Ouzoud Waterfalls Boat Ride and Lunch by the Falls

• Short raft ride at the foot of the falls, close to the spray
• Lunch on a terrace facing the falls: tagines, salads, bread
• Local guide at Ouzoud for the walk and the viewpoints
• Private vehicle and driver for your group only
• Dietary needs noted at booking and passed to the restaurant
• Boat ride €5 and lunch €30 per person, on top of the tour price

The day, step by step

1. Pickup in Marrakech

   Your driver meets you at your hotel entrance or, for a riad in the medina, at the nearest gate or car park around 8:00. The exact time and point are confirmed after booking.

2. Drive to Ouzoud

   About 3 hours through the plains and into the foothills of the central High Atlas, with a short stop on the way if you need one.

3. Walk to the falls with your guide

   Your local guide leads you down the path past the cafés and old mills to the viewpoints, and points out the Barbary macaques along the way.

4. Raft ride at the foot of the falls

   A short ride on one of the decorated rafts towards the spray, if the water level and weather allow it on the day.

5. Lunch on a terrace facing the falls

   Tagines, salads and bread at a table with a view of the water. Your guide can suggest the dishes and the restaurant knows about your dietary needs in advance.

6. Free time and the walk back up

   Time for photos or a quiet tea before the climb back to the vehicle, either by the same path or the other bank.

7. Return to Marrakech

   Drive back to your hotel or drop-off point, arriving in the early evening.

The boat ride and lunch by the falls are the two extras most visitors want at Ouzoud, and both are easy to add to our private tour from Marrakech. You ride a decorated raft towards the spray at the foot of the 110 m falls, then sit down to tagines on a terrace with the water in front of you. We arrange both for your group, at €5 per person for the boat and €30 per person for lunch, so you are not negotiating prices or looking for a free table while your time on site runs down.

This page explains what the raft ride and the lunch are like, and how we organise them. For the full day itself, see our private Ouzoud tour. If you want every extra included from the start, look at the premium private day.

What is the boat ride at the foot of the falls like?

At the bottom of the path, where the water falls into a wide pool, local boatmen run flat traditional rafts, painted in bright colours and often decorated with carpets and flags. The ride is short. The boatman pushes or poles the raft across the pool towards the falls, close enough to feel the spray and hear the roar, then brings you back to the bank. From the water you see the full height of the three tiers from below.

A few things to know before you go:

• It depends on the water and the weather. When the flow is very strong after rain, or the water has turned red-brown, the boatmen may stop. In late summer, the pool can be lower. Your guide checks on the day.
• You may get wet. Bring a light layer and keep your phone in a pocket or a zip bag.
• Ask for a life vest. The rafts belong to the boatmen, not to us, so equipment can vary. Ask for a vest before boarding, especially for children. Your guide will help.
• It is optional. If you or your children are not keen once you see it, skip it. No one will mind.

Where do you have lunch at Ouzoud?

Along both banks, simple restaurants have built terraces that look straight onto the falls. Lunch here is Moroccan home cooking: tagines, for example chicken with lemon and olives, beef or a vegetable version, plus Moroccan salads, bread and often fruit or mint tea at the end. Eating outdoors with the sound of the water is one of the pleasures of the day.

When you choose the lunch option, we tell the restaurant how many of you are coming and roughly when, so a table is ready and the tagines are on the fire when you arrive. Your guide knows the menu and can help you order.

Dietary needs: tell us when you book. Vegetarian, no pork, no meat, allergies, children who only eat plain food: we pass the information to the restaurant before your visit. Vegetable tagines and salads are always on these menus. For serious allergies, mention it again to the staff on the day, as these are small family kitchens.

Drinks (water, soft drinks, juice) are not included in the lunch. You pay for them directly at the table.

How are the boat and lunch organised on the day?

The order of the day follows the water and the light. In practice it often looks like this:

1. You arrive around late morning and walk down with your local guide, stopping at the viewpoints and passing the old mills and the cafés.
2. At the foot of the falls, your guide takes you to the rafts. If the ride is running, you go out on the water while it is still calm before the lunch rush.
3. You climb up to the terrace restaurant for lunch, with the falls in view.
4. After lunch you have free time for photos, a walk along the other bank or a quiet mint tea, before heading back up to your vehicle.

Your guide adapts this to the crowds and your pace. With children or older travellers, we keep the walking simple and the stops longer. If you would like to know more about what the guide does, read our page on the local guide at Ouzoud.

Which offer includes the boat and lunch?

On the transport and tour offers, the boat ride adds €5 per person and lunch €30 per person to the vehicle price. For example, four people on the private Ouzoud tour with both options pay €220 + 4 x €5 + 4 x €30 = €360. On the premium day, both are included in the €35 per person added to the vehicle price, so the same four people also pay €360, with the guide for their group only. The booking form shows the total before you pay, and our prices page has the full price list.

Practical tips

• Shoes: wear trainers or walking sandals with grip. The path down has steps and slopes, and the bank near the rafts can be wet.
• Pushchairs: they are hard on the way down. A baby carrier is easier.
• Macaques: you will often see Barbary macaques near the path and the terraces. They are an endangered species, and research links feeding by tourists to stress and aggression in the troop, so please do not feed them, and keep food out of sight at lunch.
• Cash: bring small notes for drinks, tips and anything you buy at the stalls, plus the balance for your driver.

Book your boat and lunch day

Choose the tour, your date and the number of travellers in the booking form, tick the boat ride and lunch, and the total appears straight away. You pay a 50% deposit by PayPal or bank card through PayPal, receive your confirmation by email, and pay the balance in cash to the driver on the day. For questions or special requests, write to us on WhatsApp at +212 661 454 738, and the FAQ covers the rest.