Where and when: Ouzoud Falls, Morocco, 26th January 2025
0830: Early start on our first day of the tour of Morocco. We are heading to the popular Ouzoud falls, about 150km from Marrakech.
1200: After a long drive, we arrive at the waterfalls, which are popular with the locals as the water is believed to have healing properties. The waterfalls empty into the El-Abid River gorge.
There is a windy hike down to reach the bottom of the gorge, where there are many shops and restaurants.
It’s here we get the opportunity to try our first (of many) Moroccan Tagines.
After lunch, we have a bit more time to walk around the falls and admire them from many different viewpoints.
There are also quite a lot of monekys around. They are not as aggressive as you would expect them to be.
Also, for a couple of peanuts they would happily climb on to your back and pose for a photo. Although I steered well clear, given my history with monkeys.
From Ouzoud falls, we headed to see another creation of the El Abid River, the Bin El Ouidane lake – this an artificial lake created from a dam crossing the El Abid River.
The Bin El Ouidane Dam is an arch dam constructed between 1949 and 1953. The purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production and irrigation.
The lake is a popular holiday location in the summer for watersports and fishing. However, the water levels at the lake are at an all time low due to a 6 year drought in Morocco.
The extent of the drought is clear when you see the dry lake bed and also how much the lake has shrunk.
Our home for the night was the Hotel Bin El Ouidane on the shores of the lake. It was on a great location. The hotel itself was a bit shabby, but comfortable enough for one night (no hot water in my room) and the staff were fantastic.
Tomorrow we would have the longest day of the trip (0730 start!), so after dinner it was time for bed.
Diary of a Tourist 