Todra Gorge

After visiting the Dades valley we reached this fantastic place.

Imagine a narrow road set between rocks with very high walls: these are the Todra Gorges.

300 meters high and 10 meters wide, they are perhaps the most impressive gorges in all of Morocco, vertical and majestic walls, a striking sight.

Todra Gorge - Where are located

The Todra Gorges are located in the southeastern part of Morocco, about 15 kilometers from Tinghir and about 170 kilometers from Ouarzazate, they are along the road that connects Marrakech to Merzouga, the Sahara Desert.

If you are coming from Marrakech in your own car, you will first have to reach Ouarzazate, consider about 3 hours, and then continue on to the Todra Gorges, which you will reach after about 2 1/2 hours. Although the road is paved and in good condition you will take a long time.

Todra Gorge - Best Time

Every day the Todra gorges are stormed by organized tours whose buses accompany a large number of tourists to this place. Traders take advantage of the crowds to try to sell their wares, and therefore this peaceful place turns into a crowded market.

Many tourists have been disappointed: visiting the gorges with so many tourists does not allow you to grasp the magic of the place.

If you want to visit the gorges in peace and enjoy their charm, avoid the middle hours of the day, they are the most crowded.

I recommend staying overnight at the Todra Gorges, this way you will have the opportunity to visit them early in the morning, before the arrival of the many buses. Remember that around 11:00 a.m. this quiet place is taken by storm by organized tours.

If, like us, you visit the gorges in summer, in addition to foreign tourists you will also find “local” tourists who come here to escape the scorching heat.

Advice

If you can, avoid the many excursions that leave from Marrakech, visit the Gorges on your own. This is too long a trip and the tours have very tight timetables; you will spend a lot of time in the bus and be disappointed.

Todra Gorge - What to do

If you love climbing, you can enjoy the sport here: there are various agencies that organize climbing along vertical walls.

If you like hiking, you can walk one of the many trails that climb the mountains; you will share the path with the Berbers who live in the mountains and descend to the valley with their goats and mules.

The trail starts from the parking lot, you will notice it easily because it is made in stairs. This is only the first part, after that it continues among the rocks. We did not walk it all the way, we left late and it was too hot, we were sorry because we would have liked to reach the Berber village, it will be for next time!

Todra Gorge - Where to Stay

Right in the middle of the Todra Gorge there is a hotel that I did not find particularly inviting.

I recommend that you pass the gorges and continue a few kilometers to stay overnight at the “Auberge Le Festival Todre Gorge,” this is a beautiful hotel on the banks of a perpetually dry river, set in the rock and run by local young people. Each room is built on different levels so as to ensure privacy, there is the option of dining on the premises: excellent food at a fair price. The beauty of this facility cannot be described, nor can the tranquility. Being in a secluded location, I recommend, at night, to raise your head and admire the stars: there are so many of them.