The Ourika Valley With Kids

Should You Visit the Ourika Valley With Kids?

An hour from Marrakech and a world away from it, the Ourika Valley with kids is the easiest good decision we made in Morocco. The air is cooler, the river is lined with restaurants built out over the water, and our girls spent their days with ponies and farm animals instead of medina crowds. It is also where we had dinner in a local family home, which is still the best thing we did in the entire country.

Ourika Valley is just a short drive from Marrakech making it a popular destination for locals escaping the city as well as tourists.  The valley is beautiful and the weather in summer is temperate compared to other areas of Morocco.  The village is small and the locals sell their home made goods along the road as you venture further into the valley.  We had one of our favorite experiences in Morocco here, but more on that later.  Since our visit was during COVID, we experienced a very quiet Ourika Valley.  We were told there is usually a lot more crowds, so our experience here may differ from yours…

Where We Stayed in the Ourika Valley

We stayed in the boutique hotel Ferme By Ikalimo Ourika.  This was the PERFECT hotel experience for a family traveling with children.  Our kids did not want to leave and they talked about this hotel for the rest of our journey through Morocco.  The accommodations were great, the rooms styled nicely and everything was clean.  But what really set this hotel apart from the rest was the farm animals and play equipment.

The journey from the street to the hotel is not for the faint of heart, but a fun journey nonetheless.  You must cross a bridge over the river and climb many many stairs to reach the top of the hillside where you are rewarded with beautiful views and a welcome Moroccan mint tea in your room.  The staff carries all of your luggage, so do not fret about hauling that up the hillside (our 3 year old made the climb numerous times with almost no complaints).  Here is a peek at that journey…

The incredible views as you work your way up to your room.

We enjoyed a lovely (included) breakfast each morning while taking in the views of Ourika Valley.

The staff here were lovely and Jamal was assigned to us during our stay.  He was such an incredible host and the kids loved him.  He gave us his cell number so we could text him on WhatsApp when we were ready for breakfast or when the girls wanted to ride the horses (which was all the time), and he would prepare everything before arrival so we never had to wait around.  It was such a personalized experience.

What We Did in the Ourika Valley With Kids

Hiking and exploring nature

  There are lots of natural places to explore in Ourika valley: waterfalls, rivers and exploring the High Atlas Mountains.  We opted for a simple hike to a waterfall since we had little legs in tow.  Boujeema our guide throughout Morocco (see our Sun Trails Morocco page for our experience journeying the country with a guide, spoiler, it was AMAZING) hooked us up with a local hike guide.  His name was Mohammed and he made sure we didn’t get lost and helped carry Kaida across the river a few times!

He was very kind and although I don’t know that it is truly necessary to have a guide, it seemed customary.  It also helps support the local economy which we were happy to do. Especially for like 10 USD.

The hike started in Sti Fadma where the Ourika River rushes past restaurants set up on its banks.  After the hike we grabbed a casual lunch and enjoyed the view.

Having dinner with a local family

was one of our top experiences in all of Morocco.  This was arranged by our driver Boujeema who knew many locals in the area.  We were lucky enough to enjoy a Friday dinner with the family.  Friday is a special day in Morocco, a day of rest, in which Couscous is made by the family, and is often a very time consuming process.  Couscous in Morocco has an UNESCO recognition, so to experience truly authentic couscous in a home with a family was AMAZING!

We were welcomed with such hospitality.  Although the family spoke no English, their warmth and joy made everything comfortable and almost as if we were home.  Of course, we also had Boujeema there to translate.   They showed us around their home so our girls and ourselves could have the opportunity to see what a traditional rural home looks like.  Viona thought it was fantastic that the cows lived inside the home in a room next to the kitchen.  Dawson and I had such an appreciation and respect for the workspace and tools they used in their kitchen.  The food they made was incredible and done with such minimalistic tools and little to no counter space.  I was almost embarrassed to think of how many knick knacks and single use tools we have in our kitchen back home!  It was fascinating to watch them make their bread and then having the opportunity to eat it fresh and piping hot.

We sat down in their entertaining room and the wife and head of household showed and made for  us traditional Moroccan mint tea.  Lots and lots of sugar!!!  I am still dreaming about the couscous.  I’m also sad because all other couscous have been ruined for me.  You have never had couscous until you have it in a Moroccan home.  They also made french fries for little Kaida who decided to live solely on french fries during our three weeks in Morocco.  We saw The Martian and Matt Damon survived on potatoes for over a year, so we figured she would be fine for a few weeks. 

The girls also met Doha, a little girl who was a family friend visiting the home while we were there.  Although it took a bit to warm up to each other, you would think that they had been friends forever.  It was a perfect reminder that language was not important.  They could communicate just fine through gestures and facial expressions and not even realize that there was a language barrier.

In hopes to have an experience like this, we brought several small toys from the US to gift children in the home as a small thank you.  We wanted our kids to share something from our culture with them, since they shared so much with us.  The girls gave Doha a hatchimal toy and the older girls some lego bracelet sets.  Watching our girls play with Doha melted my heart.  Kaida was so sad to leave her.

Planning the Ourika Valley With Kids

Stay the night, do not just day trip it. Most people drive up from Marrakech and turn around the same afternoon. The hotel was the part our kids talked about for the rest of the trip, and you cannot get that in four hours.

Know about the climb before you book. Getting up to Ferme By Ikalimo means crossing a bridge over the river and then a lot of stairs up the hillside. The staff carry every bag, and our three year old made the climb over and over with almost no complaining, so it is more manageable than it sounds. Just do not arrive expecting to roll a suitcase to your door.

Get your host on WhatsApp. Jamal was assigned to us and gave us his number, so we could message ahead for breakfast or for the horses and everything was ready when we walked down. With small kids, not waiting around is worth more than almost any other hotel feature.

The waterfall hike works with little legs. We took the short route rather than a serious trek. A local guide runs about ten dollars, and while it is probably not strictly necessary, it is customary and the money stays in the valley. Ours also carried Kaida across the river more than once, which paid for itself.

Eat on the water at Sti Fadma. The restaurants sit right on the riverbank with tables practically in the current, and it is a very easy lunch after the hike.

If a family dinner is offered, say yes. Ours was arranged by our driver, on a Friday, which is the day Moroccan families make couscous from scratch. We brought small toys from home to give the children, which felt like the right way to arrive.

We saw it empty, and you probably will not. We visited during COVID and had the valley almost to ourselves. We were told it is normally busy with locals escaping the city, so plan for company on weekends.

We reached the Ourika Valley on the same three week loop that took us through Azrou, Fes and the Sahara Desert, all of it driven with Sun Trails.

I can’t thank Boujeema enough for introducing us to this lovely family and giving us such a wonderful experience that we will treasure for the rest of our lives.  Thank you Boujeema!!!  To read about all of the things Boujeema and Sun Trails did to make our trip extra special, visit our Sun Trails Morocco page.