How To Visit Paradise Valley Near Agadir in Morocco
Morocco is a diverse country. Here, you can explore mountains, deserts, thriving cities and quiet towns. Whilst staying in Agadir, we ventured away from this bustling seaside resort town to find out whether Paradise Valley really is “paradise”.
Here’s what we found out and how you can also visit Paradise Valley as a day trip from Agadir and other Moroccan cities nearby.
Why Paradise Valley is Worth Visiting
We knew we’d stumbled on something special as soon as we saw acres of palm trees, colourful roadside cafes and the most incredible views across the Moroccan landscape.
This was when we understood why this part of Morocco is called Paradise Valley and it quickly became one of the many reasons why we think you should visit Morocco. But wait! There’s more!
Set deep into the High Atlas Mountains, Paradise Valley is perfect for nature lovers and anyone who loves exploring the countryside.
Keep an eye out for the winding river Tamraght, natural rock pools, dramatic cliffs and gorges, prickly cacti and acres of palm trees. You can even swim in the natural pools found here.
Best Things To Do in Paradise Valley
Swimming and hiking are – by far – the most popular things to do in Paradise Valley aka Morocco’s little oasis.
Swim in the rock pools
On Google Maps, you should see the most car park for Paradise Valley labelled as “Parking vallée du paradis”. The address is listed as: HFQ9+46P d’Agadir, Tagherat Anekrim, Morocco.
From there, you only have to walk a short while before you come across a natural rock pool where you can relax for a few hours.
These freshwater pools have helped give Paradise Valley its name. They really do look like an oasis especially as they’re surrounded by such arid land.
You can also swim at another rock pool (called “Tiqaldnine Vallée du paradis”), but this one takes much longer to hike to. As such, it’s usually much quieter.
You’ll also find some of the rock pools have waterfalls flowing into them – so idyllic!
Explore Paradise Valley on foot
Speaking of hiking, this is another popular thing to do in Paradise Valley. Why not spend the morning hiking and then swim in the natural pools in the afternoon?
You can either start your hike at the car park or find the “Paradise Valley hiking route start point” on Google Maps, which is closer to the second natural pool we mentioned earlier.
You’ll likely only want to hike for a couple of hours in the morning before the dreaded afternoon sun appears, which is why we recommend swimming in the pools afterwards.
At some points of your hike, you might even be able to walk along the river bed if it’s dry, which is an interesting experience.
Enjoy a mini road trip
If you’re able to hire a car and drive to Paradise Valley (like we did!), then you can even follow the curving roads through the mountains to admire even more of the scenery than you’d see on foot.
Along the way, you’ll find several impressive viewpoints that you can park up at and admire the views across the gorge. You can also wander from your car a little bit to get the best of both worlds.
When we visited in late December, we hardly saw any other cars on the road once we’d left Agadir. While this felt a little eerie, it meant we could drive slowly past some views without worrying about holding up anyone behind us.
Our Favourite Cafes in Paradise Valley
You’ll find several cafes dotted around the starting points of the rockpool walking trails, which I’m sure are good value.
But we actually found a couple of other cafes during our mini road trip around Paradise Valley that we just had to mention.
The first is called Café Tropical. It’s easy to spot as you should see bright yellows and oranges as soon as you round the corner, but just in case, here’s the link to it on Google Maps.
We loved this cafe because they have tables and chairs sitting in the river, so you can enjoy a refreshing drink while dipping your feet in an equally refreshing river.
It made us chuckle so I hope it makes you as well. It’s also so tranquil here; complete unadulterated bliss.
The other one is called Cafe Restaurant Le Panoramic, which offers excellent views across the valley from its balcony. Here’s the Google Maps link to show you where it is.
Here, you can try some traditional Moroccan mint tea. This cafe serves mint tea the traditional way – poured from a height several times over and served in a silver pot and pretty glass.
When combined with the excellent views, you’ll want to spend quite a few hours here. Mint tea is said to be a great digestive aid, so why not have several helpings of this tasty drink, whilst you chill out and admire the views?
When To Visit Paradise Valley
Seeing as you’ll probably want to see the rock pools that make Paradise Valley an oasis, it’s best to visit after the wet season, which runs from November to January.
If you visit anytime from late January through to early spring, you should find the rock pools have filled up ready for swimming.
We didn’t get this memo before our trip so we actually visited towards the end of December. While the rock pools weren’t as blue as we were expecting, there was still plenty of water to splash about in.
How To Get To Paradise Valley From Agadir and Taghazout
Paradise Valley is roughly 20 miles away from Agadir and takes about an hour to drive to, so it’s the perfect day trip from this popular resort town. Agadir’s technically a city, but resort city doesn’t have quite the same ring to it!
If you’re surfing in nearby Taghazout, then you could also do Paradise Valley as a day trip from there. It’ll take you less than an hour to drive it.
If you’re not comfortable with hiring a car in Morocco, then you can also enjoy Paradise Valley via a tour instead. Both Agadir and Taghazout are popular starting points for lots of tours, so you have plenty of options.
While we drove to Paradise Valley ourselves, you could check out this tour on Get Your Guide, which is the most well-reviewed one.
We use Get Your Guide for all our tours as they have a generous 24-hour cancellation policy and we’ve never had a single issue when booking a tour through them (wherever we are in the world).
Alternatively, here are all of Get Your Guide’s Paradise Valley tours >>
As far as we know, you can also use public transport to get to Paradise Valley from cities like Agadir. Here’s a handy guide from Tayyu Hiking to show the various options you can choose from.
Where To Stay When Visiting Paradise Valley
As Paradise Valley is such a great day trip from cities like Agadir and Taghazout, it should come as no surprise that we’re going to suggest staying there for your visit.
You’ll find various all-inclusive resorts to stay at in these cities with many close to the beach.
We stayed at a 4-star hotel in Agadir called Hotel Riu Tikida Beach and it was fabulous! This adults-only all-inclusive hotel is close to the beach and has its own pool, gardens, bars and restaurants.
As we were here for New Year’s, the hotel even hosted a fabulous party. This hotel is also where we got to try a traditional Moroccan Hammam massage for the first time (what an experience that was!)
We even booked a guided day tour to Marrakech via the hotel, which was a long day but well worth it. Our tour guide even gave us some helpful haggling tips! All in all, we’d happily stay here again.
Alternatively, here are some other top-rated hotels in Agadir and Taghazout that you may want to consider:
- Hotel Riu Palace Tikida Agadir: Owned by the same hotel group as the one we stayed in. It looks just as good but is better for those of you with children. | Check Prices
- Agadir Beach Club: This 4-star beachfront hotel is closer to the main attractions in Agadir, so you’ll have less distance to walk if you want to explore the city. | Check Prices
- Hotel Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout: If you’re staying in Taghazout, then you might like this hotel which is owned by the same hotel group as the one we stayed at in Agadir. | Check Prices
- Radisson Blu Resort Taghazout Bay Surf Village: This superb 5-star hotel overlooks the ocean and comes highly reviewed by other couples. | Check Prices
Read More About Morocco
If you found our guide to Paradise Valley helpful, then you might also enjoy some of our other Morocco travel blogs:
- Important Things To Know Before Visiting Morocco
- How To Haggle in Marrakech (Top Tips From A Local)
- How to Cruise Through Airport Security in Morocco
- Popular Souvenirs From Morocco
- Moroccan Hammam Massage: 7 Things Nobody Tells You
I hope you’ve found this guide to Paradise Valley in Morocco helpful. Do you think you might visit? Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions…
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