Day trips from Marrakech: Ourika, Agafay, Essaouira, Ouzoud, Aït Ben Haddou

In short

• Ourika valley: 35 km, 1 h, half day or full day, from 150 MAD in a group. The easiest.
• Agafay desert: 30 km, 45 min, evening, 35 to 95 € per person. The most photogenic.
• Essaouira: 175 km, 2.5 to 3 h, long day, from 172 MAD in a group. The ocean.
• Ouzoud waterfalls: 150 km, 2.5 h, full day, from 229 MAD in a group. Morocco's highest falls.
• Aït Ben Haddou: 190 km, 4 h over the Tizi n'Tichka, very long day or overnight, from 250 MAD. The film set.

Marrakech is a base: in an hour you are in the Atlas, in under an hour in a stone desert, in three hours on the Atlantic. Here are the five excursions we recommend, from easiest to hardest. "Group" prices are those of the shared minibuses sold in town in 2026; privately, allow 900 to 1,500 MAD per vehicle per day with driver, excluding guide and lunch. We organise all these days privately from your accommodation, see our excursions page.

1. The Ourika valley and Setti Fatma

The drive

35 kilometres south on the Ourika road, an hour by car. The road follows the river, the Berber villages, the potters and the argan oil cooperatives.

On site

Setti Fatma, at the end of the road, is the start of the walk to the seven waterfalls: 30 minutes to the first, accessible to all, 2 hours round trip for all seven with a local guide (50 to 100 MAD). Tagine lunch on the terraces set in the riverbed, 80 to 150 MAD. On the way back, the Ourika organic aromatic garden and the Monday market at Tnine Ourika.

When

All year. Ideal in spring when the peaks are still snowy and the cherry trees in bloom. Avoid Sundays, the locals' day out.

Price

Half day or full day in a group from 150 MAD per person. Privately, 900 to 1,200 MAD per vehicle. Our Ourika road villas are halfway there.

2. The Agafay desert

The drive

30 kilometres south-west, 45 minutes. No sand dunes: a stone desert of ochre hills facing the Atlas, by the Lalla Takerkoust lake.

On site

The camps line the main track. A typical evening: arrival at 4:30 pm, quad or camel ride, tea at sunset, Moroccan dinner, musicians, campfire, return around 10 pm. Overnight possible in a luxury tent.

Price

Evening with dinner and show from 35 € in the standard package to 95 € in a luxury camp, transfers included. An hour of quad 35 to 45 € all inclusive. Dinner alone in a high-end camp 55 to 80 €. Privately for our guests, we book the camp and the return transfer from the villa.

When

All year; evenings are cool from October to April, bring a jacket. In summer it is the ideal outing since it starts as the heat drops.

3. Essaouira

The drive

175 kilometres west by motorway then national road, 2.5 to 3 hours. Possible stops at argan cooperatives and the goat-climbed argan trees.

On site

The Skala ramparts facing the Atlantic, the blue fishing harbour, the UNESCO-listed medina, calmer and straighter than Marrakech's, the thuya marquetry workshops, grilled fish at the harbour (60 to 120 MAD). The wind is constant: this is the capital of kitesurfing and surfing.

When

All year, and above all in summer when Marrakech swelters: it is 25 °C in Essaouira in August. Gnaoua Festival 25 to 27 June 2026, book everything ahead.

Price

Day in a group from 172 MAD per person. Privately 1,200 to 1,500 MAD per vehicle. Allow 10 to 12 hours door to door. With young children, sleep there one night.

4. The Ouzoud waterfalls

The drive

150 kilometres north-east, 2.5 hours by the Azilal road.

On site

The falls drop 110 metres in three tiers into a canyon planted with olive trees, the highest in North Africa. Walk down to the pool (30 minutes), boats to approach the curtain of water, Barbary macaques on the path, lunch on the terraces facing the falls. The site has been under redevelopment since 2025.

When

From March to June the flow is at its maximum after the snowmelt. In summer you can swim in the pool.

Price

Day in a group from 229 MAD per person. Privately 1,300 to 1,600 MAD per vehicle. 10 hours door to door.

5. Aït Ben Haddou and the Tizi n'Tichka pass

The drive

190 kilometres south-east on the Ouarzazate road, 4 hours each way over the Tizi n'Tichka at 2,260 metres, Morocco's highest road pass. Widened and resurfaced but winding: bring something for motion sickness.

On site

The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, a fortified earthen village listed by UNESCO, set of Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia and Game of Thrones. Climb to the fortified granary in 20 minutes for the view over the valley. Stop at the Telouet kasbah, former residence of the Glaoui, on the alternative road.

When

All year except exceptional snow on the pass in January or February. Best light in the morning.

Price

Day in a group from 250 MAD per person, but 12 hours of which 8 on the road. We recommend a night in Ouarzazate or in a valley kasbah: 2 days, 1 night privately from 3,500 MAD per vehicle, accommodation extra.

What to bring

• Water, hat, sunscreen, even in winter.
• Closed shoes for the waterfalls and the ksar.
• A jacket for Agafay in the evening and the Tizi n'Tichka all year.
• Cash: sites, local guides and village restaurants do not take cards.
• Swimwear at Ouzoud and Essaouira.

Group or private?

The shared minibus is unbeatable on price but imposes the timetable, the shop stops and 15 companions. Privately, you leave when you want from your accommodation, you choose the stops and the restaurant, and the price is shared between 4 and 7 people. For a villa of 8, private often works out cheaper per head.