Chasing waterfalls and camel riding: An epic Agafay and Atlas mountains excursion
When vacationing in Marrakech, you’re just a short drive away from some of Morocco’s most incredible day trips. While researching our trip back in Geneva, our Google and YouTube searches pointed us towards four major sights: the Agafay Desert, the Ourika Valley, the Ouzoud Waterfalls, and Lac Lalla Takerkoust. Agafay was our absolute first choice. […]
When vacationing in Marrakech, you’re just a short drive away from some of Morocco’s most incredible day trips. While researching our trip back in Geneva, our Google and YouTube searches pointed us towards four major sights: the Agafay Desert, the Ourika Valley, the Ouzoud Waterfalls, and Lac Lalla Takerkoust.
Agafay was our absolute first choice. We were dying to experience our first-ever camel ride and catch a desert sunset over a great meal. As for the others, the Ourika Valley and Ouzoud Waterfalls offered a bit more excitement than Lac Lalla Takerkoust—an artificial lake surrounded by forests and hiking trails that, while beautiful, didn’t quite make the final cut.
For our second choice, we were torn between Ourika and Ouzoud, which lie in completely different directions from Marrakech. Ourika boasted seven waterfalls, but we weren’t sure we could manage the steep hike to the very first one. On the other hand, Ouzoud had the added advantage of a boat ride right up to its primary waterfall. Ultimately, drive time made the decision for us: the journey to Ouzoud was three hours each way, while Ourika was only an hour away. We chose Ourika, and it turned out to be a fantastic decision.
A magical evening of camel trekking, desert dining
Rebecca—Yvette’s daughter and the lead organiser of her 80th birthday party—had recommended Kamal’s transport service for easy access to the Meet & Greet event located deep in the intricate belly of the Medina. Her party was the exact reason for our travel to Marrakech. The company sent us Rachid—an amiable, courteous, and helpful guide. He quickly became our go-to driver for our tours to Agafay and Ourika.
We were incredibly eager to ride a camel, so Agafay was our very first excursion. Our research suggested that the best time to leave Marrakech was around 16:00, when the intense midday heat begins to fade. It turned out to be the perfect timing, allowing us to finish our one-hour drive and camel ride just as the sun began to set.
Leaving Marrakech at that hour felt like stepping into a different world. Vast open plains replaced the iconic red ochre walls, and the flat landscape gradually began to change into the arid, vegetation-free hills that defined the Agafay Desert.
Rachid assumed we had booked a specific desert camp for our camel ride and dinner, but we hadn’t realised a reservation was necessary! We quickly dashed for our phones to search for the best spot. Seeing the sheer number of campsites scattered across the landscape instantly reminded us of our 2024 holiday in Namibia, which shares a remarkably similar, sweeping arid environment.
Inara Camp was listed as one of the best camps, but finding it proved tricky. We wound our way through narrow dirt roads, passing gorgeous desert camps and roaming camels. Watching the sun set over the undulating stone landscape with the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop was truly unforgettable.
When we finally got to Inara, the security guard refused to let us in because we didn’t have a reservation. However, Rachid asked him in Arabic for a comparable camp that didn’t require a reservation for camel rides. He suggested Bédouin Lodge. This was a masterstroke. Even though we didn’t intend to spend the night at the lodge, we were allowed to ride their camels and join their guests for dinner after paying a fee.
The lodge suggested a two-hour camel ride. Since we hadn’t ridden camels before, we didn’t want to risk a long trek, so we settled on an hour. We were dressed in Berber turbans, introduced to our guide, Hamza, and helped onto our mounts. Monica led the way on a camel named Reuben, I followed on Isabella, and Kadie brought up the rear on Aisha.
Getting on and off the camels was the most difficult part of the experience. As novices, we needed help from several men to avoid sliding off. But once we were firmly seated, all we had to do was hold tightly to the metal saddle horn to maintain our balance.
From there, it was a joyful ride, with Hamza entertaining us with jokes and stories. He was surprised that I knew so many of Morocco’s top football players, like Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz, although he was deeply disappointed that I preferred FC Barcelona to Real Madrid.
The buffet dinner was a surreal experience. The lodge looked like a city in the desert—it was exquisitely landscaped, with numerous chalet-like luxury tents and multiple outdoor swimming pools. This included a stunning infinity pool that resembled a natural oasis stretching straight into the desert, as well as a heated, natural lake-shaped pool. The entire area looked like paradise with the lights on when we were leaving the lodge.
The buffet comprised a wide variety of Moroccan dishes, such as tagines, couscous, kefta, grilled chicken, and savoury stews, as well as assorted vegetables and soups. The service was first-class—each table had a dedicated waiter who cleared the plates within seconds of us finishing a dish. Our waiter even carried our food from the buffet area to our table.
The sunset over the Atlas Mountains was indescribable. The rays of the dimming sun cast a warm, yellowish glow across the peaks, making it truly magnificent to enjoy our meal with such a view.
Later, we were entertained by traditional performers, including a belly dancer wearing a glowing, mesmerising costume. She moved around the tables inviting guests to join her, and since Monica was sitting directly in her path, she couldn’t avoid being selected. It was an incredibly fun spectacle. To wrap up the entertainment, a spectacular fire dancer eating and spitting fire brought the night to a thrilling close.
Trekking the Atlas mountains to the stunning Ourika waterfalls
The following day, we set off early with Rachid to explore the Ourika Waterfall in the Atlas Mountains. It took an hour to reach Ourika town, followed by a breathtakingly beautiful 35-minute drive along the winding roads from the start of the valley to the base of the trail. The dramatic scenery instantly conjured up images of the classic car chase from Our Man in Marrakech—a spy film I vividly remember watching as a teenager back in the 1960s in Freetown.
Before starting the trail, Rachid took us to a Berber house, where we observed a group of Berber women cracking argan seeds from their shells and processing them into oil. We were then introduced to another Berber woman in a large room filled with other tourists. She served us mint tea and discussed the different oils, herbs, and perfumes processed in the cooperative. Because we had already visited a similar cooperative in the Medina—where we bought quite a few products—Kadie and Monica bought only a few items this time.
Ourika has seven waterfalls, but most people don’t go beyond the first one, which requires a lot of effort to reach. We weren’t entirely sure we would make it to that first level, so we told the guide we hired at the start of the trek that we would turn back if we encountered any problems. I had already felt a little bit of discomfort while walking up the tarred street leading to the mountain, but I decided to give it a try anyway.
The first part of the trek had steps, which made it easy to climb, but it got more rocky and difficult as we ascended. Numerous shops selling traditional Berber products lined the path to the waterfall. The guide stopped at one of the shops for us to try on Berber costumes and take photos in lovely Berber settings. He and the shop owner dressed us up in full Berber regalia—it was hilarious! Further up, our guide stopped at another shop where we observed a craftsman turning special stones into household objects. We ended up buying two lovely soap dishes made of stone.
Stopping many times to rest and use the bathroom helped us immensely to cope with the steep, rugged slope. It took us forty minutes to reach the waterfall rather than the estimated twenty. We were surprised to find that piped running water was available in the toilets way up on the mountain, even if they were traditional squat toilets. Along the way, we passed many other tourists, some returning from the waterfall and others heading up just like us.
About three minutes from our ‘golden fleece,’ Monica and Kadie complained that they couldn’t continue. I thought they would rest for a few minutes and push on, since we had already completed more than ninety percent of the journey. But they insisted they weren’t feeling well and had reached the end of their endurance. We told them to wait while the guide and I continued, and I promised to capture beautiful photos and videos of the waterfall for them. The last stretch was actually very difficult; I wouldn’t have made it without the guide’s helping hand.
There were many tourists at the waterfall when we got there. Its power generated so much mist and thunderous sound. It was truly picturesque with the surrounding mountain peaks and greenery. I felt like spending a lot of time there, but Kadie and Monica were waiting down below for me to return, show them my videos, and describe the experience.
Going down was much easier and faster. Rachid took us to the riverfront, where a row of brightly coloured restaurants lined the banks. There, we enjoyed a delicious multi-course meal of spicy pumpkin soup, couscous, tagine, mint tea, and ice cream for just USD 13 each. We were virtually sitting in the water while we ate—it was a fitting end to a marvellous holiday.
Culled
https://yusufbangura.substack.com/p/chasing-waterfalls-and-camel-riding?r=e47hg&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true