Lalla Takerkoust morocco

Lake Lalla Takerkoust – a relaxing paradise next to Marrakech

Marrakech is surrounded by many beautiful spots to visit on a one-day trip. Lalla Takerkoust is often on my list when I want to escape from the heat in Marrakech and enjoy a refreshing nature.

The Lalla Takerkoust town is famous for its beautiful artificial lake, and a dam (barrage) built-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, and you can enjoy aquatic sports: jet sky, boats etc. However, before heading there, ask some locals if there is enough water in the lake. During the dry season, the dam has little water, so not really worth a visit.

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 the Kasbah district. More about local buses in Marrakech you can read in my article Tips on taking local city bus in Marrakech.

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If you arrive at the Lalla Takerkoust town by local bus, ask locals about the best road to the lake; it should be around 10 min walk. The lake is huge, and more than 7 km long. The area of Lalla Takerkoust is breathtaking, and you can walk around, arrange a pick-nick, or visit one of the restaurants there.

One of them is a simple family restaurant, “La Floride, Chez Omar”, which 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 alcoholic drinks. Seriously, there is nothing better than a glass of wine while watching the beautiful scenery of Lalla Takerkoust.

On the more touristy side of the lake, we discovered this paradise hotel with a swimming pool:

Lalla Takerkoust, hotel, swimmingpool
Hotel Villa Du Lac in Lalla Takerkoust

I wouldn’t bother looking for an official swimming place and joining the locals in their popular sports. E.g., next to this picturesque boat:

boat, lake, water, scenery, morocco

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 of Lalla Takerkoust and support it by having lunch in a local café.

p.s. Please avoid cactus fruits and don’t pick them up yourself! We tried and were rewarded with a dozen invisible spiny needles that were so difficult to remove. Plenty of locals sell cactus fruits in the street – a must to try while in Morocco.

Have a great trip!

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One Comment

  1. Hi,how is the small river north of Marrekesh OUED Tensift? Is it big enough for swimming and kayaking?