Ourika Valley Weather, Floods and the River

For an Ourika Valley day the weather that matters is rain, because of the river. The waterfalls above Setti Fatma are a mountain stream whose flow varies with the season and the rainfall, and the valley has a history of floods: after the floods of 1995, which killed nearly 200 people according to the Agence du Bassin Hydraulique du Tensift (ABHT), the river basin agency, the valley was given a flood-alert system. On a dry day the only weather advice is sun protection and a layer for the mountains. When rain is forecast, check before you go: the tours carded here allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before, including Marrakech City Life SARL’s Marrakesh: Ourika Waterfalls, Atlas Mountains, Guide + Lunch, from $16 in current promotion (usually $21) a person, checked November 2026.

The calendar above is Marrakech City Life SARL’s day from Marrakech, with 26,978 reviews (checked November 2026).

The short answer

Book for the day you want, and look at the forecast for the valley the day before. If the national weather service has a rain or storm warning out for Al Haouz Province, ask the operator what they plan, and skip the walk to the waterfalls if the river is high. If the day looks wet from the start, cancel within the free window and go another day.

The flood-alert system

According to the ABHT’s diagnostic of the Ourika sub-basin, the alert system began as a pilot project straight after the 1995 floods:

• Stations in the valley and the mountains measure rain and the river and send their readings by radio to the ABHT and to the Province of Al Haouz.
• Two thresholds. A pre-alert is set off by rain, an alert by the river’s flow and height.
• An alarm at Irghas can broadcast a warning in Arabic, Amazigh, French and English.
• The provincial governor can order the evacuation of the areas at risk.

In 2011 the ABHT extended the system to 11 alert stations along the Ourika wadi, and to 2 on the Rherhaya wadi. If a warning sounds while you are by the river, move away from the water and follow your guide.

Where to check before you go

• The national weather service. Morocco’s Direction Générale de la Météorologie publishes forecasts and weather warnings by province; look for Al Haouz, the province the valley is in.
• The operator. The pickup message comes the evening before (on Marrakech City Life SARL’s day, by WhatsApp and email from 7 pm). Reply and ask whether the day runs as planned.
• The river on the day. Your guide sees the river at Setti Fatma; on Marrakech City Life SARL’s day the walk is optional, so you can stay by the river terraces or in the village if the stream is high.

Warnings change from day to day, so this page gives no forecast: check them for your own date, the day before you go.

Check dates, with free cancellation

What the tours do in bad weather

MOROCCOFIRSTGATE’s Ourika Valley, Atlas Mountains, Waterfalls runs in all weather conditions, and if it rains the path to the falls may be more challenging, so a light rain jacket is worth packing. On another shared day, Ourika Waterfalls, Atlas Mountains, Hike + Lunch, the itinerary may be adjusted for weather, traffic or local conditions. What happens to your booking if the tour does not run is set out on the listing; the tours carded here allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before on your side.

What to wear

• Layers. The mountains can be cooler than Marrakech, especially in the winter months; a light jacket or sweater is on several tours’ bring lists.
• A light rain jacket when rain is about, for the walk.
• Shoes with grip. The path to the falls is rocky and uneven in the dry, and slippery when wet.
• A hat and sunscreen on a clear day: sun protection is on most tours’ bring lists.

If rain rules out the valley

Keep the day in the city instead and move the valley to a drier date. If you need an idea for a Marrakech morning, majorellegardentickets.com covers the opening hours of the Jardin Majorelle.