Feb 21st: Paradise Valley and Immouzer Waterfalls

The road to Paradise valley heads inland from the coast at Banana Village, a few miles from the campsite. After half an hour driving through arid countryside, we arrived at the river that signals the start of Paradise Valley.

The river is lined with palm trees and cuts through a long gorge that can just about accommodate the road and the river. The road must be impassable after heavy rain, but is well surfaced although not very wide.

The valley ends abruptly after 6 or 7 miles and the road starts to climb sharply, giving some splendid views. Lots of hairpins, and the going was slow, so we took a break at a café with a terrace looking back towards the way we had come. Photos of panoramic views never seem to do justice to the depth and scale of the scenery that you perceive at the time, but this is the fine view from the café terrace.

So onwards and upwards to the waterfalls. These carried a much greater volume of water in past times: nowadays irrigation requirements have siphoned off most of it, but on certain festival days they allow the whole flow to go over. What we saw was impressive, so the full works must be spectacular. The falls cascade down in stages and from several separate points. From the top of one of these water drops a local man was making jumps into a small plunge pool, probably a 30 metre dive, all for the hope of a few dirhams tip. We picnicked by the falls and had coffee in a nearby café, from which the following photo was taken. It was a truly delightful day, with warm sunshine all the way.