foot of the falls
• Wild Barbary macaques: watch them, do not feed them
• Spring usually brings the strongest flow

The Ouzoud Waterfalls (Cascades d'Ouzoud) are a 110 m waterfall in three tiers in Azilal Province, in the central High Atlas, about 150 to 160 km and roughly 3 hours by road from Marrakech. Entry is free. A paved path takes you down to the foot of the falls in about 20 minutes, you can cross by boat close to the spray, and a troop of wild Barbary macaques lives on the site. Most visitors come on a full day trip from Marrakech and spend 3 to 4 hours there.

Key facts at a glance

Where the falls are

The falls lie in the commune of Aït Taguella, near the village of Ouzoud, in the province of Azilal. The water comes from the Oued Ouzoud, also called the Oued Tissakht, which is fed by a karst spring a few kilometres upstream. It pours over cliffs of Jurassic limestone into the gorge of the Oued El Abid, the river that further east fills the Bin El Ouidane reservoir.

The site is one of the geosites of the M'Goun UNESCO Global Geopark, designated in 2015. That is a geopark status, recognising the geology of the region, and not a World Heritage listing. Ouzoud is also classified in Morocco as a Site of Biological and Ecological Interest (SIBE).

How to get there from Marrakech

There are four realistic ways to reach Ouzoud from Marrakech.

With a private driver. A vehicle and driver for your group only, picked up at your hotel or near your riad, with free time at the falls and the return in the afternoon. This is what our private transport to Ouzoud offers. The driver knows the road and waits for you, but he is a driver, not a guide.

On a private tour. The same private vehicle, plus a local guide who walks with you at the falls. This is our private Ouzoud tour, and the premium private day adds the boat ride and lunch by the falls, all organised in advance.

By bus and grand taxi. It is possible to take a bus from Marrakech to Azilal and then a shared grand taxi for the last stretch to Ouzoud (Azilal is about 36 to 38 km away by road). Departures change and are not always frequent, so check times locally, leave early and keep a margin for the return. It is the cheapest option but also the slowest and the least predictable.

Self-drive. Leave Marrakech on the N8 towards Fès, then turn east onto regional roads around Tamelelt and continue through the Tanant area before heading north to Ouzoud. On OpenStreetMap these roads currently show as the R201 and the R304, but road numbers may differ on other maps and on some signs, where you may still see older numbers. The last part is a winding country road: drive in daylight and allow about 3 hours each way.

How long to plan

From Marrakech, Ouzoud is a full day. A typical private day looks like this (exact times are confirmed after booking):

• Pickup in Marrakech around 8:00.
• About 3 hours' drive, with a short stop on the way.
• Around 3 to 4 hours at the falls: the walk down, the boat, lunch, the other bank.
• Back in Marrakech in the early evening.

Less than 3 hours on site feels rushed, mainly because of the climb back up. If you want to add a detour such as Bin El Ouidane, count on a longer day.

The walk down to the falls

From the top of the falls, a paved path lined with small stalls and terrace cafés goes down to the foot of the falls in about 20 minutes. On the way you get several viewpoints over the three tiers, with the water dropping through green vegetation and, on sunny mornings, the occasional rainbow in the spray.

There are paths on both banks. A full loop, down one side, across the river and up the other, is roughly 3.5 km and takes about an hour of walking without stops. The paths have steps, slopes and some uneven sections, and they can be wet and slippery close to the spray. Going down is easy; the return climb is steady and takes longer than the descent, especially in the midday heat. Take it slowly, stop for a drink on a terrace, and wear shoes with good grip. Pushchairs are hard to use on these paths.

The boat ride

At the foot of the falls, local boatmen run small boats and rafts that take you across the pool and close to the falling water. It is short, a little wet and a good way to feel the size of the falls. The price is set on the spot by the boatmen; at the time of writing it is around 20 MAD per person, but it can vary. Whether the boats run, and how close they go, depends on the water level and conditions on the day. Our boat ride and lunch page explains how we include it in our trips.

The Barbary macaques

A free-living troop of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) lives around the falls. The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List; since 2016 it has also been on Appendix I of CITES, the highest level of protection in international trade. The monkeys at Ouzoud are used to people, which is why you will often see them close to the paths and terraces.

That closeness comes at a cost. A peer-reviewed study by El Alami and Chait (2016) followed the Ouzoud macaques, which are regularly fed by visitors. The group grew from about 25 to 40 animals between 2003 and 2007, aggression increased, and the group then split in two; the researchers link these changes to the food handed out by tourists. In the forests around Ifrane, further north, a study published in PLOS ONE (Maréchal and colleagues, 2016) found that macaques fed by tourists showed higher stress levels and poorer health.

We have not found an official rule against feeding them at Ouzoud, but the science is clear enough for us to ask every guest the same thing:

• Do not feed the macaques, even with fruit or nuts.
• Keep a few metres away and never try to touch or hold one.
• Keep food and drinks out of sight in a closed bag.
• Do not stare, crowd them or block their way, and keep children close.
• Take photos from a distance and let them come and go on their own.

Mills and olive groves

The valley around the falls is planted with olive trees, and small traditional mills sit along the water channels at the top of the falls, some of them still working. The name Ouzoud is traditionally said to mean "the act of grinding grain" in Tamazight, which fits the mills, although the origin is not firmly documented. A local guide can show you the mills and explain how the water is shared between the channels, the fields and the falls.

Seasons and weather

Water flows at Ouzoud all year, because the river is fed by a spring. The volume changes with the seasons, though there is no published flow data, so take this as what visitors and local guides report:

• Spring: usually the strongest flow and the greenest valley. A good time for photos and walking.
• Summer: hot and busy, especially at weekends, and the swimming season. The flow is often lower in late summer, partly because water is taken for irrigation.
• Autumn: quieter paths and milder days.
• Winter: cooler and calm, with fewer visitors. Mornings can be chilly, so bring a warm layer.

After heavy rain the falls can turn red-brown as the river carries earth from the hills. It is a striking sight, but paths are muddier and swimming is not a good idea. If a storm or a closed road makes the trip unsafe, we offer a new date or a full refund of the deposit, as set out in our booking terms.

What to wear and bring

Food and terraces

Terrace restaurants line the paths on both banks, many with a view of the falls. They mostly serve Berber and Moroccan cooking, tajines first of all, with salads and mint tea. Prices are set by each restaurant, so it is worth asking before you order. If you prefer lunch planned in advance, it is included in our premium private day and can be added to the other trips.

Swimming

People do swim at Ouzoud, mostly in summer, in the pools at the foot of the falls and downstream. There is no official swimming area that we know of, so you swim at your own risk. Check the depth before jumping, stay clear of the strong water directly under the falls, keep children within reach and do not swim after heavy rain. Respect local customs when changing and walking around in swimwear away from the water.

Private tour, transport only or going alone

There is no wrong choice. If you want someone to explain the falls, the mills and the macaques, the private tour makes sense. If you like exploring alone and only need a reliable ride, private transport is enough. Our prices page explains how the price per vehicle is built.

Nearby: longer detours

The region around Ouzoud has other geosites of the M'Goun Geopark. Each one adds driving time, so we offer them only as longer detours on request:

• Bin El Ouidane: a large reservoir behind a dam built in 1953 on the Oued El Abid, set between the mountains.
• Imi n'Ifri: a natural limestone arch carved by the Tissilt river, near the town of Demnate.
• Iouaridène dinosaur tracks: footprints left by sauropods and theropods in the Upper Jurassic.

Tell us in your request what you would like to combine, and we will tell you whether it fits in one day.

Sources

• Ouzoud Falls, Wikipedia (English)
• Cascades d'Ouzoud, Wikipédia (French)
• Ouzoud Falls, Wikidata Q38212
• M'Goun UNESCO Global Geopark, geosites
• M'Goun UNESCO Global Geopark, UNESCO
• Cascades d'Ouzoud, Lonely Planet
• El Alami and Chait (2016), Barbary macaques at Ouzoud, Revue de primatologie
• Maréchal et al. (2016), tourist feeding and macaque health, PLOS ONE