Marrakech: Day 3
by Vincent | March 12, 2015
Today was an awesome day as we had booked an excursion to the Ouzoud waterfall in the Atlas mountains.
Breakfast
We stopped at a cafe near us called Cafe Arabesque. It offered some nice breakfast fare so we got orange juice and mesmen (the Moroccan pancakes) along with some other typical breakfast bread.
Getting there
We checked TripAdvisor a month or so before we arrived in Morocco to see what excursions sounded fun. We knew we wanted to get out of the city to see the countryside. Two types of excursions caught our attention, the spend the night in the desert excursion and the Ouzoud waterfall. We decided on the Ouzud trip since the price was right and it was a short ride (2 hours) and lasted the whole day. The desert excursion would certainly be cool but it was a long drive from Marrakech.
The drive
Once we booked, it was just a matter of waiting for our driver to pick us up outside the apartment. He did promptly and made sure we had the right booking.
Unfortunately, our driver didn’t speak much English but he did speak French. The drive was pretty quiet because of this but it was scenic. He even stopped a couple times to let me take a picture, he was a nice guy.
We stopped at a gas station and cafe about an hour and a half into the trip. It’s definitely a “typical” stop because while we arrived first, the rest of the tourists flooded in. They were all going to the waterfall. I have to say, we were the only tourists who had a private car and private guide — everyone else must have booked through big groups because each group was made up of about 15-20 people who didn’t necessarily know each other. Another bonus by doing your homework when planning!
At the pit stop our driver brought us complementary soup, a kind we had never had before — it was good, we think it was made out of rice, sort of like a Malt-O-Meal only tasty. We didn’t opt for anything else so after that, it was back on the road for the last 30 mins to the town of Ouzoud.
The rest
The Ouzoud waterfall is named after the town that grew around it, since it’s a prime tourist attraction. Once we parked in the town, we were introduced to our personal guide, Mohammad. He did speak English and was a gracious host.
First, he took us to the top of the falls where you can walk near the cliff edge. I remember thinking that if this was in America, there’d be a fence and they’d probably build out a platform but here in Morocco they don’t fly like that — the cliff was bare and natural, so if you slipped or fell, you would probably be dead. Good thing the guides there are experienced — Mohammad helped us find the footing we needed to see over the falls and made sure we didn’t fall.
Then he led us on a path around the falls to see them from another angle, it was pretty spectacular.
After taking a bunch of photos, we walked through an argan tree grove and opted for a short detour to see how argan oil is used in local products. It was a co-op for women and they showed us how they grind the nuts and make the paste/oil and then showcased a bunch of products that we could buy that uses it. We didn’t buy anything but left a small tip for the demonstration.
After that we took a hike on a trail that led to the bottom of the falls. It was hard but not impossible and Céleste only fell once — no worries, she didn’t get hurt.
The bottom of the falls was pretty cool and was made up of several “terraces” that led up to the basin where the water actually fell.
Probably the most interesting part was when we had to walk across the river on small wooden foot bridges. I had no problems but Céleste was a bit scared.
At the bottom of the falls you definitely got a clear view and it made for some good photos.
On our way to one of the spots near the bottom of the falls, we saw some visitors jumping about 20 feet from an outcropping into the water. Not to be outdone or regret not participating, Emilie decided to also jump in. Céleste and I were not as brave as her so we sat this one out.
Moving closer to the falls, our guide showed us a spot in the river where he said we could swim — it was March, remember, so the water was FREEZING (okay, it was probably really 60 degrees, but that is still cold) and when we put on our swimsuits, everyone gave us super funny looks. We’re from the midwest, people, we are used to cold water!
Céleste and Emilie swam across the river to the other side and decided to jump off another, smaller, outcropping into the river. Céleste needed some encouragement but she succumbed to the pressure and plunged into the freezing water. They were both crazy. The water was too damn cold for me to consider jumping, but after some egging on I did finally swim across. It was insane and I hated every minute of it.
After that, we had to take a boat across the river. You could pay a little extra (per usual) for a little close up time with the falls — so we did.
We got close. Super close. But don’t take my word for it, I shot a video.
Man oh man. What a ride!
After that harrowing experience, it was time to finally relax with a lunch in the mist of the falls. It was an excellent lunch, one of the best we had in Morocco and the view did not disappoint.
We had tagine, we had brochettes (chicken skewer), we had mint tea, we had fruit, we had cookies, we had everything and we were full. The price was 100 dirhams per person, a full 3-course meal for $30.
Fed and heavy-lidded, it was time for our descent up the other side of the falls, which is all nicely paved and has steps… part of that being that the entire way up is market stalls selling the same things you can find in the souks. I think this was for the tourist groups — with Mohammad we didn’t stop at any of them but he knew many of the vendors and waved to them a few times or said hello.
The endcap of our visit was, of course, the monkeys.
A little closer.
Okay… STOP. Close enough!
Céleste and I both had monkeys on our heads. So that was cool.
Mohammad must do it pretty often because he led them up onto our shoulders with the peanuts the monkey guy was selling.
Unable to top this experience, we headed home for the day.
Amaia for Dinner
Once we arrived home we rested a little while and then it was dinner time. We hit up a restaurant in Gueliz (the new town) called Amaia. It’s owned by a French guy and offers Moroccan and (more) French fare. I had bolognese, Emilie had chicken carbonara, and Celeste had tagliatelle with salmon. Emilie and I also sprang for a gin fizz. For dessert I had a chocolate tart. It was all tasty (the sauce on the carbonara was amazing) and we’d recommend it if you’re in the area.
All in all it was a pretty awesome day. Not many people can say they had monkeys on their backs and trekked through a Moroccan waterfall. We’d definitely recommend this excursion to anyone visiting Marrakech or Morocco!
