Dadès and Todgha gorges
Two parallel cuts into the High Atlas: the vertiginous Dadès hairpins, the orange walls of the Todgha — the beating heart of the thousand-kasbah road.
Suggested stay — 2 nights (one per gorge)
Between Ouarzazate and Errachidia, the "road of a thousand kasbahs" follows the Atlas, stringing palm groves and fortified villages. Its two jewels are visited as a loop: the Dadès gorges, with the famous hairpins photographed from the panoramic café and the "monkey fingers" rock formations, then the Todgha gorges, a 300-metre canyon where you walk in the cool between the walls.
One night in each valley sets the right rhythm: kasbah-guesthouses beside the wadi, fig tajine on the terrace, and in the morning a walk through the palm grove with the farmers heading down to the gardens. In spring, the neighbouring valley of roses perfumes the harvest.
Don't miss
- The Dadès hairpins from the belvedere, then the road on towards the upper gorges
- The walk into the Todgha canyon, early, before the coaches
- The Tinghir palm grove from the roadside viewpoints
- The valley of roses (Kelaat M'Gouna) in April-May, during the harvest
Our tips on the ground
- Drive the Dadès–Todgha stretch on the R704/R703 in the morning: raking light on the kasbahs and minimal traffic.
- At the Todgha, walk past the tourist bottleneck: after 20 minutes the canyon falls silent again and climbers replace the vendors.
- Nights are cold at altitude October to April: check your kasbah has heating — not all do.
Our flagship guide — €44
Guide available“Morocco Self-Drive”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about Dadès and Todgha gorges
Can you continue beyond the Dadès gorges?
Yes: the road climbs towards Msemrir and, for 4x4s (piste), tips over the Atlas to the Todgha gorges — one of Morocco's most beautiful links, dry weather only and with margin. In an ordinary car, drop back down and loop around through the valley: beautiful too.
Dadès or Todgha, if you must choose?
The Dadès for the road and driven landscapes (hairpins, valleys, kasbahs), the Todgha for the walk between the walls. On one tight night, sleep at the Dadès and walk the Todgha in passing next day — but both nights earn their place on a 10-day circuit.