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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
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Who:

Chet, me, a hired driver and a local guide named Nasim.

What:

The Cascades D’Ouzoud, the largest waterfall in North Africa.  These stunning falls are located about 150 kilometers from the city of Marrakech in the Grand Atlas Mountain range.  And they are definitely something to see!

Why:

After staying several days in the city of Marrakech, I was curious to see some of Morocco’s countryside.  Marrakech is all kinds of magical but, in my opinion, you can’t get a real for a place until you go outside the city.  After looking at several different day trip options, Chet and I opted for the falls.

The reason adults go here is to check out the incredible scenery – after a two-hour drive, you can take a lovely hike down to the base of the falls, take a pontoon boat road through the spray and then hike on back up again.  Kids will also enjoy these activities (and parents will appreciate giving them some room to move), but the clincher for them will be the two tribes of very friendly Berber Macaques that live on either side of the gorge.

The Low Point:

Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable – he had a lot to tell us about the olive groves, Berber agriculture and the history of the falls.  But he seemed especially knowledgeable about friends and neighbors hawking handmade Berber crafts along the pathway.  He must have taken us on at least 4 detours to their makeshift shops before we even got to the bottom of the falls.

I suppose it’s just the way of it but it’s never fun to a) stop your kid’s forward navigation on a hike knowing that you’ll eventually have to carry him and then b) have to haul him screaming away from a guy selling little stuffed camels because he can’t make change for your 50 dirhan note.  Luckily, after we didn’t buy anything the first four times, Nasim seemed to get the idea.

The second low point was when two monkeys started doing it.  Don’t get me wrong – I’m no puritan when it comes to hot monkey loving.  But I would have preferred that it wasn’t my son pointing out “Monkeys hugging!” while we were surrounded by a bunch of older Moroccan ladies all done up in hijabs.  It made me feel like I couldn’t stop and snap a photo.

The High Point:

For Chet?  No question:  the monkeys.  I cannot imagine my kid having a better time than hand feeding the local Berber macaque population.  He fed them all of the food we carried (note:  macaques are just as fond of Toy Story branded fruit snacks as Chet) and didn’t even balk later when I reminded him we had nothing for him to munch on during the ride home because of the monkeys.  “Oh! Monkeys eat fruit snacks,” he said, smug despite his hunger.  “I eat more later back at hotel.”  And though it is hilarious to see a monkey drink 100% apple juice from a juice box, I didn’t think it was quite as amusing for Chet and a wild animal to literally share a straw.

But Chet was also thrilled with the pontoon boat ride.  He loved getting so close to the spray and seeing the waterfalls from underneath.  And surprisingly, he also enjoyed running the paths down to the falls and up again.  Seeing him faithfully running even back uphill (without whining for me to carry him) might have been the high point of my life.

The Kid’s Take:

For the rest of the trip, Chet woke up each morning and asked me, “We go see monkeys again today?”  I can’t think of any heartier endorsement than that.  And though I’m not asked about the adult’s take, I have to admit that I really enjoyed our trip.  It was a nice drive and, after a few days in the city, it was really nice to get outside and enjoy one of the prettiest natural settings I’ve ever seen.

The Bottom Line:
If you find yourself in Marrakech with your kids, don’t miss an opportunity to head to the falls.  Between the gorgeous countryside, a really fun boat ride and the hot monkey loving, you’ll see a whole new side of Morocco!

November 16th, 2009 | by Kayt Sukel 7 comments