This was my second time in Morocco, but this trip was a slightly different experience. I travelled with my boyfriend and we only had a few days to explore Marrakech.

If you're curious about my first trip to Morocco, you can read all about it here: Top Tips for a Memorable Marrakesh Getaway

We also happened to visit during Ramadan. We hadn't actually checked this before booking, so we only realised quite close to our departure. At first, we were a little worried that restaurants and attractions might have limited opening hours, but luckily this didn't really affect our trip.

In fact, I think I preferred Marrakech during Ramadan. There seemed to be fewer tourists around, which made exploring the city more enjoyable.

Exploring Marrakech

We arrived in the morning and managed to check into our hotel around midday, which was great considering it was a little further from the airport.

We had booked at Iberostar Waves Club Palmeraie Marrakech, a four-star hotel with half board, and it was honestly one of the highlights of the trip. The room was beautiful, the hotel itself was stunning, the service was great and there was plenty of food.

The hotel also offered a free shuttle bus into town at certain times, which made getting into Marrakech really easy.

As this was my second time in Marrakech, I didn't have a particular list of attractions I wanted to visit. My boyfriend had never been before, so we simply explored the city together.

We spent time in the Medina, wandered around the markets and visited the Ensemble Artisanal. We had planned to visit one of the palaces, but unfortunately it had closed earlier that day.

We didn't mind too much. One of my favourite moments was actually sitting on a terrace in the Medina with a traditional Moroccan tea, watching people go by and simply enjoying the atmosphere.

And when we weren't exploring, the hotel gave us plenty to do. With swimming pools, tennis, table tennis and other activities, we could easily have spent a whole week there without getting bored.

Ouzoud Waterfalls Day Trip from Marrakech: What to Expect

The following day was our only full day, so we decided to take a day trip to the Ouzoud Waterfalls.

I found the excursion on GetYourGuide, which I often use when travelling as there are plenty of activities and day trips to choose from. On my first trip to Morocco, I had booked a desert excursion through the same type of platform, so this time I wanted to do something completely different.

The waterfalls are around 150 km from Marrakech, so the journey was quite long. However, the excursion included transportation, which is my preferred option for a day trip like this.

We left early in the morning and arrived at Ouzoud at a decent time. From there, we followed a hiking trail around the waterfalls with our guide.

The waterfall itself was absolutely beautiful. At around 110 metres high, it is one of Morocco's most impressive natural attractions, and we got to see it from several different viewpoints as we walked around.

Seeing the Barbary Macaques at Ouzoud Falls

One of the unexpected highlights was seeing the Barbary macaques.

These monkeys are native to North Africa and can be found around the Ouzoud area. They were everywhere, casually moving through the trees and around the paths.

They were very cute and definitely made some of my photos even better!

We also took a small boat trip to get closer to the waterfall. I really enjoyed this because it gave us a completely different view and allowed us to appreciate just how impressive the falls are from below.

Along the way, we also saw donkeys being used to carry goods and help with everyday work in the area.

Lunch with a View

The excursion included lunch at a restaurant overlooking the waterfall.

The food was good, but honestly, the view was the best part. Sitting outside with the waterfalls in front of us made it a really enjoyable stop.

The meal was around €12 and the restaurant only accepted cash, although we had been warned about this beforehand.

After lunch, we started the journey back to Marrakech. The excursion took up most of the day, so by the time we returned to the hotel, we were ready for a relaxing evening.

The next day, we had a slow morning before heading to the airport around midday.

Visiting Marrakech During Ramadan

Overall, Ramadan didn't have a negative impact on our trip.

Some attractions did close earlier than usual, which is how we missed out on visiting one of the palaces, but otherwise we were able to explore Marrakech, eat out and enjoy the city without any major problems.

Personally, I actually preferred the quieter atmosphere.

Final Thoughts

This was a very short trip, but we really enjoyed it.

We had a great hotel, spent time exploring Marrakech and then had a completely different experience visiting the Ouzoud Waterfalls. The flights, hotel, food and activities were all reasonably cheap, so overall it was a very affordable getaway.

If you're staying in Marrakech and have a spare day, I would definitely recommend a trip to Ouzoud Waterfalls. The journey is quite long, but the views, hiking, monkeys and boat ride make it worth it.