Day 3 was our last full day in Morocco as our flight back to the UK was for the morning of the next day. My plans for the day included visiting Ouzoud waterfall, a visit to the spa for a much-needed back massage and exploring the Medina square. Like other days, after having breakfast, I sat out to soak some warmth from the sun as we waited for the tour bus. If you have stayed in the UK through the winter for months, you’d understand why I never missed any chance I got to sit under the sun through out my stay in Morocco.
The trip to the waterfall took about 3 hours. On our way, we stopped at an argan oil cooperative to buy some argan oil because I didn’t buy the previous day. They had even more products than the place we stopped the previous day, and we ended up spending over 30 minutes there shopping. The sales attendants attended to us nicely. They spent good time explaining the use of the different products they had and even gave us a discount and free items for buying several things.
From the argan oil cooperative, we headed straight to the waterfall where we met our tour guide.
Ouzoud waterfalls
Ouzoud waterfall has different platforms where you can stand to observe the waterfall from different angles. When we arrived, we wanted to climb down to the last platform so we could enter a boat that would take us to the base of the waterfall. Our tour guide said it would take us about an hour to get to the bottom, and climbing back up would take almost 3 hours.
Eventually we didn’t climb down to the bottom of the waterfall again because if we did, we would have gotten back to the hotel late, plus we still wanted to go to the spa and market that day. We climbed only two platforms.
On the first platform we stopped at, there were monkeys and people sharing groundnuts that we could give the monkeys. I should have used “selling” instead of “sharing” because what really occurs is that they offer you groundnuts without mentioning payment. After you’ve fed the monkeys, they come asking for money. If you don’t have any money to give them, don’t collect the groundnuts.
After feeding the monkeys and taking some pictures there, we climbed down to the next platform. We were able to observe the waterfall from a closer range from there.
One interesting thing I noticed around the waterfall were rainbows. I did some research and learnt that rainbows near waterfalls are formed by the refraction of sunlight through the water droplets- just the same way the rainbow in the sky forms. Nature is truly amazing.
After taking pictures, we ate some ice cream, had lunch then headed back to the hotel.
Spa
For a long time, I’ve been wanting to treat myself to a spa day for a full body massage. But for whatever reason, I never had. So when we arrived our hotel the first day, and I learnt that they offered spa services, I promised myself I was going to visit the spa before leaving Morocco.
As soon as we got back to the hotel from the waterfall, I went and booked a session. Thankfully, they had two slots left.
I had imagined that my spa experience would leave me feeling brand new. I have seen several commercials and pictures that depict how people feel after a massage. It looked like a refreshing experience. But my spa experience left me feeling… confused and, to be damn honest, disappointed — as confused and disappointed as the first day I smelled a rose and discovered that there was nothing fancy about how roses smell. They smell like almost any other plant!
I booked a full back massage. The masseuse tried—what I’d say was—her best. She worked every inch of her hands massaging me to the extent that I felt she would also need a massage herself afterwards. But when she was done, I didn’t feel any different. I only felt properly moisturized, courtesy of the massage oil she used.
I thought I needed to give the massage time to marinate before the effect would kick in, but my dear, I didn’t feel any different at any time later. Perhaps, I should have for a full body massage or something else. I dunno.
If you’ve been to the spa for a massage before, what was your experience? Did you feel good after the massage? Please share in the comments section, I’d really like to know.
Medina square
The market we visited is called the Medina square.
The Medina Square, also known as the Jemaa el-Fnaa, is one of the most popular places in Marrakech. I could say it is the Lagos Balogun market of Marrakech. There are fruits stands and souks where you can buy so many things ranging from clothes, to ceramics, spices, crafted items, books, jewellries, toys, perfumes, etc.
We went to the market around 12am, and the city was still very much awake! Marrakech really has some of Lagos’ vibes.
I bought some souvenirs (a fridge magnet and key holder with Morocco written on both) and perfume oils. My travel companions bought some souvenirs, perfume oils and jalabiya. I also bought roasted corn🤸♀️😁. I love soft roasted corn. It is the next best thing after yam😅.
Final thoughts on my day 3
My day 3 was a bit underwhelming. I didn’t get the full excitement I looked forward to experiencing in any of the activities I engaged in because I rushed through them for want of time.
As I mentioned in the previous episode, Ouzoud waterfall was a bonus activity on our itinerary, so I guess I can’t sulk about not exploring it as much as I would have loved to. Ouzoud waterfall can be a full day activity. So if you’re creating an itinerary for your trip to Morocco and you’d like to add a visit to the waterfall, consider setting aside a full day for it- that’s if you want to hike the trails around the waterfall down to its base and back up.
As for our trip to the Medina square, because we got there by past 12am, we couldn’t explore the market for long. I can even say we didn’t see the beauty of the square well because it was night already. It would have been a more interesting adventure if we went there during the day. If you’ll like to visit the market (I think you should), consider making it a half day activity and going during the day.
Frequently asked questions
Are Ouzoud waterfalls worth it?
Yes, visiting the waterfalls is worth it. The views around the waterfall are strikingly beautiful. Depending on where you stand, for miles, all you’ll see are the clear water, plants, mountains and the deep blue skies.
Also, if listening to water sounds makes you calm, you’ll feel at ease there.
What is there to do in Ouzoud Falls?
There’s quite a bit to do at Ouzoud falls. You could swim, take a boat trip, play with the monkeys. It is somewhere you can easily spend all day at relaxing. There are also restaurants and stores there you could explore.
How far is Marrakech from Ouzoud Waterfalls?
It took us about 4 hours to get to Ouzoud waterfalls from Marrakech. But I could say it’s a 3 hour+ journey considering that we spent 30 minutes+ when stopped at the argan cooperative to buy some things.
Vacationing in Morocco is a 4-part series on how my vacation in Morocco went. This is the final episode in this 4-part series. Please catch up on the previous 3 via the links below and share your thoughts or any questions you may have as you read.
Part 1: Vacationing in Morocco: Arriving Marrakech.
