Choosing an Ourika garden visit
An Ourika garden visit offers two distinct starting points: art and planting at ANIMA, or aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants at the Jardin Bio-Aromatique associated with Nectarome. Choose according to your interest rather than treating the gardens as interchangeable stops. A sculpture garden and a collection explained through plant uses create different kinds of visit.
Decide whether the garden is the main reason for your journey or one part of a wider valley day. This choice determines how you organise transport, a meal and time at the waterfalls. The photographs here show the wider valley setting, including trees beside a stream near Setti Fatma. Use them as landscape context when planning, while choosing the actual garden for the experience described in its own programme.
ANIMA: art and modern art among plants
ANIMA was created by André Heller as a garden bringing together nature and art. Planting and sculpture share the route, making the act of looking part of the garden walk. Allow time to stop and consider how individual works sit within their surroundings rather than treating the garden as a quick pause between road stops.
The organised combination from Marrakech includes hotel or riad transfers, a local guide, scenic stops, a small breakfast and a hike to the Setti Fatma waterfalls. Its ANIMA stop and ticket depend on selecting the option with the garden ticket. Lunch at a riverside restaurant has a separate option. Choose those elements according to your priorities, then read the waterfall visit guide to understand the other main destination on the day.
Our pick: waterfalls and ANIMA option
To combine waterfalls with the garden, select the ANIMA ticket option, required for the stop and entry.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
A waterfall outing with an ANIMA option
This Marrakech excursion includes a Setti Fatma waterfall hike; the ANIMA stop and admission require the option with an ANIMA garden ticket.
Jardin Bio-Aromatique: independent or guided visits
The Jardin Bio-Aromatique presents aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants. Those categories describe the collection; a visit can focus on plant names, scents and the uses explained at the garden. Approach the collection as something to observe and understand, with questions about the plants themselves and the activities available during your visit.
An independent walk gives you room to stop where your curiosity takes you. A guided visit provides explanations and a framework for comparing what you see. Choose between these formats according to how much interpretation you would like. This garden has its own visitor arrangements, so organise it separately from the ANIMA ticket option on the excursion presented here.
Mint tea preparation is one of the workshops offered by the garden. It gives a plant-related visit a practical focus through preparation and hospitality. If a workshop matters more to you than a general walk, arrange the activity first and build the rest of the day around it. Leave room for the session instead of squeezing it between a return departure and another appointment.
The reserved ANIMA shuttle from Marrakech
ANIMA's shuttle is free for ticket holders, with limited places and an online reservation requirement. Its form asks for reservations at least 24 hours ahead. The departure location is the Parking & Lavage car park behind the Koutoubia mosque in Marrakech. Plan this as transport for ANIMA, then make separate arrangements for any onward journey into the valley.
If you want both a garden and Setti Fatma, compare the combined excursion with organising the two visits yourself. Consider the return journey when deciding how long to spend at each destination. The Ourika transport guide explains the wider choices, and the tour comparison helps you place a garden combination among the other day outings. A garden shuttle works around its own destination and reservation.
Meals and a workable garden day
The Jardin Bio-Aromatique restaurant operates by prior request and reservation. Arrange a meal with the garden separately from choosing an independent or guided walk. Its menu includes vegetable and meat tajines, couscous, mint tea and herbal tea, giving food a clear place in a planned visit. For a riverside meal elsewhere in the valley, the questions about seating and ordering are different; see our restaurant guide.
Before travelling, obtain the chosen garden's prices and visiting hours for your date and match the transport to that plan. This is especially useful when a meal or workshop is the central activity. Keep the programme readable for everyone coming with you: identify the garden, the visit format and the return arrangement, then add another destination only when you can give it proper time.
Frequently asked questions
Are ANIMA and Jardin Bio-Aromatique the same garden?
They are separate places. ANIMA combines art with planting, while the Jardin Bio-Aromatique focuses on plant collections and offers activities including mint tea preparation.
How do I use the ANIMA shuttle?
Hold a garden ticket and reserve a place online. The form asks for at least 24 hours of advance booking, and seats are limited.
Does the excursion include both gardens?
The garden option concerns ANIMA and its ticket. Arrange a visit to the Jardin Bio-Aromatique separately according to your interest in its walks or workshops.