Ouzoud Waterfalls in the Grand Atlas

Ouzoud Waterfalls in Morocco
































Beautiful Ouzoud Waterfalls is located in the Grand Atlas Mountain range in central Morocco about 90 miles northeast of Marrakesh. It is quite famous in Morocco and one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world as the water tumbles some 360 lovely and amazing feet through lush greenery.
Victoria Falls is the most famous waterfall in Africa but Ouzoud Falls might just be the prettiest waterfall in all of Africa. It is certainly the most beautiful waterfall in Northern Africa and is a very popular tourist destination for those visiting Morocco.

The word ouzoud means "olive" in the Berber language and there are many olive trees right around Ouzoud Waterfalls. At the bottom of the falls are old mills a few of which are still in use by locals. One can even take a swim in the water at the bottom of the Ouzoud Falls if one is so inclined and boat rides are available on the river below that take visitors near the falls and provide spectacular views of the falls. Efforts are continuing in Morocco to permanently preserve and protect this beautiful Moroccan wonder.

Starting from Marrakesh, a day’s visit to the famous Ouzoud waterfalls of about 100 metres in height and which constitute one of the most spectacular natural beauty spots in Morocco. It is about a three hour drive to get there. The surrounding countryside offers red cliffs, oleander and doves and, if you are lucky, you will catch a glimpse of some Barbary apes. Bird-watchers will enjoy a trip to the waterfalls, too as will walkers who can enjoy the area at any time of year, except perhaps the hottest summer months of July and August. There are plenty of places to have lunch with a view over the waterfalls from their terraces. And a short walk will bring you to the top of the falls from where you can look down at their full magnificence and at the river.




Most tourists do not associate waterfalls with Morocco a country with a population of 32 million and 173,000 square miles. But the interior of Morocco is split by the Atlas Mountains and numerous valleys in and around the mountains which contain many waterfalls especially during the Spring runoff. Ouzoud Falls is by far the most spectacular of these waterfalls and the most visited. It flows all year long and is particularly amazing in the Spring or after decent to heavy rainfall.

Tourism plays a large role in Morocco's economy but Ouzoud Waterfalls is probably underutilized from this standpoint. The waterfalls here are special and spectacular the country could probably lure tourists here just to visit Ouzoud Falls. All the tourist guides put out by the Moroccan Government should contain at least one photo of the Ouzoud Waterfalls. Other great tourist attractions in Morocco include the Roman ruins at Volubilis, the great sand dunes at Erg Chebbi, Atlas Studios which is the largest film studio in the world, the King Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca which is built right over the Atlantic Ocean and the souks or spice markets of Marrakesh. Ouzoud Waterfalls is just as special as any of these national treasures.

Ouzoud Falls is such a special natural wonder that it is in the running in the New7Wonders of Nature contest run by the New7Wonders Foundation in which anybody can vote online for their favorite wonders of nature anywhere in the world. Ouzoud Falls will probably not be selected as one of the seven natural wonders but it will certainly be in the running and has my vote as well as the votes of many of the tourists who have visited this lovely special African waterfall.


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Ouzoud Cascades

Ouzoud Cascades


There more than one place to view the waterfalls. The point seen on these two pictures, is the one bringing you the closest to the action. This is the place where water splashes against your face, and among the best places to spot barbary apes.
What you see here is the upper part of the waterfalls — in order to behold the rest, and then also the entire waterfalls, you will have to continues the descend, until you reach the natural pools. This is also the place where swimming is both possible and legal.



The Ouzoud Cascades has become the most famous waterfalls of Morocco, mainly due to its photo-friendliness. The area is quite impressive with a total 100 metre fall. And in summer, it is most refreshing here.
You arrive here by passing through the tiny village of Ouzoud, continue pass the many souvenir stalls, start climbing down the stairs pass the many cafes. Right before starting on the stairs, you will have had your first view over the water falls, and it will look approximately as you see on this picture.
Even at this point, the waterfalls have not come to an end. But what is behind you now, is not impressive at all. This point here, is a cosy area.
Not only does it give the best views of the waterfalls and good opportunities for swimming, it is also a place to rest. There are small boats that can bring you out into the pools, as well as over to the other side. These boats serve little practical use, since it is easy to walk over to the other side. But they are there for the purpose of charm.




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ouzoud waterfalls

ouzoud waterfalls

Ouzoud Waterfalls (French: Cascades d'Ouzoud) (110 m high) are located in the Grand Atlas village of Tanaghmeilt, in the province of Azilal, 150 km north-east of Marrakech, in Morocco.
Ouzoud means "the act of grinding grain" in Berber, this theory is confirmed by the frequent mills in the region .
The bottom of the falls is accessible through a shaded path of olive trees. At the summit of the falls, there exist a dozen of old small mills that are still in use. One can also follow a narrow and difficult track leading to the road of Beni Mellal while descending the gorges from the "wadi el-Abid" by a canyon sometimes which one does not distinguish the bottom with nearly 600 metres.
It is the most visited site of the region. In the vicinity, Green valleys, mills, orchards and a superb circuit of the gorges of the El Abid River (in Arabic, "Slaves' River" ), are found. Many local and national associations lead projects to protect and preserve the site.




Excursion to the Cascades of Ouzoud :
We leave Marrakech early bound Ouzoud waterfalls, located 160km from Marrakech. After passing through the plain of Marrakech, crossing the Atlas mountains of the medium to reach ouzoud cascades. This is the best waterfalls in the country where we will see rises of water up to 110 meters. We will spend a day walking under the falls and cross the river with small boats to visit local water mills, traditional and ancestral. Enjoy a nice meal on a chilly air terrace overlooking the waterfalls. In the afternoon, return to Marrakech.

The Ouzoud Waterfalls (Cascades d'Ouzoud), are one of the most surprising and beautiful attractions in Morocco. The river plunges over 100 meters in a complex network of waterfalls that cascades one into another through three major and several minor drops. The impressive roar seems to soothe like an old lullaby.

The juxtaposition of these verdant and luxurious falls in a land of red sandstone, dust and dessert somehow brightens your outlook and puts a spring in your step. The sheer joy of nature and the life giving force of water seems to be captured in every shiny leaf and exploding flower bud that clings and populates the luscious river gorge.

At only 150 kms from Marrakesh in the province of Azilal, the Cascades make an ideal day trip at any time of year and our Riad offers you the perfect base from which to explore this stunning natural monument to water.




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The Koutoubia

The Koutoubia
there have been plans over the years to do the same with the Koutoubia and the local press have recently been running a number of articles on various schemes, possibly involving a restoration of the whole mosque area. To date, however, the only parts of the structure that have been renovated are the three gilt balls made of copper at the summit.These are the subject of numerous legends, mostly of supernatural intervention to keep away the thieves.They are thought originally to have been made of gold and were possibly the gift of the wife of Yacoub El Mansour, presented as a penance for breaking her fast for three hours during Ramadan.

the absence of any architectural feature on Djemaa El Fna - which even today seems like a haphazard clearing -serves to emphasize the drama of the Koutoubia Minaret, the focus of any approach to the city. Nearly seventy metres high and visible for miles on a clear morning, this is the oldest of the three great Almohad towers (the others remaining are the tour hassan in Rabat and the Giralda in Seville)and the most complete.its proportions-a 1:5 ratio of width to height -established the classic Moroccan design. Its scale, rising from the low city buildings and the plains to the north, is extraordinary, the more so the longer you stay and the more familiar its sight becomes.
Completed by Sultan Yacoub El Mansour (1184-99), Work on the minaret probably began shortly after the Almohad conquest of the city, around 1150. It displays many of the features that were to become widespread in Moroccan architecture - the wide band of ceramic inlay near the top, the pyramid-shaped, castellated merlons rising above it, the use of darj w ktarf and other motifs -and it also established the alternation of patterning on different faces. Here, the top floor is similar on each of the sides but the lower two are almost eccentric in their variety; the most interesting is perhaps the middle niche on the southeast face, a semicircle of small lobed arches, which was to become the dominant decorative feature of Almohad gates.
If you look hard, you will notice that at around this point,the stones of the main body of the tower become slightly smaller. This seems odd today but originally the whole minaret would have been covered with plaster and its tiers of decoration painted. To see just how much this can change the whole effect - and, to most tastes, lessen much of its beauty - take a look at the Kasbah mosque (by the saadain Tombs) which has been carefully but completely restored in this manner.
there have been plans over the years to do the same with the Koutoubia and the local press have recently been running a number of articles on various schemes, possibly involving a restoration of the whole mosque area. To date, however, the only parts of the structure that have been renovated are the three gilt balls made of copper at the summit.These are the subject of numerous legends, mostly of supernatural intervention to keep away the thieves.They are thought originally to have been made of gold and were possibly the gift of the wife of Yacoub El Mansour, presented as a penance for breaking her fast for three hours during Ramadan.
Currently,the tower itself is encased in scaffolding, the purpose of which is not yet clear. At the same time ,archeologists are excavating the precincts of the mosque,possibly to verify that the original mosque, which predates the tower, had to be rebuilt to correct its alignment with Mecca.
Alongside the mosque, and close to Av.Mohammed V, is the tomb of Fatima Zohra, now in white koubba. She was the daughter of a seventeenth-century religious leader and tradition has it that she was a women by day and a white dove by night; consequently children dedicated to her,even today, never eat pigeons.

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The Djameaa El Fna is so effortlessly

The Djameaa El Fna

there's nowhere in Morocco like the Dejemaa El Fna - no place that so effortlessly involves you and keeps you coming back. By day it's basically a market, with a few snake charmers, storytellers and an occasional troupe of acrobats. In the evening it becomes a whole carnival of musicians, clowns and street entertainers. when you arrive in Marrakesh, and after you've found a room, come out here and you'll soon be immersed in the ritual: wandering round, squatting amid the circles of onlookers, giving a dirham or two as your contribution. If you want a respite, you can move over to the rooftop terraces of the Café de France or the Restaurant Argana to gaze over the square and admire the frame of the koutoubia.
what you are part of is a strange process. Some say that tourism is now vital ti the Djemaa's survival, yet apart from the snake charmers, monkey handlers and water vendors (all of whom live by posing for photographs), there's little that has compromised itself for the west. In many ways it actually seems the opposite . Most of the people gathered into circles round the performers are Moroccans - Berbers from the villages and lots of kids.There is no way that any tourist is going to have a tooth pulled by one of the dentists here, no matter how neat the piles of molars displayed on their square of carpet. Nor are you likely to use the scribes or street barbers or , above all, understand the convoluted tales of the storytellers, round whom are gathered perhaps the most animated, all-male crowds in the square.
Nothing of this, though, matters very much.There is a fascination in the remedies of the herb doctors, with their bizarre concoction spread out before them. There are performers, too, whose appeal is universal. The Jemaa Elfna square's acrobats, itinerants from Tazeroualt, have for years supplied the European circuses - though they are perhaps never so spectacular as here, thrust forward into multiple somersaults and contortions in the late afternoon heat. There are child boxers and sad-looking trained monkeys, clowns and chleuh boy dancers - their routines, to the climactic jarring of cymbals, totally sexual (and traditionally an invitation to clients).
And finally, the Djemaa's enduring sound - the dozens of musicians playing all kinds of instruments. late at night, when only a few people are left in the square, you encounter individual players, plucking away at their ginbris, the skin-covered two-or three-string guitars.Earlier in the evening, there are full groups: the Aissaoua, playing oboe-like ghaitahs next to the snake charmers; the Andalucian-style groups, with their ouds and violins; and the back Gnaoua, trance-healers who beat out hour-long hypnotic rhythms with iron clanging hammers and pound tall drums with long curved sticks.
if you get interested in the music there are two small sections on opposite sides of the square where stall sell recorded cassettes : one is near the entrance to the souks and the other is on the corner with the recently pedestrianized Rue Bab Agnaou. Most of these are by Egyptian or Algerian Rai bands, the pop music that dominates Morocco radio, but if you ask they'll play you Berber music from the Atlas, classic Fassi pieces, or even Gnaoua music - which sounds even stranger on tape, cut off only by the end of the one side and starting off almost identically on the other. These stalls apart, and those of the nut roasters, whose massive braziers line the immediate entrance to the potter's souk, the market activities of the Djemaa are mostly pretty mundane.

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Holidays of Marrakech

Holidays of Marrakech
Marrakech-"Morocco City",as early travellers called it -has always been something of a pleasure city,a marketplace where the southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring in their goods, spend their money and find enter-trainment. For visitor it's an enduring fantasy - a city of immense beauty low, red and tentlike before a great shaft of montains-and immediately exciting. At the heart of it all is a square,Djemaa El Fna, really no more than an open space in the centre of the city, but the stage for a long-established ritual in which shifting cir-cles of onlookers and comedians. However many times you return there, it remains compelling. So, too, do the city's architectural attractions: the immense, still basins of the Agdal and Menara gardens, the delicate Granada-style carving of the saadian tombs and, above all the Koutoubia Minaret, the most perfect Islamic monument in North Africa.
Unlike Fes, for so long its rival as the nation's capital, the city exists very much in the present. After Casablanca, Marrakesh is Morocco's second largest city and its population continues to rise. It has a thriving industrial area which reflects the rich farmlands of the Haouz plain which surround it: notably flour mills, breweries and canning factories. And it remains the most important market and administrative centre of southern Morocco. None of this is to suggest an easy prosperity-there is heavy unemployment here, as throughout the country, and intense poverty, too -but a stay in Marrakesh leaves you with a vivid impression of life and activity. And for once this doesn't apply exclusively to the new city, Gueliz; the Medina, substantially in ruins at the beginning of this century, was rebuilt and expanded during the years of French rule and retains no less significant a role in the modern city.
The Koutoubia excepted, Marrakesh is not a place of great monuments. Its beauty and attraction lie in the general atmosphere and spectacular location -with the magnificent peaks of the Atlas rising right up behind the city, towering through the heat haze of summer or shimmering white of winter. the feel, as much as anything, is a product of this. Marrakech has Berber rather than Arab origins, having developed as the metropolis of Atlas tribes-Maghrebis from the plains, Saharan nomads and former slaves from Africa beyond the desert, Sudan, Senegal and the ancient Kingdom of Timbuktu. All of these strands shaped the city's souks and its way of life, and in the crowds and performers in Djemaa El Fna, they can still occasionally seem distinct.
For most travellers, Marrakesh is the first experience of the south and-despite the inevitable 'false' guides and hustlers-of its generally more relaxed atmosphere and attitudes. Marrakchis are renowend for their warmth and sociability, their humour and directness-all qualities that (superficially, at least) can seem absent among the Fassis. there is, at any rate, a conspicuously more laid-back feel than anywhere in the north, with women, for example, having a greater degree of freedom and public presence, often riding mopeds around on the streets. And compared to Fes, Marrakesh is much less homogenous and cohesive. The city is more a conglomeration of villages than an urban community, with quarters formed and maintained by successive generations of migrants from the countryside.


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Authentic Holidays of Morocco

Authentic Morocco

For westerners, Morocco holds an immediate and enduring fascination. Though just an hour's ride on the ferry from Spain, it seems at once very far from Europe, with a culture Islamic and deeply traditional that is almost wholly unfamiliar. Throughout the country, despite the years of French and Spanish colonial rule and the presence of modern and cosmopolitan cities like Rabat or Casablanca , a more distant past constantly makes its presence felt. Fes, perhaps the most beautiful of all Arab cities, maintains a life still rooted in medieval time, when a Moroccan empire stretched from Senegal to northern Spain; while in the mountains of the Atlas and the Rif, it is still possible to draw up tribal maps of the Berber population. As a backdrop to all this, the country's physical make-up is also extraordinary: from a Mediterranean coast, through four mountain ranges, to the empty sand and scrub of the Sahara.
All of which makes travel in Morocco an intense and rewarding -if not always easy -experience. Certainly, there can be problems in coming to terms with your privileged position as tourist in a nation that, for the most part, would regard such activities as those of another world. And the northern Morocco cities especially have a reputation for hustlers: self appointed guides whose eagerness to offers their services -and whose attitude to tourists as being a justifiable source of income (and to women as something much worse) -can be hard to ideal with. If you find this to be too much of a struggle, then it would probably be better to keep to low-key resorts like Essaouira or Asilah, or to the more cosmopolitan holiday destination of Agadir, built very much in the image of its Spanish counterparts, or even a packaged sightseeing tour.
But you'd miss a lot that way. Morocco is at its best well away from such trappings. A week's hiking in the Atlas; a journey through the southern oases or into the pre-Sahara; or leisured strolls around Tangier, Fes or Marrakesh -once you adapt to a different way of life, all your time will be well spend. And it is difficult for any traveller to go for long without running into Morocco's equally powerful tradition of hospitality, generosity and openness. This is a country people return to again and again.


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