Lonely Planet Morocco

by Lonely Planet

  Tours of the palmeraie and nearby villages provide fascinating insights, and hiking, climbing or horse riding excursions in the gorge can easily be arranged. You'll find it signed off the highway some 2km north of Tinerhir, at the start of the gorge in the village of Ichmarine.

  Hôtel de l’AvenirHOTEL€

  (%0672 52 13 89; 27 Rue Zaid Ouhmed; r from Dh160)

  Cheap, clean rooms, hot showers and a nice roof terrace on the main market square. Ask for a room away from the square or bring earplugs.

  Hôtel TomboctouHERITAGE HOTEL€€

  (%0524 83 51 91; www.hoteltomboctou.com; 126 Ave Bir Anzarane; s/d/tr incl breakfast Dh475/550/730; as)

  Quirky, cosy rooms with en suites in a renovated kasbah built in 1944 for the local caïd. Traditional kasbah windows are porthole-sized, but sunshine surrounds the courtyard pool and bar. There's also a good on-site restaurant (menu Dh130). Oasis walking tours and bicycle trips are organised here.

  5Eating

  Grill restaurants line Ave Mohammed V and Ave Hassan II, including Café des Amis (Ave Hassan II; mains Dh40-80; h10am-8pm) and Café Central (Ave Hassan II; mains Dh30-50; h11am-7pm).

  Chez Michelle SupermarketSUPERMARKET€

  (%0524 83 46 68; Ave Mohammed V; h9am-9pm Sat-Thu)

  Excellent range of trekking provisions and snacks, and the only place that sells alcohol.

  8Information

  Banks with ATMs flank Ave Mohammed V, including BMCE and Crédit du Maroc. There's a Banque Populaire opposite Pl Principale.

  8Getting There & Away

  Bus

  Buses leave from Pl Principale, off Ave Mohammed V. Supratours stops in Tinerhir en route to Boumalne du Dadès (Dh30, 75 minutes), Ouarzazate (Dh60, three hours), Marrakesh (Dh130, 7½ hours) and, heading in the other direction, Er-Rachidia (Dh40, three hours), Erfoud (Dh60, 3½ hours) and Merzouga (Dh85, 4½ hours). You'll find the ticket office to the right of the bus lot in front of the mosque.

  On other lines, there’s frequent service from Tinerhir to Marrakesh (Dh130) via Ouarzazate (Dh40), and to Erfoud (Dh40), Meknès (Dh110) and Boumalne du Dadès (Dh20).

  Taxi & Minivan

  Grands taxis to Ouarzazate (Dh60), Alnif (Dh25) and Er-Rachidia (Dh45 to Dh70) leave from Pl Principale, where you'll also find minivans or pick-up trucks into Todra Gorge (Dh10) and beyond to Tamtattouchte (Dh18) and Imilchil (Dh40). Grands taxis to Tamtattouchte (Dh18), Aït Haini (Dh20) and Imilchil (Dh40) leave from between 9am and 1pm.

  Todra Gorge مخنف ا مفيق ا تودرغة

  Being stuck between a rock and a hard place is a sublime experience in the Todra Gorge, where a 300m-deep fault splits the orange limestone into a deep ravine at some points just wide enough for a crystal-clear river and single-file trekkers to squeeze through. The road from Tinerhir passes green palmeraies and Berber villages until, 15km along, high walls of pink and grey rock close in around the road. The approach is thrilling, as though the doors of heaven were about to close before you.

  The best time to visit is in the morning, when the sunshine briefly illuminates the gorge in a golden moment of welcome. Souvenir vendors and tour buses clog the centre in afternoons, until it suddenly turns dark and bitterly cold. Through the gorge and 18km up the road is the Berber village of Tamtattouchte, with Imilchil some 95km beyond.

  2Activities

  Besides day hikes in and around the gorge, Todra's vertical rock faces offer sublime rock-climbing routes (French grade 5 to 8), some of them bolted. Many of the routes are over 25m long, although there is some spectacular multipitch climbing where routes run over 300m. Pillar du Couchant, near the entrance to the gorge, offers classic long climbs, while the Petite Gorge is better for novice climbers, with good short routes. Few of the routes are mapped, although many hotels keep logbooks detailing current information on local routes. Otherwise, internationally certified guides and reliable equipment can be hired from Aventures Verticales.

  From the centre of the gorge, you can walk back to Tinerhir through palmeraies in three or four hours. With a 4WD or a couple of days walking, you can cover the rough piste west of Todra to Dadès Gorge. There are no banks in the gorge and limited connectivity and phone coverage, so carry enough cash.

  Aventures VerticalesCLIMBING

  ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0524 89 57 27; www.escalade-au-maroc.com; Km 14, Tizgui; 1hr/half-/full day per person in a group of 3 Dh40/100/150)

  Todra has a professional climbing outfit with internationally certified guides offering climbing, alpinism and trekking excursions for all levels. The small shop in Tizgui also stocks top gear for hire and sale, including Rock Pillar climbing shoes, Petzl helmets, Beal ropes and powder sacs, plus tents and sleeping bags.

  The Moroccan-Portuguese venture hopes to develop a serious climbing scene in the gorge, including establishing a school for climbing guides and developing a series of via ferrata routes (permanent, bolted routes linked by a safety cable modelled on those in the Italian Alps), which will facilitate more DIY climbing.

  Auberge CavaliersHORSE RIDING

  (%0618 53 07 90; Km 14, Aït Baha Tizgui; per hr/day Dh160/550)

  At this small guesthouse, you can sign up for treks and horse riding. Advance booking is recommended for overnight horse treks with guide and food.

  LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

  DIY TODRA LOOP HIKE

  For a vigorous morning hike, try a three-hour loop from north of the gorge to Tizgui, south of the gorge. A 30-minute walk beyond the main gorge is the Petite Gorge, where you’ll find a trailhead near Auberge le Festival. Take the track leading uphill to the left (southwest) – regular donkey and mule traffic keep this path well defined. Head to the pass, and from there, ascend southeast to the next pass. This would be a good place to stray from the main route to look over the rim of the gorge, but be careful, as the winds are powerful up here. From the second pass, descend to the Berber village of Tizgui, where you can stroll through the palmeraies back to the gorge.

  4Sleeping & Eating

  Most visitors take their meals at their guesthouses. If you're not packing a picnic, the best lunch spots are at Camping le Soleil and the restaurants in the small village of Aït Baha Tizgui.

  Hotel ValentineGUESTHOUSE€

  (%0524 89 52 25; www.hotel-valentine.net; Km 14, Aït Baha; s/d Dh200/300, incl half-board Dh250/400; aW)

  In the village of Aït Baha Tizgui, about 800m before the gorge, Hotel Valentine rolls out the welcome mat with thoughtful service and remarkably budget-friendly rooms. Accommodations are on the small side, and only two of the eight rooms have views, but you can head up to the roof terrace for a splendid panorama over the village, palmeraie and chiselled mountains beyond.

  Auberge AmazighGUESTHOUSE€

  (%0610 12 75 55; www.amazigh-tamtattouchte.jimdo.com; KM 34; campsites per person Dh50, r per person Dh150-180; pW)

  Located 17km past the gorge in the village of Tamtattouchte, Auberge Amazigh has just four small cosy rooms, each with traditional pisé walls carved with Berber motifs and sporting mosquito nets and colourful tapestries. There's an appealing roof terrace.

  Maison la FleurGUESTHOUSE€

  (%0670 40 43 69; www.maison-lafleur.com; Km 14, Aït Baha Tizgui; dm/d per person incl half-board Dh150/200; piW)

  Run by a Japanese expat named Noriko, this surprising spot on the main road in Aït Baha Tizgui has six simple rooms (including a five-bed dorm) painted in muted colours, plus a great open terrace. It's an easy 700m walk to the gorge, and probably the only spot in the Atlas mountains where you'll find miso soup on the menu.

  Camping le SoleilCAMPGROUND€

  (%0524 89 51 11; Km 8; campsites per person/tent/car/campervan Dh24/23/23/28, d Dh300, d incl half-board Dh440-500; paWs)

  The first place you reach on the approach to the gorge has pleasantly furnished, motel-style rooms that open onto a wraparound balcony as well as partially shaded campsites. The enticing pool and good restaurant add to the appeal, though sometimes tour buses crowd in at lunchtime. Ex
cursions available.

  oAuberge Le FestivalINN€€

  (%0661 26 72 51; www.auberge-lefestival.com; Km 22; tower/cave r per person incl half-board Dh350/500; pa)S

  Get back to nature in romantically lit cave rooms dug right into the hillside and finished in moulded tadelakt, or rock-walled, solar-powered tower rooms surveying the Petit Gorge. After self-guided treks and climbs (Dh300 per hour) arranged by the multilingual owner, relax on the panoramic terrace or help harvest vegetables in the organic garden for dinner.

  oPalmeraie GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE€€

  (%0524 89 52 09; www.palmeraieguesthouse.com; Km 7; s/d incl half-board Dh300/500, with shared bathroom Dh200/350; aW)

  Just inside the palmery, this delightful guesthouse has a series of pretty terraces draped with flowering vines and attractive rooms set with Berber carpets, vintage travel posters and touches of artwork. Rachid and Doreen give a warm welcome, and this is a great base for exploring the palmery (ask to take Jack the donkey for a stroll).

  You can also take longer promenades to the gorge (a scenic 7km walk). When coming from Tinerhir, park right next to the sign and take the steps down to the guesthouse.

  Kasbah AmazirGUESTHOUSE€€

  (%0524 89 51 09; http://kasbahamazir.com; Km 10; s/d/tr Dh350/450/500, incl half-board Dh450/600/800; paWs)

  This reliable place hits all the right notes, with bright rooms (some with small balconies), a riverside location and friendly service. Some rooms are bigger than others and have better views, so look at a few before committing.

  Dar AyourGUESTHOUSE€€

  (%0524 89 52 71; www.darayour.com; Km 13; s/d incl half-board Dh350/700; paW)

  Riads have arrived in Todra at this warm, artsy five-storey guesthouse that’s all Middle Atlas rugs, winking mirrorwork pillows, and colourful Berber-inspired abstract paintings. Fall asleep to the sounds of the river rushing past. All 10 rooms have en suites and fine views over the valley; four have balconies. There's also a roof terrace with a 360-degree panorama.

  8Getting There & Away

  The now paved road from Aït Haini north to Imilchil and the intersection of the N8 Beni Mellal–Fez road is accessible to normal vehicles. Grands taxis run up the gorge from Tinerhir to Imilchil (Dh40, 2½ hours), and there's usually one transit minivan heading up the gorge every day, with more on Wednesday for Aït Haini's Thursday market and on Friday for Imilchil's Saturday market. Hotels can usually advise on when the next public transport is scheduled.

  Tinejdad

  Pop 7600

  Back when caravans arrived loaded with gold, five Berber and Saharan tribes crossed paths at this hitching post (Tinejdad means 'nomad' in Tamazight), quenching their thirsts at the Sources de Lalla Mimouna natural springs, sleeping peacefully in well-fortified ksour in the Ferkla oasis and conducting business at 1000-year-old Ksar Asir, a medieval commercial centre that housed an Almoravid mosque and a sizeable Jewish community. Water, shelter, business and baraka (blessings): what more could a nomad need?

  1Sights

  Tinejdad's crossroads culture remains remarkably intact just off the N10. The Lalla Mimouna springs are signposted on the left (north) 3km before town, and the green line of the Ferkla oasis begins on the southwest edge of town, where you’ll spot towering Ksar Asir.

  To see what treasures you can find from desert traders, hit the Sunday and Wednesday souqs on the western side of town.

  oMusée de OasisMUSEUM

  (www.elkhorbat.com/en.museum.htm; N 31°29.693, W 005°05.206; Dh20; h9am-7pm)

  Inside restored Ksar el-Khorbat is this award-winning museum that traces tribal migrations through 22 rooms of carefully curated artefacts of seminomadic life: saddles worn shiny; contracts inscribed on wooden tablets in Arabic and Hebrew; Tinejdad jars for water and preserved butter; heavy silver jewellery; and to protect it all from would-be thieves, inlaid muskets and handcuffs.

  Interesting multilingual explanations in French, English and Spanish illuminate tribal and family affiliations and explain the vexing architectural differences between a ksour and a kasbah. Useful indeed when you wander around the labyrinthine alley of the ksar in which the museum is housed and which is still home to some 80 families.

  oMusée Sources Lalla MimounMUSEUM

  (%0535 78 67 98; Dh50; h8am-sunset; p)

  This partly outdoor private museum encompasses the fizzing, magnesium-rich springs of Lalla Mimouna and is the passion project of Tinejdad native Zaïd Abbou. Artefacts collected over 30 years – including agricultural implements, textiles, pottery, construction tools, calligraphy tablets and painted prayer books – offer an insight into desert life and are housed in an unfolding series of spaces that encompass an internal garden dotted with words of wisdom from The Little Prince.

  If Zaïd is on-site, he will happily show you around, which is undoubtedly the highlight of any visit. He will show you how some of the ancient time-measuring devices using water and a bowl worked, demonstrate early primitive locks and keys, and share a bit of the magic and mystery of this place.

  4Sleeping

  Gîte-Restaurant el-KhorbatCASTLE€€

  (%0535 88 03 55; www.elkhorbat.com; Ksar el-Khorbat; s/d/tr incl breakfast Dh475/530/625; aWs)S

  Seasonal meals of garden-grown pumpkin soup and beef tajines with dates (Dh80 to Dh100) are served in the walled garden of the ksar, a regular stop for 19th-century Aït Merghad nomads. The ksar is still inhabited, and you too can spend the night in this living museum.

  Ten rooms are big enough to house a small, seminomadic tribe of your own, with en suites, air-con and Tinejdad clay pots as lampshades. Excellent maps of the palmeraie enable self-guided wanders.

  7Shopping

  Galerie d’Art Chez ZaidARTS & CRAFTS

  (%0524 83 51 13; h9am-6pm)

  Snoop around this converted home of a local calligrapher (who also runs the Musée Sources Lall Mimoun) and you might find Tinejdad-made crockery in the courtyard, sand-worn bracelets in the salon, and wonderful, well-patched nickel silver teapots in the kitchen. There's also a restaurant here. Located in downtown Tinejdad, 200m after the Shell station on the right.

  8Information

  There’s an Attijariwafa ATM on the left-hand side of the street across from the Tinejdad commune.

  8Getting There & Away

  Grands taxis run from the main market in the centre of town to Goulmima (Dh25, 45 minutes), Er-Rachidia (Dh50, 1½ hours) and Tinerhir (Dh20, one hour).

  Goulmima غولميما

  Pop 17,000

  Located midway between Tinejdad and Er-Rachidia, Goulmima was once an ancient hub of Berber culture, but is now little more than a stop-over on journeys east to the desert (ATMs and internet cafes line the main street). In fact, most travellers skip this featureless stretch of the N10 altogether and head direct to Erfoud along the more scenic R702 from Tinejdad.

  If you are stopping over here, the main attraction is the labyrinthine Ksar Aït Goulmima, a walled village on the southeast end of Goulmima’s oasis that’s home to several hundred people. A guide can lead you through the palmeraie and ksar to the 500-year-old mosque and historic mellah. To get there, head through downtown and turn right at the Er-Rachidia roundabout; the ksar is signed straight on. A pre-Islamic necropolis can be found northeast of town (signposted from N10), and there are also three souqs each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

  Grands taxis run when full to Er-Rachidia (Dh30) and Tinerhir (Dh15) via Tinejdad.

  Ziz Valley & The Tafilalt وادة زيز و تافلالت

  Snaking down through the dramatic Ziz Gorges from Rich, the Oued Ziz brings to life the last southern valley of the Ziz and the Tafilalt oases before puttering out in the rose gold dunes of Merzouga. Starting just south of the Middle Atlas town of Rich and about 30km north of Er-Rachidia, the tremendous Ziz Gorges provide a rocky passage south through the Tunnel du Légionnaire (built by the French in 1928). To the south, the valley widens, presenting a spectacular sight: a dense canopy of pa
lms wedged between ancient striated cliffs, which date to the Jurassic period. It's worth taking some time here to explore the rich, untouristed palmeraie.

  The provincial capital is located in Er-Rachidia, a convenient pit stop for those travelling north along the N13 to Midelt and Meknès.

  Er Rachidia الراشيدية

  Pop 96,000

  Established as a military garrison for the French Foreign Legion, the provincial capital of Er-Rachidia is still home to a sizeable military population stationed here to keep an eye on the nearby border with Algeria. Much like Ouarzazate, it is an expanding modern town staking out ever larger residential suburbs thanks to a significant injection of development funds. For those travelling north along the N13 to Midelt and Meknès, it makes a convenient stop.

  Garrison towns aren’t generally known for their hospitality or culture, but Er-Rachidia is trying to change that – every May, its enormous theatre hosts performers from throughout the Sahara at the Festival du Desert (www.festivaldudesert.ma; hMay) Market days are Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

  4Sleeping & Eating

  Despite its regional importance, Er-Rachidia has a limited number of decent hotels, so you may want to push on for camping options at Meski and along the road south to Aufous.