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The Ouzoud Falls dropping into a green gorge, café terraces along the river

Ouzoud Falls · Photo: Nabil KHIBIT, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ouzoud Falls, Morocco

The Cascades d'Ouzoud drop 110 metres in three tiers into a green gorge, often with rainbows in the afternoon spray. They sit in the central Middle Atlas on the Béni Mellal road, so from Fes they fit on the long overland leg south toward Marrakech. A shaded path leads down past olive groves, old mills and wild Barbary macaques.

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  • Private or small-group
  • A written quote for your dates
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Why go to Ouzoud Falls

The Cascades d'Ouzoud are the country's most beautiful waterfalls — a 110-metre triple drop into a green gorge, often crowned with rainbows in the afternoon spray. They sit in the central Middle Atlas, on the Béni Mellal axis that connects Fes to Marrakech, so for guests based in Fes they slot most naturally onto the overland leg south rather than as a quick out-and-back: from Fes it is a long way down through Azrou and Béni Mellal, while from Marrakech it is a 2h30 drive north-east. Either way the reward is the same — a shaded path winding down past olive groves and old water mills (ouzoud means 'olives' in Berber), with troops of wild Barbary macaques along the way (the same Middle Atlas species you meet in the cedar forests of Azrou, an hour south of Fes) and small boats ferrying visitors to the foot of the falls.

Best time
March–June and September–October
How long
Day trip on the Marrakech leg, or a stop on the Fes–Marrakech overland
Nearest airport
Marrakech Menara (RAK) + 2h30, or Fès-Saïs (FEZ) by the overland route
Region
Middle Atlas · Central Morocco

What you'll see in Ouzoud Falls

The Ouzoud Falls plunging into the green pool, small rafts below
Ouzoud Falls

The main cascades

A 110m three-tier waterfall thundering into a pool — walk down to the base or take a small boat into the spray.

A Barbary macaque sitting on a red rock ledge at the Ouzoud Falls (not the Middle Atlas)
Ouzoud Falls

Barbary macaques

Wild, habituated monkeys live in the olive and oak woods beside the path — the same Middle Atlas species watched from the cedar roadside at Azrou near Fes. Keep your distance and your snacks zipped away.

Gorge walk to El Abid river

A gentle trail continues below the falls into a green river gorge with riverside cafés and swimming spots.

Ways to see Ouzoud Falls

Trips we build around Ouzoud Falls. Tell us which one fits and we'll write the days and quote them for your group.

1 day

Ouzoud Falls on the central-Atlas leg

A private day to Morocco's highest waterfalls with lunch over the cascades — joined from the Marrakech leg, or built into a Fes–Marrakech overland through Béni Mellal.

Before you go

Getting there. About 2h30 by road from Marrakech, north-east toward Béni Mellal; from Fes, on the long overland leg via Azrou and Béni Mellal

Best for. Nature, an easy day out, families, photographers

Read next. High Atlas Mountains Day Trip from Marrakech: Imlil, Ourika & What to Expect; Is Volubilis Worth Visiting, and How Do You Do a Meknes & Volubilis Day Trip from Fes?; Can You See Wild Monkeys Near Fes, and Is the Ifrane & Azrou Cedar Forest Day Trip Worth It?.

Pair Ouzoud Falls with

The places closest to Ouzoud Falls, easy to join on one private route.

Green fields and villages along the floor of the Ait Bouguemez valley under the High Atlas46 km from Ouzoud FallsAït Bougmez ValleyThe remote High Atlas 'Happy Valley' of the M'Goun massifSee Aït Bougmez ValleyA tree-shaded square in old Beni Mellal with a minaret and the kasbah walls behind50 km from Ouzoud FallsBéni MellalA central-Atlas break on the long Marrakech–Fes overland lineSee Béni MellalThe towered mud-brick front of Kasbah Amridil near Skoura under blue sky107 km from Ouzoud FallsSkouraA palm-oasis kasbah town on the southern desert roadSee Skoura

Questions about Ouzoud Falls

Read these before you add Ouzoud Falls to a trip.

Can I see Ouzoud Falls on a Fes-based trip?
Not as a day trip from Fes — the falls sit far to the south in the central Middle Atlas. The natural way to include them is on the Marrakech leg of an imperial journey, where they are a 2h30 drive north-east of the city, or as a scenic stop on a Fes-to-Marrakech overland through Azrou and Béni Mellal. Go early to beat the afternoon crowds.
How long is the drive to Ouzoud from Marrakech?
About 2.5 hours each way. A private day gives you several hours at the falls and a lunch overlooking the cascades before returning by evening. On a Fes–Marrakech overland we slot it in as the highlight of the central-Atlas section rather than a separate detour.

Tell us your dates. We'll plan Ouzoud Falls with you.

  1. Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
  2. A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
  3. You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.
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