Day 8 Agadir Morocco - Paradise Valley

 Day 8 and it was back to the excursions, with arguably the one I had been looking forward to the most—a trip to the infamous Paradise Valley, tucked away in the Atlas Mountains.

Joshua had made the mistake of Googling the location beforehand and found somewhere that appeared to be about five minutes from our hotel. Needless to say, he couldn't have been more wrong! Paradise Valley was actually a good hour away, involving a winding journey through some spectacular mountain scenery.

Fortunately, we'd booked a private tour with our own guide and a 4x4 Jeep, which had three rows of seats, so we had plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy the journey. It also meant we could stop wherever we fancied, rather than being part of a large coach tour.

Our first stop was at some botanical gardens, which, if I'm being completely honest, weren't exactly the highlight of the day. It soon became apparent, however, why we'd actually stopped there.

The gardens were connected to yet another Moroccan pharmacy!

Yes, another one.

After our experiences in Agadir and Marrakech, we'd become experts at spotting these things. Sure enough, we were treated to yet another sales pitch involving various potions, powders, oils, creams and other miracle products supposedly capable of curing pretty much anything you could think of.

This time, however, we'd learnt our lesson. We politely listened, looked around and then left without spending a single dirham. I think the pharmacy industry in Morocco may be doing rather well from British tourists!

Our next stop was only a short drive away, where we pulled over at a viewpoint overlooking the mountains and valleys below. The views were absolutely spectacular, with winding roads snaking their way through the landscape and the mountains stretching out into the distance. It was one of those places where photographs really don't do the scenery justice.

Eventually, we arrived at Paradise Valley itself and began a short mountain trek towards the valley. The route took us through palm groves and past riverside cafés, with the majority of the walk fortunately being downhill.

Along the way, we crossed a number of little streams using stepping stones, sandbags and whatever else had been conveniently placed across the water. It all added to the adventure and made the journey to the valley almost as enjoyable as the destination itself.

And, of course, it wouldn't be a Moroccan excursion with Brandon without finding some stray cats! As usual, he spotted several, including some very cute kittens, and spent a few minutes adding to his ever-growing collection of cat photographs.

The trek was definitely worth the effort because, when we finally arrived, Paradise Valley really was breathtaking.

The valley is essentially a spectacular natural rock formation with a series of pools fed by a natural spring running through it. The main pool was surprisingly deep and offered the opportunity for those brave enough to get into their swimming shorts and take a roughly 10-foot leap of faith from the rocks into the water.

Naturally, some of us couldn't resist.

The water was absolutely amazing after the heat of the Moroccan sun. It was incredibly refreshing and probably the perfect temperature for cooling down after the hike.

There were also loads of tiny fish swimming around in the pools, which seemed to take great pleasure in nibbling at your feet whenever you stood still for too long. I also managed to spot a terrapin swimming around in the water, which was an unexpected bonus.

One of the best decisions we'd made was getting there early. When we arrived, there were probably only four or five other people there, meaning we had the place almost to ourselves and were able to get some fantastic photographs without hundreds of people in the background.

However, things changed very quickly.

By the time we were getting ready to leave, there must have been close to 100 people there, with even more arriving. The once-peaceful rock pools had become absolutely packed and, in places, you could barely move.

It was also becoming increasingly difficult—and quite dangerous—to get in and out of the water. The rocks around the pools were incredibly slippery, and if you couldn't find a decent hand or foothold, you could quite easily slide straight back into the water.

Unfortunately, Tina found this out the hard way when she slipped on the rocks and ended up with a few scrapes and bruises. Thankfully, nothing serious, but it certainly reinforced just how careful you needed to be.

One thing I couldn't quite understand was some of the people who had made the effort to trek all the way into Paradise Valley, only to lay a towel down on the rocks and sunbathe!

I mean, seriously... you've travelled all this way, trekked through the mountains to reach one of Morocco's most beautiful natural locations, and then decided the best thing to do is lie down and sleep in the sun on a rock? You could have done that by the pool at the hotel!

We were incredibly grateful that our driver had got us there so early, allowing us to experience Paradise Valley in relative peace and tranquillity before the crowds arrived. Once the masses started pouring in, we decided it was definitely time to head back.

The trek back to the car park was considerably harder than the walk down, although the main culprit was probably the increasing heat rather than the terrain itself. Tina was also struggling a little with her asthma, so we took our time, walked at a relaxed pace and stopped a few times along the way to make sure she was okay.

Eventually, we made it back to the Jeep, hot, sweaty and more than ready for some air conditioning!

Paradise Valley was definitely worth the visit and I'm really glad we went. It was beautiful, the scenery was spectacular and getting there early allowed us to experience it at its best.

That said, if I'm comparing it to the natural swimming experience we had in Mexico last year, it didn't quite reach the same level as the cenote we visited there. But that's a pretty high benchmark to beat!

Paradise Valley: absolutely stunning, definitely worth visiting—and get there early!

All loaded in to our 4x4 and ready for Paradise Valley.

First stop the Botanical Gardens.

A small one way route through the garden conveniently finished at a pharmacy!

Some old Maroccan agricultural tools.

And more.

Insect hives.

Wouldn't mind that in my garden though.

Next stop was a lookout point over the Atlas mountains.

As always pictures do not do this view justice.

We stopped here for about 10 mins taking it all in.

More mountains.

That was our private 4x4 with a/c for the day.

The guide kindly took a picture of all 5 of us.

We 5 Kings.

Me and wifey being photo bombed again.

After a short drive we leave the vehicle and commence the mountain trek to the valley.

Views were amazing.

This is my kind of adventure.

Miles and miles of mountain terrain.

My ladies.

Small little cafes and drink stops enroute.

Luckily it was mostly downhill on the way there and still pretty cool outside.

No sign of the valley yet.

Through another little cafe.

Where Brandon spotted some kittens.

We had to navigate several little stream crossings which was fun. Brandon acquired a pet dog enroute.

How about cafe tables in the water!!!

More stream crossing.

Good footwear was essential.

Maybe we should have taken the donkey.

Tina being extra careful with her bad foot.

The closer we got to the valley the more spectacular the scenery.

Getting excited as we get nearer.

A nice little frog we spotted on the way there.

Some cliff faces to traverse.

More streams to cross.

Oh, is that Paradise Valley I see in the distance.

I think we made it.

Just look at that.

Crystal clear springwater.

We couldn't wait to get in after the trek.

But a few more pictures first before it got to busy.

More of paradise valley.

As you can see there was hardly anyone there when we arrived.

Josh and Brandon were first in the water.

Tina went in a couple of times but struggled getting out and then had a nasty little slip.

It looks like it would be so easy to get in and out, but it was super slippery.

At times the effort to try and get out just to jump in again didn't seem worth it.

So most of the time we just chilled in the water.

Josh and Brandon again. Fish nibbling their feet.

Brandon trying to slide out and find something to grab hold of.

I decided to venture over to the far side.

Brandon soon got the knack of getting in and out.

Holly leaping in to the pool.

Then Brandon holding his nice and leaping.

Another shot of Brandon.

Me venturing to the far side which seemed even more slippery.

Once I got there I helped Holly up.

Then Brandon and Holly water slid down the stream.

Holly got some good speed going and a little out of control.

Making the most of it before the masses arrived.

Me and the kiddies sharing a great outdoor adventure.

Then the trek back and unfortunately mostly uphill and in higher temps.

Nice and slow and steady.

The overhanging tree didn't offer much shade.

Brandon wanted a backwards picture walking through the tree tunnel.

More views on the walk back.

Looking down in to this pool we could see terrapins.

Nearly there.

And finally after the drive back it was shower time and chill in the hotel dressing gowns before heading out for dinner.