By Chambre d’hôtes Aya Team ·
How tall the falls actually are, which path to take down, when the water is at its loudest, and how to behave around the monkeys that live in the trees along the way.
The Ouzoud Waterfalls drop about 110 metres in three stages into a green pool at the bottom of a red gorge. That makes them the tallest waterfall in North Africa. The name comes from the Tamazight word for the olives that grow all over these hills — you will walk past the trees on the way down, and you will taste the oil at our breakfast table.
How tall are the Ouzoud Waterfalls?
Roughly 110 metres, falling in three distinct tiers rather than one clean drop. Because of the tiers, the falls photograph better from the opposite bank than from directly below — most people walk down one side, cross at the bottom, and climb back up the other.
The walk down, and the walk back up
From our door it is about ten minutes to the top of the falls. The path down to the pools takes another fifteen to twenty minutes depending on how often you stop, and it is a proper descent — dirt and stone steps, shaded in places, slippery after rain.
The part people underestimate is the return. Everything you walked down, you walk back up, usually in more heat than you left in. If you are carrying a small child or you are not confident on uneven ground, go early in the morning while it is still cool.
- Wear shoes with grip. Sandals are fine at the bottom, not on the steps.
- Take water. There are cafés terraced into the cliff, but the walk between them is dry.
- Boats run across the lower pool for a small fee — worth it for the view back at the falls.
The Barbary macaques
A troop of wild Barbary macaques lives in the trees along the descent. They are genuinely wild — this is one of the few places in Morocco where you see them in their own habitat rather than on a chain in a square.
The etiquette matters, and not only for their sake:
- Do not feed them. Human food makes them sick and makes them bold with the next group of people.
- Keep bags zipped and phones in hand. They are quick, and they have learned what a rucksack means.
- Keep children close and calm. A macaque that feels cornered will defend itself.
- Do not try to touch them or pose with them.
When to go
March to June is peak flow. The snowmelt from the High Atlas is coming through, the falls are at their loudest and the gorge is at its greenest. July and August are hot and crowded with day-trippers; the water is still falling but with noticeably less force. Winter is quiet and cold — spectacular light, but bring layers, and be glad of the electric blanket.
Beyond the falls: the gorge and the Amazigh village
Most visitors see the falls and leave. If you have a second day, follow the river downstream into the gorge — the path runs past small mills and gardens and gets quieter with every hundred metres. Above the falls, the Amazigh village of Tanaghmeilt sits in flat-roofed terraces of earth and stone, and is an ordinary working village rather than an attraction, which is exactly why it is worth the walk.
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