Cascades d'Ouzoud (July 5-July 6, 2011)

We squeezed in a short trip to the Cascades d'Ouzoud, three hours northeast of Marrakesh, before heading back to prepare for our flight to Rome on July 8th. As in Imlil, we were looking forward to camping but found the reality underwhelmed our expectations and we ended up pitching our tent, alongside several others, on a bench in the slope behind a cafe.

The falls themselves were spectacular, falling from several points along the ridge (thanks to some modification by man) into a small pool, and then falling again into a series of pools where visitors (almost exclusively Moroccan) swam and played along the water’s edge. Barbary apes are also common here, and we encountered the small apes fairly frequently. In the evening on our first day, we encountered a group along the trail taking handouts from Moroccans (despite being just under the sign detailing why you should not feed the monkeys which are becoming dependent on humans).

On our second day we hiked away from the crowds farther down the river and found a small pool to swim in. The water was icy but clear and refreshing. Only being so far away from others did Nora feel comfortable getting into her swimsuit (the Moroccan women weren’t swimming – instead watching in full dresses and head scarves while the men swam), and even then she kept her shorts on.  We dried quickly in the warm, dry air, and watched several locals do daring dives into the same pool (Moroccan men seem to be very good swimmers), before climbing back out of the valley. At the top we met two women from England who were looking to share a taxi back to Marrakesh. Though it was a little bit of a splurge for us, we agreed, and spent the 3 hour trip in relative luxury (compared to the cramped, sweaty bus ride to the cascades).

Click the photo below for our Cascades d'Ouzoud photo album.