Marrakech is surrounded by many beautiful spots to visit in a one day trip. Lalla Takerkoust is one of my favourites when I want to escape from the heat in Marrakech and enjoy a refreshing nature.
The Lalla Takerkoust town is famous for its beautiful man-made lake and a dam (barrage) build in 1929 to provide electricity to Marrakech and its surroundings. The lake is cool heaven after hot days in Marrakech, there are few beaches for swimming, restaurants and hotels. You can enjoy aquatic sports: jet sky, boats etc.
Situated around 40 km from Marrakech, Lalla Takerkoust town is reachable by taxi or a bus. The shared grande taxi cost around 15 DH/person and the local Atlas company bus is only 7 DH, so 14 DH (around 1 euro) round trip. Bus Nr. 45 stops outside the Medina, in front of a gas station. Grande taxis are located in Medina, on the way to Kasbah district.
Or you can get a private driver and do a one day trip that would include Lalla Takerkoust and other beautiful places close by. Contact me to book a private driver or a tour.
If you arrive at the Lalla Takerkoust town by a local bus, ask locals the best road to the lake, should be around 10 min walk. The lake is huge, more than 7 km long. The area of Lalla Takerkoust is breathtaking, you can walk around, arrange pick-nick, or visit one the restaurants there.
One of them, a simple family restaurant “La Floride, Chez Omar” has a great view. Mr Poopay greeted us as well as chickens and local family, running the place. Another, a more lavish place is called “Le Relais du lac”, a nice restaurant for lunch or dinner and alcohol drinks. Seriously, there is nothing better than a glass of wine watching the beautiful scenery of Lalla Takerkoust.
On the more touristy side of the lake, we discovered this paradise hotel with a swimming pool:
I wouldn’t bother with looking for an official swimming place and join the locals in their popular sports. E.g., next to this picturesque boat:
Are you brave enough to race with the local kids and swim across the lake?
At the end of the trip, don’t forget to enjoy the town Lalla Takerkoust and support it by having lunch in a local café.
p.s. Stay away from cactus fruits and don’t pick them up by yourself! We tried and were rewarded with a dozen invisible spiny needles that were so difficult to remove it. There plenty of locals selling cactus fruits in the street – a must to try while in Morocco.
Have a great trip!
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Hi,how is the small river north of Marrekesh OUED Tensift? Is it big enough for swimming and kayaking?