Ouzoud Falls — 2.5 hours northeast. The tallest waterfalls in North Africa, dropping 110 metres through olive groves. Barbary macaques live in the trees above the cascade. Eat grilled fish at the bottom. The road is good. A grand taxi from Marrakech costs about 50 dirhams per person, or hire a driver for the day. Go early — by noon the tour buses arrive.
Essaouira — 2.5 hours west. A fortified port town on the Atlantic, designed by a French architect for a Moroccan sultan. Wind, blue boats, seafood grills on the harbour, and a medina where you can walk without being followed. The temperature is 10-15 degrees cooler than Marrakech in summer. Supratours buses run every few hours from the station next to the train station. About 80 dirhams each way.
Ourika Valley — 1 hour south. The first Atlas valley you reach from Marrakech. A river, terraced gardens, Amazigh villages clinging to the hillside, and a series of small waterfalls at the end of the road. The Saffron Garden near Tnine Ourika grows the most expensive spice in the world and lets you walk through it. On Mondays, the local souk at Tnine Ourika is one of the best in the region. Not the tourist souk — the real one, where farmers sell produce and livestock.
Agafay Desert — 40 minutes south. A stone hammada, not a sand desert, but the visual effect is the same — a treeless, rolling landscape of ochre rock stretching to the Atlas foothills. Luxury camps have proliferated here, offering the desert experience without the nine-hour drive to Merzouga. Sunset is the reason to come. Sunrise is the reason to stay the night.
Imlil — 1.5 hours south. The base village for Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak at 4,167 metres. You do not need to summit anything — the village itself sits at 1,740 metres, surrounded by walnut trees and terraced fields, and the mountain air is a different substance from Marrakech air. Lunch in a village gîte, a walk to the Aroumd shrine, and back to Marrakech by dinner.
The Facts
- —Ouzoud Falls: 2.5h NE, 110m drop, tallest in North Africa
- —Essaouira: 2.5h W, Supratours ~80 MAD
- —Ourika Valley: 1h S, saffron garden, Monday souk
- —Agafay: 40 min S, stone desert, luxury camps
- —Imlil: 1.5h S, 1,740m altitude, Toubkal base
- —Grand taxi to Ouzoud: ~50 MAD/person
- —Private driver day: 800-1,500 MAD
Sources
- Morocco Ministry of Tourism; Lonely Planet Morocco; Supratours bus schedules
