Ouzoud
Our Ouzoud day
Guided hike and boat ride
- Length11 to 12 hours
- DriveAbout 3 hours each way
- HighlightBoat ride at the falls
Pick-for-me guide
Ouzoud waterfalls vs Ourika Valley: which day trip fits you
Guided Ouzoud Waterfalls hike, boat ride and lunch from Marrakech
★ 4.7 · 38,315 user reviews
Two taps to your waterfall
Which waterfall day suits you?
Say how much of the day you can give and what you want, and a matching listing appears with its from-price.
Best match for you
Our Ouzoud day
from $17
It runs 11 to 12 hours, with a boat ride close to the waterfalls.
Best match for you
Ouzoud, private or small group
from $11
It offers private or small groups on a day of 11 to 12 hours.
Best match for you
The guided Ourika day
from $15
It runs 7 hours and returns at about 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Best match for you
The shared Ourika group
from $17
It is a shared group tour of about 7 to 8 hours.
Both leave from Marrakech and both end at a waterfall, but one is a long day with a big cascade and a boat while the other is a shorter valley day with a river lunch. Here are the numbers side by side.
Editorial team, ouzoudfallstour.com · Updated November 7, 2026 · ~6 min read
Quick look
- DriveThe tourism office gives the Ourika Valley as a day trip of about 1 hour from Marrakech.1
- Ouzoud dayOur Ouzoud day drives about 3 hours each way and returns at about 7:00 PM.
- Ourika dayA guided Ourika listing runs 7 hours and returns at about 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
- PricesOuzoud from $17, Ourika from $15.
- BothPick Ouzoud for the tall cascade and the boat, Ourika for a shorter day.
Waterfall days from the same city
Marrakech has two waterfall day trips that travellers weigh against each other, and they are not the same kind of day. Ouzoud is a long journey north-east into the Azilal region for a tall cascade, a pool and a boat. Ourika is a shorter run south into the High Atlas valley for a river, a hike and a riverside lunch. The tourism office lists the Ourika Valley as a day trip of about 1 hour from Marrakech.1
Our own Ouzoud day drives about 3 hours each way, with a rest stop, and brings you back to Marrakech at about 7:00 PM. That single difference shapes everything else: how early you leave, how long you sit in a vehicle and how much of the day is spent at the water.
People who ask whether to choose the Ouzoud waterfalls or the Ourika Valley are really asking how much of a day they want to give. This page sets the two next to each other using the tourism office's figures and the listings' own numbers, and it ends with a quick quiz that points to a real listing. Read as a simple contest, it is not about which is prettier; it is about which day you can afford to give.
Side by side
Ouzoud and Ourika, point by point
| Point | Ouzoud day | Ourika day |
|---|---|---|
| Day length | 11 to 12 hours | 7 hours |
| Return to Marrakech | About 7:00 PM | About 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM |
| Boat ride | Listed | Not listed |
| Lunch | Option 3 and private | With or without |
| Hike | Moderate | Optional, rocky |
| Wildlife | Barbary macaques | None listed |
| Price from | $17 | $15 |
All prices are from prices for the cheapest option, not quotes. Ouzoud points come from our listing, Ourika points from the guided Ourika listing.
The drive and the length of the day
A guided Ourika listing runs 7 hours, with a scenic drive of 50 minutes, a stop at Tnin Ourika of 30 minutes, 1 hour at the Ourika River with tea and lunch, 1.5 hours at Setti Fadma and a drive back of 75 minutes. A second Ourika listing is a shared group tour of about 7 to 8 hours.
Our Ouzoud day is listed at 11 to 12 hours. It plans a pickup at about 7:30 to 8:00 AM, a drive of about 3 hours each way and about 4 hours at the falls. The shorter Ourika listing returns at about 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, so you are back in the city with the evening free.
If you need to be somewhere in Marrakech in the evening, the shorter day is the safer pick. If you can give the whole day and want the biggest cascade, the longer drive buys a bigger payoff. Neither sets a clock you cannot manage; they simply suit different plans. A traveller with a late flight or a dinner booking in the city should weigh the return time before anything else.
Drive time compared
Day trips from Marrakech by hours on the road
- Ourika Valley1
- Essaouira2.5
- Ouzoud, our day3
The tourism office gives the Ourika Valley as about 1 hour and Essaouira as about 2.5 hours; our Ouzoud listing gives about 3 hours each way.1
What you actually see
At Ouzoud the stops are lunch, a guided tour, a boat cruise and hiking, and the highlights mention panoramic viewpoints, scenic trails through olive groves and wild Barbary macaques near the falls. The shape of the visit is a cascade seen from above, a path to the pool and a boat under the spray.
In the Ourika Valley the listing stops at Tnin Ourika, the Ourika River and Setti Fadma, where the walk and hike take place. The listing's highlights name Berber villages, argan oil cooperatives, waterfalls in the valley and hiking trails, and the river stop is a seated lunch.
So the choice is partly about scenery. Ouzoud gives you one large waterfall with a boat and monkeys. Ourika gives you a valley with a river, village stops and waterfalls reached on foot. Both are scenic, but the first is a spectacle and the second is a walk. In the end, Ourika Valley vs Ouzoud waterfalls comes down to the day you can afford to give.
Pick your day
Three listings you can book
Ourika
Guided Ourika day
Valley, hike and river lunch
- Length7 hours
- BackAbout 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- HighlightSetti Fadma walk
Ourika
Shared Ourika group
Hotel pickup, optional hike
- LengthAbout 7 to 8 hours
- PickupCollection can take 30 to 40 minutes
- WaterFlow varies with the season
Water, season and what to expect from the flow
A waterfall is only as full as the stream behind it. The Ourika listing says plainly that its waterfall is a natural mountain stream whose flow varies with season and rainfall. The sources we use give no month-by-month flow figures for Ouzoud, so we do not claim a difference between the two.
The tourism office gives March to May and September to November as the time to go for both Marrakech and the Azilal area, and calls summer very hot in both.3,2 In practice that makes spring and autumn the sensible choice whichever valley you pick.
If your dates fall in the hot months, the shorter Ourika day means less time in a vehicle in the heat, while the Ouzoud day offers a boat ride that one guest called a good way to cool off. Each has an answer to the heat.
Compare the cost
What each day costs for your group
Choose the group size and see the from price of each trip.
Compare all 3 options
What each day costs for your group
Choose the group size and see the from price of each trip.
- Our Ouzoud day11 to 12 hours · price per person from $17
≈
View - Guided Ourika day7 hours · price per person from $15
≈
View - Shared Ourika group7 to 8 hours · price per person from $17
≈
View
Currency conversion uses the ECB reference rate on GetYourGuide from-prices. The exact price is displayed when you book.
The two days compared
How each day runs from Marrakech
Morning
Leaving Marrakech
Ouzoud pickup is at about 7:30 to 8:00 AM; the Ourika day starts with a scenic drive of 50 minutes.
Late morning
Reaching the water
The Ourika stops include Tnin Ourika for 30 minutes; the Ouzoud van legs total several hours.
Midday
Lunch by the river or the falls
Ourika offers tea and lunch at the river for 1 hour; Ouzoud lists lunch among its stops.
Afternoon
The walk and the boat
Setti Fadma has 1.5 hours for walking; Ouzoud adds a boat cruise and hiking.
Evening
Back in the city
Ourika returns at about 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM; Ouzoud at about 7:00 PM.
Effort, steps and who each day suits
Both are walking days. Our Ouzoud listing rates the activity as a moderate hike and recommends closed-toe walking shoes, and a guest found the climb back up the steps a moderate effort. The Ourika listing says the guided hike is optional and the paths are rocky, uneven and at times steep.
That optional hike is a point in Ourika's favor for mixed groups: those who prefer not to hike can wait at the riverside restaurant. Another Ourika listing advises pregnant women, and guests who find walking difficult, to think twice before booking. Ouzoud has its own limits, and one Ouzoud listing is flagged as unsuitable for people with reduced mobility.
For families with young children or anyone who dislikes long drives, the shorter day is gentler. For anyone who wants a boat, a big cascade and an outing that feels like an expedition, the longer day is the better match.
Video
Day trips from Marrakech worth taking
Only In Morocco on YouTube · Nothing is fetched until you hit play.
Day trips: the Agafay desert is about 45 minutes away, the Ourika Valley about 1 hour and Essaouira about 2.5 hours.
Before you choose
A checklist for picking your waterfall
Decide the shape3
- Check the return time against your evening plans
- Count who will hike and who will wait
- Choose spring or autumn if your dates are open2
Book smart3
- Look for free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Compare from prices for your group size on the calculator
- Read each listing's inclusions, because lunch differs
Pack3
- Sturdy walking shoes for rocky or wet paths
- Sun protection and water for both valleys
- A camera, and a dry pouch for the spray
Crowds, lunch and cost
The Ourika listing warns that the valley can get lively on weekends and in the peak season. None of the sources we use gives a comparable crowd note for Ouzoud, so treat any claim about quiet or busy days there with care and ask your operator.
Lunch is handled differently. The Ourika listing offers two booking options, with lunch or without, while option 3 of our Ouzoud day and the private option include lunch and the other options leave it optional.
On price, the listings start at from $17 for our Ouzoud day and from $15 for the guided Ourika day. Those are starting prices for the cheapest option, not quotes, and the calculator on this page lets you compare them for your group size.
Can you do both?
On separate days, yes, and a trip that is long enough makes them easy to combine. Spread over two days, you can enjoy a relaxed valley day and a bigger waterfall day without rushing either. Book each as its own listing, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
For a single booking, one listing offers a trip of 3 days from Marrakech whose stops are the Ourika Valley, the Ourika River, the Ouzoud Waterfalls and Essaouira, from $76. It is a different shape of holiday from a day trip, and it has no review score on file yet, so we mention it as an option and not a recommendation.
If you only have one day, choose by your priorities. A short drive and a river lunch point to Ourika; a tall cascade and a boat point to Ouzoud. The decision helper and the checklist on this page will confirm it in a few taps.
FAQ
Common questions, answered fast.
How far is the Ourika Valley from Marrakech?
About 1 hour.
The tourism office lists the Ourika Valley as a day trip of about 1 hour from Marrakech.1
Which waterfall trip is longer from Marrakech?
Ouzoud, by a wide margin.
Our Ouzoud day runs 11 to 12 hours with a drive of about 3 hours each way, where a guided Ourika listing runs 7 hours.
Can you swim at Ourika or Ouzoud?
It depends on the option you book.
One Ouzoud listing lists swimming among the stops, and the Ourika listings mention hiking and a riverside lunch.
Which day suits a family with children?
The shorter Ourika day is gentler.
The Ourika hike is optional, and the day returns at about 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Is the Ourika Valley busy at weekends?
It can be.
The Ourika listing says the valley can get lively on weekends and in peak season.
When is the best time for both?
Can I combine Ourika and Ouzoud in one booking?
Yes, a multi-day listing does.
A listing of 3 days from Marrakech visits the Ourika Valley, the Ouzoud Waterfalls and Essaouira.
Read next