Our first few minutes in Le Jardin Secret felt like a great way to start the day. Peaceful. I thought, ‘Well this is nice, so much more relaxing than I pictured for Marrakech. Starting the day off on a good foot.’ The tranquil period was over as soon as we left, though. And instead of starting the day off right, I think it made us too relaxed. That will be another post, though.

An Oasis in the Medina: Le Jardin Secret

Starting the Day Lost

We started off the day planning to go somewhere else but our map didn’t seem to match up at all with how the medina actually appeared. Later I would realize this was because the Airbnb host told us the wrong address. Hardly anything was clear or marked in Marrakech, we were brought by a taxi our host arranged from the airport, and I didn’t realize I should have been questioning the address to begin with, so context was my issue. Hmm, I really should have penalized them for this in the comments but it’s too late for that. They were very nice hosts otherwise, though. It certainly didn’t help that we couldn’t navigate using a phone since Kyle’s was stolen in Barcelona and mine wasn’t unlocked (so no Moroccan SIM card). But I digress.

Wandering in this state of confusion we stumbled across Le Jardin Secret. It was on the itinerary, just not for right then but we thought, what the heck, let’s hop in there now. Partly we were thinking we might not be able to find it again. Later it actually became a helpful point of reference for us, though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Entering Le Jardin Secret

We entered the doors to what seemed like a museum entrance. A cool, clean office type environment. Not to say the medina wasn’t those things. It was November so it wasn’t scorching and it was surprisingly clean all in all, but Le Jardin Secret still carried a sense of safeness and familiarity. The entrance fee was 50 DH per person. At this time this came out to $10.72 for both of us (a little over $5/person).

History of Le Jardin Secret

Okay, on to talking about the actual place! Two palaces once stood on the current grounds of Le Jardin Secret. One built in the sixteenth century (Saadian dynasty) and destroyed in the late 17th century and another built in the mid-nineteenth century. The palace exchanged hands a few times due to things like murder and exile. After the death of the final owner, al-Hajj Muhammad Loukrissi, in 1934, the palace fell into disrepair. In 2008 there was a movement to restore the palace. Le Jardin Secret opened to the public for the first time in 2016.

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Thus this is still a pretty new tourist attraction. We visited in November 2017 (yeah, we have posts we’re even more behind on than this one) so had the opportunity to see it pretty soon after restoration.

You can read more details about the history on the Le Jardin website.

More About Le Jardin Secret: The Garden

Once home to many important figures in the history of Marrakech, Le Jardin Secret now consists of what could be considered two separate riads, each with its own garden. One garden is a traditional medina garden and the other is an exotic garden. The Islamic garden has four parts and was made to be similar to the layout which would have been used in the 18th century in Marrakech. It was meant to be a peaceful place, even a “metaphor for heaven” as described in the Quran. The exotic garden has plants from all around the world. Between the gardens, you can see a variety of plants, herbs, cacti, etc. There are also pavilions, fountains, and tiles to decorate the area further.

Another key feature of this attraction is the information on the irrigation system used in this specific riad, and in Marrakech as a whole (khettara). There is a detailed video on this as well as plaques with information. It shows how the irrigation system works, how the pipes connect and feed the garden (and fountains/pool). It’s actually quite interesting.

While they were restoring the grounds they uncovered a hammam (bathhouse) buried under the ruins. They provided some information on this as well. It is not fully restored but you can see and learn a little bit about it (pic below).

We enjoyed it but we definitely like gardens. People who like gardens and/or are interested in irrigation systems and things of the like would probably get more out of it than those who don’t. 

Additional Facilities

A tower sits on the complex which is supposed to have some nice views of the medina. We did not go in the tower, but perhaps we should have. You need a special ticket for this part and children under six aren’t allowed there. 

While we did not get anything there, there is also a cafe for those wishing to enjoy some food or Moroccan mint tea, a smoothie etc. Here is the menu. There seems to be a good bit to offer but we had just finished a huge breakfast at our Riad when we arrived so were not yet hungry.

Additionally, if you would like, you can even stay in the Riad (Moroccan traditional house) at the garden overnight (or for several nights). 

Last, but certainly not least, bathrooms. You have to pay to enter first but if you want a nice clean bathroom (or at least it was at the time I went) with toilet paper, this is a great place to go. Later I did try out a couple of public bathrooms and while I’ve definitely found worse, they are not pleasant in my opinion.

A Nice Visit

In addition to the plants which we enjoyed, you can see some Islamic art and architecture, including the geometric designs and hand-carved details. Like many places in Morocco, you could describe it as elegant and ornate though there is a simplicity to it as well here.

During our visit it was quiet and there were few other tourists. So we set up the tripod and take some pics together! There were also some benches where we could sit and relax. All in all a great refuge for those wanting some tranquility outside of the busy medina or for those who like gardens.

Le Jardin Secret Visiting Information

• Address: 43 – 46 Arset Aouzal Bab Doukkala – Marrakech – Morocco
• Opening hours: These vary by time of year. Currently, it opens at 9:30 am all year but closes anytime between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm depending on when you go. I would check just to be sure if you’re thinking of going rather early or late.
• Entrance Fee: 50 Dirhams to enter, an extra 30D Dirhams. Children, students, and Moroccan citizens living in Morocco may be able to get a reduced entrance fee.
• Website: https://www.lejardinsecretmarrakech.com/en/

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