What is the best month for the Ourika Valley?

The Ourika Valley is the closest slice of the High Atlas to Marrakech — barely an hour from the city — and its character changes a lot with the season, so timing really matters. My clear pick is spring, March through May. The winter snowmelt feeds the river so the famous Setti Fatma waterfalls at the head of the valley are full and thundering, the valley floor is green and the riverside cafés and fruit trees are at their best, all under mild 18–25°C skies. It is the Ourika of the postcards.

Autumn, September and October, is my quiet second choice. The water is lower than in spring and the falls less dramatic, but the heat has broken, the walnut trees along the river turn gold, and crucially the crowds have gone. If you want the valley's scenery without the bustle, an autumn weekday is a lovely, gentle day out.

The trap to avoid is a summer weekend. Because Ourika is so close and so much cooler than the city, Marrakech families pour up here on hot Saturdays and Sundays to picnic by the river — the road clogs, the riverside cafés overflow, and the path to the waterfalls turns into a queue. If summer is your only option, go on a weekday and start early, and you can still enjoy the cool air and the water without the scrum.

Two honest notes whatever month you choose. The walk up to the upper Setti Fatma falls is a real scramble over boulders, not a stroll, so wear proper shoes. And the valley is prone to flash floods after heavy rain — there was a serious one here historically — so I always check the weather and would never take guests up a swollen river. Pair Ourika with a village lunch and it makes a perfect, easy first taste of the mountains.