The Kasbahs Route

See more pictures: The Kasbahs Route

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

From Ouarzazate, the Kasbahs route takes you up to the Dadès Gorges and Todra in 2 to 3 days. Amidst the snowy tops of the Upper Atlas, the source of the Dades wadi, and the Anti-Atlas stripped mountains, your 4x4 literally takes you through the backdrop to the film ?Lawrence of Arabia'. Fortified, earthen villages blend in seamlessly with the landscape.
The valley's first stop is the luxuriant oasis of Skoura, whose palm grove is worth seeing. On foot or by car, preferably with a guide, you will enter the labyrinth of narrow paths. In the surrounding area, you will find the elegant Kasbah of Amerhidil and that of Dar Aït Sidi el-Mati, which is even more refined. Heading upwards, the wadi leads you to El Kelaâ M'Gouna, which is known for its exceptional Valley of Roses (to be seen at sunset). A path takes you to the kasbah of Bou Taghar, an ancient citadel of Glaoui. At the end of El Kelaâ and Boulmane, there are several hiking and trekking trails: the Valley of Roses, the M'Gouna Gorges, the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs and the Birds Valley. North of Boulmane, the mountainsides become narrower. There is a trip worth taking in the Dadès Gorges from the Aït Oudinar village. There are Kasbahs everywhere, which are mostly ruins clinging on to the collapsing mountains.
From Boulmane, escape the Dadès valley to enjoy the green Eden of the Tineghir oasis, 4,430 ft high. From here, the road continues on to the superb Todra Gorges, where there is a 65 ft corridor separating two majestic 985 ft high cliffs and you feel like you are at the end of the world.