Monkey fingers
Strange red rocks.
Neutrall007 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Amine BAHDOD — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ian and Wendy Sewell — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ben Bender — CC BY-SA 3.0 · gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K — CC BY 2.0
A series of rugged gorges carved by the Dadès River, which rises in the High Atlas and flows some three hundred and fifty kilometres before joining the Draa on the edge of the Sahara. The gorge walls range from two hundred to five hundred metres high. The area lay at the bottom of the sea millions of years ago, where layers of sandstone and limestone were laid down; the land then rose and the river cut its course through them, shaping red rocks into strange forms, the best known the rounded rocks called monkey fingers near Boumalne. The road climbs the valley between earthen villages, kasbahs and green riverside fields to the narrowest part of the gorge, where it winds in a string of tight hairpin bends up the mountainside, one of Morocco's most famous road views, watched over by small cafés. The visit is free; the road is paved but narrow and winding, so drive carefully. It suits walks between villages and nights in valley guesthouses, and pairs with the nearby Todgha Gorge and the rose valley at Kelaat M'Gouna.
Strange red rocks.
A famous view.
Riverside fields.
Dadès valley, north of Boumalne Dadès, about 115 km east of Ouarzazate
It is paved but narrow and twisting through the gorge, so drive slowly and watch for buses and trucks, or hire a local driver.