Leave the bustle of the city behind and retreat to the lush Ourika Valley, an outdoor haven and a lush escape for city-dwellers looking for some peace, quiet, and cool temperatures in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Savor a delicious lunch of tagine, and hike with your guide to a series of waterfalls.

Get picked up from your hotel in Marrakech and head out of the city in the direction of the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas. Gaze out at the passing scenery as you drive by flowering gardens, orchards filled with fruit trees, and traditional Berber villages. Stop at one of the valley's riverside cafes for lunch, tucking into a delicious tagine cooked slowly over a fire at a table under the trees or even at seats immersed in the cool water.

Afterward, set off with your guide to hike upstream alongside the burbling waters of the Ourika River, which descends from the High Atlas by the villages of Asguine, Aghbalou, Oulmes, and Setti Fatma. Over the course of about 2 hours, hike along to see a series of 7 waterfalls and catch glimpses of wildlife like painted frogs, Moorish geckos, and crimson-winged finches flitting between poplar trees and weeping willows. Alternatively, you can check out different hiking trails in the foothills before riding back to Marrakech.