Quick Facts
Accessibility: From the crest: 10/10 (easy); To the base: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 360′ / 110 m
Length of Hike: 0-1 miles / 0-1.6 km round-trip
The Record
For travelers exploring Morocco, Cascades d’Ouzoud is frequently highlighted as one of the country’s most spectacular natural sights. Located in the Atlas Mountains, this powerful waterfall is a popular destination, often visited as a day trip from Marrakech. Our tour included this stop. After visiting the waterfall, our drive to Marrakech took about 2-3 hours. However, the journey through the countryside offers glimpses into rural Moroccan life before arriving at the main attraction.
The experience of reaching the base of the falls involves descending a long series of stairs. The path offers great viewpoints about halfway down before continuing to the base, where you can feel the mist from the thundering water. It’s important to set expectations: this is a very tourist-oriented area. The entire pathway down is lined with souvenir shops and restaurants, which creates a constant hustle and bustle. Once at the bottom, you have the option to take a small boat ride to get even closer to the base of the falls for a fantastic view. If you don’t want a hike, there is also another viewpoint that gives an acceptable view of the falls, but you can only see the first major drop of the two.
Overall, a visit to Cascades d’Ouzoud is worthwhile to witness such a stunning and powerful waterfall in North Africa. The sheer scale and beauty of the cascades are undeniable. That said, some of the “adventurer’s excitement” can be negated by the heavy commercial presence and crowds. If you can look past the tourist-heavy environment, the natural spectacle itself does not disappoint and remains a memorable highlight of a trip to Morocco.
Directions
- If you’re visiting Morocco, I would suggest joining a day tour or visiting with a tour company. The location of the falls is shown below if you’d like to drive there.
- There is a parking lot a bit west of the river. From there, if you veer to the right, you can see the falls from “above”. If you walk to your left, that leads to the base of the falls.
Waterfall Record 
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