Todra Gorge
Near the High Atlas town of Tinerhir,
at the end of a lush valley of palms
and mud-brick villages hemmed in by
barren craggy mountains is one of
Morocco's most glorious natural
sights. This is the Todra Gorge:
some 300m high but only 10m wide at
its narrowest point, and with a
crystal clear river running through
it. Although the main gorge can be
explored in half a day, those with
more time should head further up the
gorge towards Tinerhir. The people
here are friendly and there are
numerous kasbahs. Rock climbing is
becoming increasingly popular on the
vertical rock face of the gorge and
camping around the base is also an
attractive option. There are plenty
of hotels in and around the gorge
itself. For the more adventurous, a
network of difficult pistes links
the sporadic villages here in the
High and Middle Atlas mountains.
Regular buses pass through Tinerhir
en route between Marrakesh and
Er-Rachidia.
Volubilis
About 33km from the city of Meknčs
is the site of the largest and best
preserved Roman ruins in Morocco.
Volubilis dates largely from the 2nd
and 3rd centuries AD, although
excavations have revealed that the
site was originally settled by
Carthaginian traders even earlier.
There's only one hotel nearby,
although camping facilities are
available.
Tafraoute
This unspectacular town about
halfway down Morocco's Atlantic
coast is a good base for hiking
trips in the surrounding hills and
to Berber villages. Just outside the
town is a rather eccentric array of
painted rocks. The Belgian artist
behind the strange attraction chose
a number of smooth rounded boulders
peculiar to the region as his
canvas. |
