Introduction to Waterfalls and Rainbows
| Both of these water based phenomena are among the most magical of visual images we encounter on planet earth. Rainbows are ephemeral events dependent upon the angle of the sun in relation to droplets of water. Mist from waterfalls can often cause rainbow if mist from the cascade is sufficient.
Morocco has many waterfalls but none of them occur on rivers where a combination of water sources may build up a sizeable volume of water. All of the more famous ones that I am familiar with are actually springs or aquifers that happen to emerge from from the earth close to a cliff side. It’s likely that some of these spring based cascades have a larger volume of water during the rainy months of winter and spring. The most visited waterfalls of Morocco are Ouzoud in the High Atlas north of Marrakesh near Beni Mellel and Akshour which is found at the end of the Farda Gorge in the Rif Mts. near Chefchaouen. While both are certainly beautiful and worth a visit, during the summer months they are so overcrowded with Moroccan holiday seekers that any illusion of being alone with nature in a pristine environment is just that! |