Todra Gorge

Todra’s walls close to a slot of sky. Climbers use the faces; everyone else walks the canyon floor, drinks tea, and gets back in the car toward Rissani. It is a short stop that photographs like a long one.

On slower itineraries we give it a morning. On three-day tours it is an hour that still matters.

When to visit Todra Gorge

The gorge can be visited all year. In summer it offers welcome shade and a cool stream; in winter the narrow canyon gets little sun, so a warm layer helps. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times for photographs and fewer visitors.

Getting to Todra Gorge

Todra Gorge is about fifteen kilometres from the town of Tinghir, on the main road between the Dades Valley and Merzouga. Most tours stop here for an hour on the way to the dunes: you walk the flat canyon floor between walls up to 300 metres high, watch climbers on the rock and have tea by the river. On slower itineraries we add a longer walk through the Tinghir palm groves and old kasbahs.

Authoritative background: Visit Morocco page for Ouarzazate, Zagora and Tinghir (Visit Morocco — Ouarzazate, Zagora and Tinghir).

Morocco desert tours