Immouzer Waterfalls

The road from Agadir into the Ida Outanane mountains climbs about sixty kilometres through argan and limestone to Immouzer, and below the village the Assif el-Had drops into a gorge in a series of falls with pools between them. The main fall is around a hundred metres when it is running - and running is the qualification, because the flow is seasonal and has been badly reduced by drought and by upstream abstraction, so for much of the year it is a trickle or nothing at all. Late winter and early spring, after rain, is the window. The gorge itself, with palms and pools in a limestone cleft, is worth the drive regardless, and there is walking down it. The valley's other product is honey: the Ida Outanane produce it from thyme, euphorbia and wild flowers and hold a honey festival in the village, usually in summer, and it is sold along the road.

What you actually see

• A hundred-metre fall - when the water is running, which is a real qualification.
• A palm gorge - pools and palms in a limestone cleft below the village.
• Ida Outanane honey - thyme and wild-flower honey sold along the valley road.
• The mountain drive - sixty kilometres of argan and limestone up from Agadir.

When to go

February to April, after rain, for water. A day.

Honest expectations

The falls are dry for much of the year and have been reduced by drought and abstraction - ask in Agadir before driving up. Guides at the trailhead are persistent. The road is narrow and winding. Honey sold at the roadside varies in authenticity.

Nearby

Agadir is south-west; Paradise Valley is on the same road.