Quick Guide to Ouzoud Waterfalls: Tips from our visit

Are Ouzoud Waterfalls worth visiting?

We’d like to answer this question first, as it took us a long time to decide whether it’s worth visiting the Ouzoud Waterfalls.

To sum up our whole experience…

Ouzoud Waterfalls are, without a doubt, very much worth visiting, and it’s one of the best natural attractions we saw in Morocco. Seeing the waterfalls and the area where they’re located is absolutely worth the 3-hour drive from Marrakesh.

The first time we heard of the waterfalls, it was in connection with how busy, crowded, and chaotic it is. That made us think about whether we wanted to experience such a place.

Then we researched it a bit more and realized it’s actually a super cool place, and that going on a tour there is very affordable. So we decided we would spare some time for a day trip from Marrakesh.

Later, we realized we had two extra days before the main part of our Morocco road trip, so we decided to pick up our car earlier, drive up to Ouzoud Waterfalls ourselves, and stay overnight. And that was the best decision ever.

Since we knew we’d arrive somewhat late in the area after picking up our car in Marrakesh in the afternoon, we decided to stay two nights, so we got a full day in Ouzoud. So worth it!

How to get to Ouzoud Waterfalls

Ouzoud Waterfalls are located 160km, or about a 3-hour drive, east of Marrakesh, which is the best starting point for getting there.

To get there by public transport, you take a bus from Marrakesh to Beni-Mellal or Azilal, and then a taxi to Ouzoud. We believe taking a bus isn’t worth it, as it’s not very affordable and takes much longer than you would expect.

The best option to get there is a self-guided tour, which includes pickup and transfer to and from the destination, plus free time to explore. The tour is also the cheapest and easiest way to get to the falls.

There are tons of guided tours to Ouzoud Waterfalls you can book, and we recommend the tour we originally planned to book. You can also choose the guided option.

Getting to Ouzoud Waterfalls by yourself

You can visit Ouzoud Waterfalls on a day trip from Marrakesh by yourself by renting a car. You can go there and back in a single day, but realistically, the best way is to do an overnight trip.

Did you know? The area where the Ouzoud Waterfalls are is actually a crater (called a luxuriant crater), and you can quite clearly see the impact-shaped landscape on the satellite map on Google Maps. During our visit, we noticed the area looked special, then looked at the map and realized it was an actual crater. How cool is that?

What is the road to Ouzoud like?

The road from Marrakesh to Ouzoud Waterfalls isn’t the most spectacular in Morocco, but there were beautiful poppy fields we passed not too long after leaving the city. We were actually quite surprised to see vibrant red poppies already, since it was still March, and they usually bloom in April/May.

Additionally, the road to Ouzoud was much emptier than most of the roads we drove later in our trip.

The road out of Ouzoud is much cooler, as you drive in the direction of the High Atlas Mountains with peaks covered in snow, which was a great sight.

Is there a ticket for Ouzoud Waterfalls?

There is no ticket for visiting Ouzoud Waterfalls. You can enter the waterfall area for free and also walk the trail around for free.

The only place you need to pay at Ouzoud Waterfalls is if you want to take the short boat/raft ride that takes you closer to the waterfall.

We decided to skip that because the water was quite powerful during our visit, and we got almost completely wet just crossing the bridge and from taking photos all around.

What the trail around the waterfall looks like

There is a circular route around the Ouzoud Waterfalls that is easy enough for everyone, as there’s only one steep part.

Without rushing, the full circular trail around Ouzoud Waterfalls takes 45 minutes, or up to 1 hour with photo stops. First, about 10 minutes down the staircase to get below the waterfall, and then 35 minutes on the natural trail that gets you above the waterfall and back to the town.

Along the Ouzoud circular trail, both the staircase section and the natural trail have plenty of restaurants and cafes where you can stop for a meal or a drink. The staircase part is more built out.

If you don’t want to do the full trail, it takes just 10 minutes to get down to the area below the waterfall from the town and parking area.

This is also the so-called main entrance to the waterfall, and is mostly stairs. The way up the stairs takes a bit longer, maybe about 15 minutes, as it’s uphill, but the stairs do zigzag up, so it’s pretty easy. This is also where all the shops are.

The nature trail is not too long either. In the first part with the view of the waterfalls, you might also see some monkeys. This is where we got this cool photo of a monkey jumping over the trail.

Then after that, you go into a more forested section, from which you then walk back to the higher part above the waterfalls again.

Best viewpoints and photo spots

Terrace panoramic viewpoint

Area above the waterfalls (left and right)

High viewpoint closest to the waterfalls

This is the best place to see the waterfalls up close and also get some nice photos. And it’s also where you can dress up in traditional clothes for a photoshoot (plus there are horses for photoshoots, but please don’t do that).

Rocks at the base of the waterfall

View from one of the cafes

Can you swim in Ouzoud Waterfalls?

Yes, you can swim at Ouzoud Waterfalls. However, how enjoyable it will be will depend on the time of your visit, as the water is usually cold and brown, especially after rain.

Personally, we didn’t swim in Ouzoud, as by the time we wanted to go for a dip, it was already too crowded for our liking.

There are places to swim further along the river below, once you get to the part below the Ouzoud Waterfalls. That’s a great option if you don’t feel like swimming in the crowded main area of the waterfall.

There are even more swimming spots near the Camping Le Havre de Paix, a bit downstream. You can also check this point on the map to find more swimming spots, another 10-minute walk further.

What about the monkeys?

Another interesting part of visiting Ouzoud Waterfalls is seeing the Barbary macaque monkeys, which hang out in the areas above the waterfall.

From what we’ve seen, the monkeys at Ouzoud Waterfalls aren’t as aggressive as in some other places. They’re super chill compared to the aggressive monkeys at the monkey beach in Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, for example.

But still, you need to be careful, as they are just like people – some are nice, but some are not so nice. Heh. Definitely don’t go touching the monkeys – you wouldn’t like random people touching you either!

The monkeys at Ouzoud love to steal food and water from tourists, so be careful and stash your food and water away.

We found the most monkeys at the terrace viewpoint, as they seem to hang out there the most. The only other area we saw monkeys was on a section of the natural trail leading to the top of the waterfall.

Where we stayed & our hotel recommendations

We are happy with our hotel choice at Ouzoud Waterfalls, as it was only a few-minute walk to the top of the waterfall and to the start of the trail that goes around it.

We stayed for two nights at Hotel France, a budget option, which also has a large pool you can actually swim in during the summer. Since we visited in March, the pool was unfortunately still empty and closed – so sad!

We weren’t expecting much from our hotel breakfast, but it was actually pretty good for the budget, and definitely filled us up nicely after coming back from the waterfall.

Room-wise, though, we were a bit unlucky, as the Wi-Fi didn’t reach our room at all, plus the door to the balcony didn’t lock as it was broken (hopefully they fix it). Otherwise, it was a good stay. 😁 Just the location made it worth it if nothing else.

Other than that, some great hotels we considered are La Kasbah d’Ouzoud, with great rooms and amenities like a fantastic pool, about a 10-minute walk from the falls, and Riad Cascades, just steps away from the waterfalls. These are a bit more expensive.

Where to eat good food at Ouzoud Waterfalls

We chose La belle etoile, a simple, low-key restaurant, which offers an amazing menu set for 50 Dirham (about 5 euros) per person, including a main dish, olives, salad, fruit, tea, water, and even a small dessert.

It’s the absolute best deal in the whole Ouzoud area! We had the vegetarian menu, and it was delicious.

Down on the trail leading to the area below the waterfall, there are countless restaurants where you can eat, some with an incredible view. Unfortunately, when we looked at reviews, many found them overpriced for what they offered and labeled them tourist traps.

We’re happy we chose to eat at La belle etoile, and we were so sad we didn’t have time for a meal on our last morning before we left for Ait Benhaddou.

What to see before or after Ouzoud Falls

Our next destination after Ouzoud Falls was Ait Benhaddou.

But first, we also visited the town of Demnate and the nearby Iminifri Natural Bridge, one of the coolest places we visited in Morocco!

We left Ouzoud mid-morning, then visited Iminifri, and still managed to see the sunset in Ait Benhaddou. That’s a pretty good day in our book!

So if you’re planning to rent a car in Morocco, definitely consider visiting Iminifri Bridge on the way to/from Ouzoud Falls. It’s an incredible natural spot.

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