{
 "key": "saffron-day",
 "kind": "offer",
 "type": "tour",
 "language": "en",
 "url": "https://ourika-valley.com/saffron-day-trip-ourika-valley/",
 "json": "https://ourika-valley.com/data/en/pages/saffron-day.json",
 "translations": {
  "en": "https://ourika-valley.com/saffron-day-trip-ourika-valley/",
  "fr": "https://ourika-valley.com/fr/journee-safran-vallee-ourika/",
  "es": "https://ourika-valley.com/es/excursion-azafran-valle-ourika/",
  "it": "https://ourika-valley.com/it/escursione-zafferano-valle-ourika/",
  "de": "https://ourika-valley.com/de/safran-tagesausflug-ourika-tal/",
  "nl": "https://ourika-valley.com/nl/saffraan-dagtrip-ourika-vallei/"
 },
 "title": "Saffron day trip in the Ourika Valley, private from Marrakech",
 "meta_title": "Saffron Day Trip in the Ourika Valley | 120 EUR per Vehicle",
 "description": "Private saffron day from Marrakech: Le Paradis du Safran, lunch by the river and Setti Fatma. 120 EUR per vehicle for 1 to 7 people, Wednesday to Sunday.",
 "summary": "A full private day from Marrakech built around saffron: the Ourika road and a village cooperative, Le Paradis du Safran organic saffron farm from 11:00, lunch by the river as an option, then Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls. It costs 120 EUR per vehicle for 1 to 7 people and 200 EUR for 8 to 17, with driver and hotel or riad pickup. It runs Wednesday to Sunday, because the saffron farm is closed on Monday and Tuesday; entrance fees are paid on site.",
 "updated": "2026-10-27",
 "author": null,
 "highlights": [
  "Le Paradis du Safran, an organic saffron farm and garden on the Ourika road",
  "120 EUR per vehicle for 1 to 7 people, 200 EUR for 8 to 17",
  "A stop at a village cooperative on the way up the valley",
  "Lunch by the river and Setti Fatma in the afternoon",
  "Walk towards the waterfalls, with a local guide as an option",
  "Wednesday to Sunday, pickup at your hotel or riad in Marrakech"
 ],
 "facts": [
  {
   "label": "Duration",
   "value": "Full day, morning pickup, back in Marrakech in the late afternoon"
  },
  {
   "label": "Days",
   "value": "Wednesday to Sunday (the saffron farm is closed on Monday and Tuesday)"
  },
  {
   "label": "Stops",
   "value": "Village cooperative, Le Paradis du Safran, the river, Setti Fatma"
  },
  {
   "label": "Pickup",
   "value": "Your hotel or riad in Marrakech (medina: nearest point a car can reach)"
  },
  {
   "label": "Languages",
   "value": "Driver speaks French, English and Spanish"
  },
  {
   "label": "Group",
   "value": "Private, 1 to 17 people booked online"
  },
  {
   "label": "Entrance fees",
   "value": "Not included, paid on site: Le Paradis du Safran 150 MAD per person in 2026"
  },
  {
   "label": "Price",
   "value": "120 EUR per vehicle (1 to 7 people) or 200 EUR (8 to 17), 50% deposit online, balance to the driver on the day. Options: lunch 20 EUR per person, breakfast by the river 20 EUR per person, local guide 40 or 80 EUR per group"
  }
 ],
 "itinerary": [
  {
   "title": "Pickup at your hotel or riad",
   "text": "Your driver collects you in the morning at your hotel or riad in Marrakech. If you stay inside the medina, we meet you at the nearest point a vehicle can reach. The exact pickup time is confirmed on WhatsApp the day before. With the breakfast option, the first stop is breakfast by the river."
  },
  {
   "title": "The Ourika road and a village cooperative",
   "text": "The road leaves the plain of Marrakech and follows the river into the foothills of the High Atlas. On the way we stop at a village cooperative, where you see local products being made and can buy directly from the people who make them, if you wish."
  },
  {
   "title": "Le Paradis du Safran, from 11:00",
   "text": "We arrive at the organic saffron farm and botanical garden for its 11:00 opening. You walk the garden at your own pace, try the barefoot path and finish with a saffron tea. The entrance, 150 MAD per person in 2026, is paid on site."
  },
  {
   "title": "Lunch by the river (option)",
   "text": "With the lunch option, lunch is served at a table by the river in the valley: tagine, salads, bread and mint tea. Without it, your driver shows you where to eat and you pay on the spot."
  },
  {
   "title": "Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls",
   "text": "The road ends at Setti Fatma, the last village of the valley. A rocky path climbs up the gorge towards the first waterfalls; with the guide option, a local guide walks with you. Then the drive back to Marrakech, arriving in the late afternoon."
  }
 ],
 "includes": [
  "Private vehicle with fuel (minivan for 1 to 7 people, minibus for 8 to 17)",
  "Driver speaking French, English and Spanish",
  "Pickup and drop-off at your hotel or riad in Marrakech"
 ],
 "excludes": [
  "Entrance to Le Paradis du Safran (150 MAD per person in 2026, paid on site)",
  "Lunch by the river (option at booking, 20 EUR per person)",
  "Breakfast by the river (option at booking, 20 EUR per person)",
  "Local guide (option at booking, 40 EUR per group for 1 to 7 people, 80 EUR for 8 to 17)",
  "Drinks, tips and purchases at the cooperative or the farm"
 ],
 "faq": [
  {
   "question": "How much does the saffron day trip cost?",
   "answer": "The price is per vehicle, not per person: 120 EUR for a minivan for 1 to 7 people, 200 EUR for a minibus for 8 to 17. It covers the vehicle, fuel, the driver and pickup at your hotel or riad. For four people, the vehicle comes to 30 EUR each. Entrance fees and options are extra."
  },
  {
   "question": "Why does the trip not run on Monday and Tuesday?",
   "answer": "Le Paradis du Safran is closed on Monday and Tuesday, so the saffron day only runs from Wednesday to Sunday. On a Monday, our private Ourika Valley day trip can include the weekly souk of Tnine Ourika instead."
  },
  {
   "question": "Will I see the saffron flowers?",
   "answer": "The saffron crocus flowers in autumn, in late October and November, and the flowers are picked in the morning. Outside those weeks you see the plots and the garden, not the purple flowers. The farm does not publish harvest dates, so flowers are never guaranteed."
  },
  {
   "question": "Are the entrance fees included?",
   "answer": "No. Entrance fees are paid on site, in dirhams. Le Paradis du Safran charges 150 MAD per person in 2026, which includes a welcome drink, the garden, the barefoot path and a saffron tea. Bring cash."
  },
  {
   "question": "Can children come on the saffron day?",
   "answer": "The trip itself is open to families, but Le Paradis du Safran states that children under 12 are not admitted. With younger children, we suggest the Ourika Valley day trip with a women's argan cooperative or the bio-aromatic garden instead."
  },
  {
   "question": "What is the difference with the saffron half day?",
   "answer": "The half day pairs the saffron farm with the bio-aromatic garden near Tnine Ourika and brings you back around 15:00. The full day adds the river, lunch and Setti Fatma with the walk towards the waterfalls, for the same price per vehicle."
  },
  {
   "question": "Can I buy saffron on the day?",
   "answer": "Yes, saffron is sold at the farm and in the valley, but buying is never part of the trip and nobody expects you to buy. Our saffron guide explains how to recognise real saffron and what to look for before you pay."
  },
  {
   "question": "How do I book and pay?",
   "answer": "You book on this page and pay a 50% deposit online with PayPal or a bank card through PayPal. The balance is paid in cash to the driver on the day. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the trip, with the deposit refunded in full. Our WhatsApp is there for questions before you book."
  },
  {
   "question": "What happens if it rains heavily?",
   "answer": "After heavy rain the Ourika river can rise quickly. If the weather makes the valley unsafe, we contact you and offer another date or refund your deposit."
  }
 ],
 "image": "https://ourika-valley.com/assets/img/saffron-crocus.jpg",
 "videos": [],
 "content_markdown": "## What is the saffron day trip?\n\nThe saffron day trip is a private full day from Marrakech that follows the Ourika road into the High Atlas, with Le Paradis du Safran organic saffron farm at its centre. You stop at a village cooperative, visit the farm from its 11:00 opening, can have lunch by the river, then reach Setti Fatma and walk towards the waterfalls.\n\nIt is for travellers who want saffron and the valley in the same day: the calm of a garden in the late morning, and the river, the villages and the mountains in the afternoon. The vehicle and the driver are for your group only, and the price is per vehicle, from 120 EUR for 1 to 7 people.\n\n## Saffron in a few lines\n\nSaffron is the dried red stigma of the saffron crocus, a purple flower that blooms in autumn and is picked by hand in the early morning. It takes roughly 150 flowers to make a single gram of dried saffron, which is why it is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Most Moroccan saffron comes from the Taliouine area in the Anti-Atlas, but a few farms on the Ourika road grow it too and open their fields to visitors. Our [guide to saffron in the Ourika Valley](https://ourika-valley.com/saffron-ourika-valley/) explains the season, the farms and how to recognise real saffron.\n\n## The day, stop by stop\n\n### Morning: the Ourika road and a village cooperative\n\nYour driver collects you in the morning at your hotel or riad. The road leaves the plain of Marrakech and starts to follow the river as the first red hills of the Atlas appear. Because the saffron farm opens at 11:00, the morning has time for a first stop: a village cooperative on the Ourika road, where local products are made and sold by the people who make them. Our page on [cooperatives in the Ourika Valley](https://ourika-valley.com/cooperatives-villages/) explains how they work and how to buy fairly.\n\nIf you choose the breakfast option, you start the day with breakfast by the river instead, at a table near the water.\n\n### Late morning: Le Paradis du Safran\n\nWe arrive at Le Paradis du Safran for its 11:00 opening, before the groups that come later in the day. It is an organic saffron farm and botanical garden created by Christine Ferrari, about 30 km from Marrakech. The visit is free-flowing: a welcome drink, the organic garden with its labelled plants, the barefoot path, then a saffron tea and a small snack. Allow about an hour to an hour and a half.\n\nOpening hours, the ticket and what it includes are on our [practical page for Le Paradis du Safran](https://ourika-valley.com/services/saffron-garden-ourika/). In short: open 11:00 to 16:00, last entry 15:00, closed on Monday and Tuesday, 150 MAD per person in 2026, paid on site.\n\n### Midday: lunch by the river\n\nFrom the farm, the road climbs deeper into the valley. With the lunch option, lunch is served at a table by the river: tagine, salads, bread and mint tea. Without it, your driver points you to a restaurant he trusts and you pay on the spot. Either way, this is the slow part of the day, with the sound of the water and the mountains closing in.\n\n### Afternoon: Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls\n\nThe road ends at Setti Fatma, the last village of the Ourika Valley, at roughly 1,500 m. From the village, a path climbs up the gorge towards the first waterfalls. It is short but rocky, with large boulders to step over, so good shoes matter. With the guide option, a local guide from the valley walks with you and chooses the safe route on the day. Our [Setti Fatma guide](https://ourika-valley.com/services/visit-the-village-of-setti-fatma-ourika-valley/) and our page on the [Setti Fatma waterfalls](https://ourika-valley.com/services/conquer-the-cascades-of-setti-fatma/) describe the village and the path in detail.\n\nIn the late afternoon, the driver takes you back down the valley to Marrakech.\n\n## Timing of the day\n\nTimes are indicative: because the trip is private, the driver adapts the pace to your group. The fixed point is the saffron farm, which opens at 11:00.\n\n| Time | Stop | What happens |\n|---|---|---|\n| Morning | Pickup in Marrakech | Driver at your hotel or riad; breakfast by the river if you chose the option |\n| Mid-morning | Village cooperative | A stop on the Ourika road, purchases optional |\n| From 11:00 | Le Paradis du Safran | Garden, barefoot path and saffron tea, about 1 to 1.5 hours |\n| Midday | By the river | Lunch (option) or a restaurant of your choice |\n| Afternoon | Setti Fatma | Walk towards the first waterfalls, with a local guide as an option |\n| Late afternoon | Marrakech | Drop-off at your hotel or riad |\n\n## How much does the saffron day trip cost?\n\nThe saffron day costs 120 EUR per vehicle for 1 to 7 people and 200 EUR for 8 to 17 in 2026. The price is for the vehicle, not per person, so it drops for each traveller as the group grows. It covers the vehicle, fuel, the driver and pickup and drop-off at your hotel or riad.\n\n| Group | Vehicle | Price | Per person |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| 2 people | Minivan | 120 EUR | 60 EUR |\n| 4 people | Minivan | 120 EUR | 30 EUR |\n| 7 people | Minivan | 120 EUR | about 17 EUR |\n| 8 to 17 people | Minibus | 200 EUR | from about 12 EUR |\n\n### Options and entrance fees\n\nOptions are chosen when you book. Entrance fees are never included in our price: you pay them yourself on site, in dirhams.\n\n| Item | Price | How it is paid |\n|---|---|---|\n| Lunch by the river | 20 EUR per person | Option at booking |\n| Breakfast by the river | 20 EUR per person | Option at booking |\n| Local guide | 40 EUR per group (1 to 7), 80 EUR (8 to 17) | Option at booking |\n| Le Paradis du Safran | 150 MAD per person (2026) | On site, in cash |\n\n## Why only from Wednesday to Sunday?\n\nThe saffron day runs from Wednesday to Sunday only, because Le Paradis du Safran is closed every Monday and Tuesday. The booking form on this page does not accept those days. If your only free day is a Monday, the private [Ourika Valley day trip](https://ourika-valley.com/day-trip-ourika-valley/) runs every day and can include the weekly souk of Tnine Ourika.\n\n## When is the best time for a saffron day?\n\nThe saffron crocus flowers in autumn, in late October and November, and the flowers are picked early in the morning. If you come in those weeks, you may see flowers in the plots, but the farm does not publish its harvest dates, so nothing is guaranteed. The rest of the year, the garden, the saffron tea and the valley are just as pleasant: spring is green, summer is cooler than Marrakech, winter is clear with snow on the peaks. Our page on the [weather in the Ourika Valley](https://ourika-valley.com/services/weather-ourika-valley/) shows the forecast for the coming week.\n\n## Saffron day or saffron half day?\n\nBoth trips are private and cost the same per vehicle. The difference is what comes after the saffron farm.\n\n| | Saffron day | Saffron half day |\n|---|---|---|\n| Saffron farm | Le Paradis du Safran from 11:00 | Le Paradis du Safran at 11:00 |\n| Second part | River, lunch, Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls | Bio-aromatic garden near Tnine Ourika |\n| Back in Marrakech | Late afternoon | Around 15:00 |\n| Price per vehicle, 1 to 7 people | 120 EUR | 120 EUR |\n| Best for | Seeing the whole valley | A gentle day of gardens, or an afternoon free in Marrakech |\n\nIf you prefer plants and a short day, choose the [saffron and gardens half day](https://ourika-valley.com/saffron-gardens-half-day-ourika/), which adds the [bio-aromatic garden of Ourika](https://ourika-valley.com/services/jardin-bio-aromatique-dourika/). For a classic day in the valley without the saffron farm, see the [Ourika Valley day trip](https://ourika-valley.com/day-trip-ourika-valley/) or our [half day in the Ourika Valley](https://ourika-valley.com/ourika-valley-half-day-trip/).\n\n## What should you bring?\n\n- **Shoes that come off easily** for the barefoot path at the farm, and **shoes with a good grip** for the waterfall path.\n- **Cash in dirhams** for the farm entrance, drinks, purchases and tips, and the balance of the trip in cash for the driver.\n- **A warm layer.** The valley is cooler than Marrakech, especially in the autumn mornings of the flowering season.\n- **Sun protection:** hat, sunscreen and sunglasses, even in winter.\n- **Children's ages:** the saffron farm does not admit children under 12, so tell us when you book if you travel with younger children.\n\n## A private day, at your pace\n\nAll our outings are private. Your driver speaks French, English and Spanish and adapts the stops to you: a longer time in the garden, a shorter stop at the cooperative, a long lunch by the river or more time at Setti Fatma. Nobody is in a hurry and there is no shopping circuit: purchases at the cooperative or the farm are your choice only.\n\n## Booking, payment and cancellation\n\nYou book online on this page. A 50% deposit is paid at booking with PayPal or a bank card through PayPal, and the balance is paid in cash to the driver on the day. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the trip, with the deposit refunded. If the weather makes the valley unsafe, for example after heavy rain, we offer another date or refund your deposit. For a question before booking, our WhatsApp is +212 661 454 738.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Le Paradis du Safran, official site: opening hours, closing days, 2026 entrance fee and what it includes](https://paradis-du-safran.com/)\n- [Wikipedia, Saffron: stigmas of Crocus sativus, flowers picked after dawn, about 150,000 flowers per kilogram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron)\n- [Gulf News (AFP), \"Moroccan saffron farmers battle knockoff versions\": Taliouine and a neighbouring town produce 90% of Morocco's saffron](https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/moroccan-saffron-farmers-battle-knockoff-versions-1.60987356)",
 "offer": "saffron-day"
}