The Ourika Valley

The Ourika is the valley Marrakech escapes to when the city gets too hot. An hour's drive south, the road follows a river up into the first ridges of the High Atlas past terraced fields, walnut trees and mud-brick villages built into the slope, and cafés put tables and carpets directly in the riverbed, which is half the point of a visit. The road ends at Setti Fatma, where a rough scramble up the rocks leads to a chain of small waterfalls, the first reached in about half an hour and the rest higher and harder. Along the way there are argan and herb cooperatives, a Monday souk at Tnine Ourika, and almond blossom on the terraces in February.

What you actually see

• The Setti Fatma falls - a scramble up the rocks to the first and higher cascades.
• The riverside cafés - tables set in the shallows under the trees.
• The terraced villages - mud-brick houses and walnut groves on the slopes.
• The valley road - the drive up from the plain into the first Atlas ridges.

When to go

Spring gives the best combination of green fields, snow still on the peaks above and a decent flow at the falls. Summer weekends are packed with day trippers from Marrakech, so go on a weekday and start early. Autumn is quieter and clear. Avoid the valley entirely during heavy rain, when the river rises fast.

Honest expectations

This is the most touristed valley in the Atlas and it shows: guides attach themselves to you at the parking area, shops line the last stretch of road, and prices are quoted high for foreigners. The climb to the first waterfall is a genuine rock scramble rather than a path, and it is slippery. The falls themselves are modest. Flash floods after storms are a real hazard here.

Nearby

The Oukaimeden plateau branches off the same road, and Marrakech is an hour back down the valley.