Photographing the Ouzoud Waterfalls: light, rainbow times, viewpoints and settings

• Our own calculation: sun, golden hour and rainbow window for each month
• Morning: falls in shade; afternoon: falls in sunlight
• November to January: rainbow possible from about 13:00, during a day trip
• March to September: rainbow from late afternoon to sunset
• Winter rainbows from the village-side rim, summer ones from the north side
• Drones: permission required in Morocco, best left at home

The Ouzoud Waterfalls are an afternoon subject. The river drops 110 m towards the west, so in the morning the sun rises behind the falls and the face of the water sits in shade, while in the afternoon the sun comes round and lights it. The rainbow follows the seasons: from November to January it can appear in the spray from early afternoon, during a normal day trip from Marrakech; from March to September it only forms in the late afternoon and evening, when most day visitors have already left.

We wrote this page because "go early for the light" is common travel advice, and at Ouzoud it does not hold for the falls. To check, we calculated the light at the falls ourselves for every month of the year. Below you will find the results, the method in plain words, and practical advice on viewpoints, seasons, settings, crowds and photographing people and macaques with respect. For where each viewpoint and path is, see our map of the Ouzoud Waterfalls, linked further down.

When is the rainbow at Ouzoud, month by month?

Here is our calculation for the 15th of each month. The chart shows daylight in pale yellow, the evening golden hour in amber, the window when a rainbow can form in rainbow colours, and the shaded band of a typical day-trip visit, from about 11:00 to 15:00.

The pattern is clear. In winter, the sun stays low all day, so the rainbow window opens soon after midday and falls inside the time a day trip spends at the falls. In summer, the sun climbs so high that a rainbow cannot form until it drops again in the late afternoon, and the window slides into the evening.

The table gives the same data in figures, with a last column that tells you whether the window falls within a typical visit.

Calculated by us on 24 October 2026 for the 15th of each month: sun position (NOAA algorithm), viewpoints from OpenStreetMap and the shape of the gorge from the SRTM 30 m terrain model. Morocco legal time GMT+1 (one hour earlier during Ramadan, when Morocco switches to GMT). A rainbow also needs sunshine on the spray and enough water in the falls.

What this means for your trip:

• November, December and January: the window opens around 13:05 to 13:30 and lasts until about 16:20 to 16:40. A standard day trip, with arrival around 11:00 and 3 to 4 hours at the falls, covers it.
• October and February: the window opens around 15:05 to 15:10, just when most day trips start back. Staying an extra hour or so gives you a good chance.
• March to September: the window opens between about 16:00 (March, September) and 17:05 (June, July) and runs to between 18:35 and 20:05. On a day trip, you would normally be on the road back to Marrakech by then.

How did we calculate the light and the rainbow?

A rainbow is a matter of geometry, which is why it can be calculated. Three conditions have to come together.

1. The sun must be behind you. A primary rainbow is a circle of light centred on the point exactly opposite the sun, the shadow of your own head. The bow sits about 40 to 42 degrees away from that point. If the sun is higher than about 42 degrees, the whole circle is below the horizon and there is no rainbow to see.
2. There must be spray at that angle. At Ouzoud, the spray rises from the pool at the foot of the falls, well over 100 m below the rim. From a viewpoint, part of that cloud of spray has to lie on the 42-degree circle.
3. The spray must be in sunshine. The gorge is deep. When the sun is low in the south or south-west, the rim of the gorge can hide it from the foot of the falls, and the spray stays in shade.

To test this, we computed the position of the sun every 5 minutes on the 15th of each month with the NOAA solar algorithm. We took the seven viewpoints mapped on OpenStreetMap, modelled the spray as a cloud about 60 m wide and up to 50 m high at the foot of the main falls, and measured the height of the skyline seen from the foot of the falls with the SRTM 30 m terrain model. A time counts as a rainbow window when, from at least one viewpoint, part of the spray lies at the rainbow angle, with the sun up, behind the observer and above the rim of the gorge. Golden hour is the time when the sun is between 0 and 6 degrees above the horizon.

This also explains the morning. After sunrise the sun is in the east, behind the falls and low behind the eastern rim: the spray is in shade, the sun is in your face from most viewpoints, and no rainbow can form.

What are the limits of this calculation?

We want to be honest about what these figures are:

• They are approximate. The terrain model has a 30 m grid, and the spray is a simplified shape. Treat the start and end times as plus or minus a quarter of an hour or more.
• They need sun and water. A cloud over the sun cancels the rainbow. So does a low flow, when there is little spray. A strong flow after rain usually makes more spray.
• They are for the 15th. Times shift a little across each month.
• Ramadan changes the clock. Times are in Morocco's usual legal time, GMT+1. During Ramadan, Morocco switches to GMT, so the same light comes one hour earlier on the clock. The UK Foreign Office notes that Ramadan next starts in February 2027: that month, the February window would read around 14:10 to 16:30, inside a typical visit.
• We computed the viewpoints, not every rock. From the foot of the falls or the boat you may also see bows in the spray when the sun is behind you; we did not model those positions.

What is the best time of day to photograph the falls?

For the falls themselves, the afternoon. Here is how the day plays out at Ouzoud.

The evening golden hour at the falls runs from about 17:50 in December to 20:00 in June and July, ending at sunset. For most of the year, that is well after a standard day trip has left.

Which viewpoints should you use for photos?

We do not name one viewpoint as the best, because the right one changes with the photo and the season. The seven viewpoints mapped on OpenStreetMap all lie within about 300 m of the lip of the falls. Our map page shows exactly where they are and how to walk between them. Here is how they work for photos.

• At the lip, on the village side. You look down on the water going over the edge. This is the quickest spot from the car parks and good for showing the drop. In our calculation, the viewpoint closest to the lip is also one from which the winter afternoon rainbow can be seen.
• Along the rim west of the lip, village side. As you move west, you see more of the three tiers and the pool below. In winter, when the afternoon sun is in the south-west, our calculation places the rainbow windows from these viewpoints.
• Across the gorge, on the north side. These face the falls and show the three tiers together, the classic postcard framing. In spring and summer, when the evening sun sets in the north-west, our calculation places the rainbow windows from here, including from the viewpoint with a bench.
• The foot of the falls. Not a mapped viewpoint, but the place for spray, scale and the boats. Expect wet lenses.

The reason the rainbow moves from one side to the other is simple: you must stand between the sun and the spray. In winter the afternoon sun is in the south-west, so you stand to the west, on the village side. In summer the evening sun is in the north-west, so you stand on the north side.

Which season gives which photos?

There is no bad season, only different pictures. Flow is described from visitor and guide accounts, as nobody publishes measured flow data for Ouzoud; our weather page has the monthly figures.

After heavy rain, the falls can turn red-brown for a while. It is a striking photograph, but paths get slippery and you should stay well back from edges and from the water.

Can you see the rainbow on a day trip?

Yes, from November to January, if the sun is out. On a typical day, we pick you up around 8:00, drive about 3 hours, and you spend about 3 to 4 hours at the falls. That places you at the falls from about 11:00 to 14:00 or 15:00, which overlaps the winter window from about 13:00.

From March to September, a standard timetable usually misses it. You have two options:

• Stay later. Our trips are private, so the timing is planned around your group. Tell us when you book that you want to stay for the late-afternoon light, and we will plan a later departure from the falls. You then arrive back in Marrakech later in the evening.
• Spend the night. Staying at Ouzoud gives you the evening light, the rainbow window and the quiet paths of the next morning. Our page on where to stay at Ouzoud lists the options by distance from the falls.

Our private Ouzoud tour includes a local guide who knows the paths to each side of the gorge, which saves time when you are chasing the light. If you prefer to explore with your camera at your own pace, private transport with a driver gives you free time at the falls. The premium private day includes the guide, the boat and lunch, with more time and flexibility.

What gear and settings work, on a phone or a camera?

You do not need special gear for good photos at Ouzoud. A phone gives very good results in daylight. What matters more is timing, a clean lens and a few settings.

A few practical points:

• The spray wets everything. Near the foot of the falls and on the boat, drops land on the lens within seconds. Carry a microfibre cloth, and a dry bag or zip bag for your phone if you take the boat, which you can add as an option on our boat and lunch page.
• Rainbows and polarisers. Rainbow light is strongly polarised. Turned one way, a polarising filter boosts the bow; turned the other way, it removes it. The same goes for polarised sunglasses.
• Exposure in the gorge. The rim is often in full sun while the pool is in shade. Expose for the water and the sky, and lift the shadows afterwards.
• Tripod: optional. In daylight you do not need one. A small travel tripod helps for long exposures and dusk. Paths are narrow, so set up where you do not block other walkers.
• Batteries. A full day out from Marrakech means about 6 hours on the road. Bring a charged power bank.

How do you deal with crowds in your photos?

The path to the foot of the falls is busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon, especially on summer weekends and public holidays, when many people come to cool off by the water. Some ways to keep your pictures clear:

• Shoot from the rim first. The viewpoints at the top show the falls with fewer people in front of them than the foot, where boats and swimmers fill the pool.
• Use the north side. Fewer day visitors walk the loop on both banks, so the viewpoints across the gorge are often calmer.
• Come in winter, or stay late. Winter weekdays are quiet. In other seasons, the paths empty in the late afternoon, which is also when the rainbow window opens.
• Use people for scale. A small figure on a terrace or a boat in the pool shows how big the falls are. Keep them small and unrecognisable, or ask.

How do you photograph people and macaques with respect?

People. The UK Foreign Office advises always asking permission before taking pictures of people in Morocco, especially children. Some people refuse for religious or personal reasons, and in a place with many visitors, being photographed all day gets tiring. A smile and a simple question work best. If the answer is no, accept it and move on. For children, ask their parents, and if no parent is there, do not take the photo. Café owners, boatmen and stallholders are people at work, not part of the scenery: ask before a close portrait. The UK advice also notes that photographing sensitive political or military sites is against the law; there are none at the falls, but remember it on the road.

Macaques. The Barbary macaques of Ouzoud are wild and Endangered, and research at the falls links feeding by tourists to more aggression. Zoom rather than approach, never use flash at close range, and never hold out food or call them to make them turn towards you. We ask guests to keep at least 2 metres away, our own rule of thumb. Please do not take photos holding a macaque or with one on your shoulder: primate experts explain that such pictures encourage the idea that these animals are safe to touch or to keep as pets. Our page on the Ouzoud macaques covers this in detail.

Can you fly a drone at the Ouzoud Waterfalls?

Not without official permission, and we advise you not to bring one. The UK Foreign Office says you must get permission from Morocco's civil aviation authority to fly a drone, and that without it you risk fines and confiscation. Separately, Morocco made the import and use of drones subject to prior authorisation in 2015, and customs seize drones brought in without it. A Moroccan news site reported in 2025 that this authorisation is hard to obtain and covers hobby drones too. We do not organise drone permits.

The rules can change, so if aerial photos really matter to you, check with the Moroccan authorities well before you travel. Otherwise, the north-side viewpoints and the rim already give you views from above.

Is Ouzoud worth it for photographers?

For a travel photographer, yes, with the right expectations. You get a 110 m fall in three tiers, a green gorge, a working village, olive groves and wild macaques, all within a short walk. What you need to plan is timing: a winter day trip for the early rainbow, or a later departure or a night at Ouzoud for summer evening light. Our page on whether Ouzoud is worth the trip weighs the day as a whole, and our Ouzoud travel guide covers the walk, the boat, food and what to bring.

Sources

• Our own calculation, research/light/compute.py, October 2026: sun position by the NOAA solar algorithm, viewpoints from OpenStreetMap, skyline from SRTM 30 m. Data: light at the Ouzoud Waterfalls, month by month (JSON)
• NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, "Solar Calculation Details", gml.noaa.gov, consulted October 2026
• OpenStreetMap, viewpoints and waterfall at Ouzoud, data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), openstreetmap.org, consulted October 2026
• OpenTopoData, "SRTM 30m" dataset, opentopodata.org, consulted October 2026
• Polarization.com, "Rainbow: the polarization of rainbows" (42 degrees, centre on the antisolar point, polarising filter), polarization.com, consulted October 2026
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, "Morocco travel advice: safety and security" (drones, photographing people, sensitive sites, Ramadan 2027), gov.uk, consulted October 2026
• Morocco World News, "Morocco Bans Import of Drones, Remotely-Controlled Devices" (1 March 2015), moroccoworldnews.com, consulted October 2026
• Bladi.net, "Voyager avec un drone : la douane marocaine ne plaisante pas" (22 June 2025, in French), bladi.net, consulted October 2026
• Morocco World News, "Morocco to Return to GMT on February 23" (14 February 2025), moroccoworldnews.com, consulted October 2026
• MarocMama, "Taking Photographs (or not) in Marrakech", marocmama.com, consulted October 2026
• IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, Best Practice Guidelines for Responsible Images of Non-Human Primates (2021), summary by Projeto GAP, projetogap.org, consulted October 2026