Ouzoud Falls — waterfall
Alexander Leisser · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ouzoud Falls

  • Elevation1,068 m
  • 1 min read
  • 32.015° N 6.719° W

Interesting facts

  • The falls stand about 1.6 kilometres up a side gorge that the stream has cut backwards from the El Abid canyon by retreating erosion.
  • As the water loses carbon dioxide it deposits porous tufa around the falls, a young rock that is still growing and forms small caves and dripstones.
  • The main canyon of the Oued El Abid, into which the falls drain, is cut about 100 metres deep into Jurassic limestone.
  • The stream that feeds the falls is the Oued Tissakht, also called the Oued Ouzoud, and the falls drop from roughly 1,060 metres above sea level.
  • About a dozen small traditional mills still work at the top of the falls, keeping alive the grain-grinding that gave the place its name.
  • The river below, the Oued El Abid, carries an Arabic name usually translated as the River of the Slaves.
  • Morocco lists the falls and their gorge as a Site of Biological and Ecological Interest, a national category for protected natural areas.

Why it is worth it

The Ouzoud Falls pour over the lip of a red-rock gorge in the Atlas mountains of Azilal Province, dropping around 110 metres in three main steps, the longest a single plunge of about 75 metres. They are the tallest waterfalls in Morocco, and the spray hangs over the basin like smoke. Below, the water runs on into the gorge of the Oued El Abid.

The name is Berber and refers to grinding grain, a reminder that the falls were a working landscape long before they were a view. Small water-driven mills were built into the rock along the stream and used for wheat and olives, and the slopes around the gorge are planted with olive groves that feed the village of Tanaghmeilt at the top of the falls. The mix of terraced trees, red sandstone and white water is what makes the place so photogenic.

The gorge is also home to troops of Barbary macaques, North Africa's only wild monkeys and an endangered species, which move through the olive trees along the paths. A trail loops down from the top of the falls to the pool at their foot and back up the other side, with viewpoints at several levels; the view from below, looking up at all three tiers at once, is the one to wait for.

Getting there

The falls are near the village of Tanaghmeilt, about 15 km in a straight line from the town of Azilal and around 36 km by road; Marrakesh is about 150 km away and is where most day trips start. The nearest airport is Beni Mellal Airport (BEM), about 57 km away as the crow flies. Paths from the car parks and cafés at the top lead down into the gorge; wear shoes with grip, as the rock by the water is often wet.

On these lists

The Most Beautiful Places in Morocco 21The Most Beautiful Waterfalls 90The Most Beautiful Water Wonders 429

From the encyclopaedia

Ouzoud Falls is the collective name for several waterfalls in the province of Azilal in Morocco. The waterfalls empty into the El-Abid River's gorge. A popular tourism destination, they are located 36 kilometres (22 mi) from the town of Azilal and 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Marrakesh. 'Ouzoud' means "the act of grinding grain" in Berber.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

32.01528, -6.71889per Wikidata