Morocco: Todra Gorge

We leave the dessert behind us and begin our journey west... ... away from the Sahara and into the High Atlas mountains.

We pass a rest stop in Morocco on the long roads on the dry flat plains (above). A Berber tent with mint tea. It is common to find marked on our road map a series of palm trees. This symbolizes an oasis nearby or palmeraies. I imagine they were a welcome site in centuries past when one was hot and parched and found a group of palm trees with a water source.

As we drive off we passed a wedding procession in a small town.

The site of herds of sheep and, in this case, a shepherdess are reminiscent of a much simpler time and life. One can always count on there being a token camel at tourist lookouts where large buses laden with gawking foreigners emerge and pay to have their picture taken with themselves astride the beasts. I chat with one such owner as we watch the crowds ascend. I ask how much a camel costs: 10,000 Moroccan Durham (£714 or US$1428). That is quite the investment for a country where the average annual income is about US$5500. This village valley lies somewhere between Erfoud and Tinerhir. I am guessing it is the town of Tinejdad. We finally reach the turnoff for Todra Gorge where the roads veer away from the main highway up into a deep gorge in the High Atlas. We wind our way around and through the valley following a river bed that has dried out by the time we reach our place of lodging, above, at Auberge-Camping Le Festival. We have the choice of regular rooms or for cheaper we can stay in a troglodyte room (a cave). Of course we choose the cave and find that as soon as you enter it is a far cry cooler than the outside air. The building has been built against the cave walls so that from the outside it appears to be a regular room.

The view down the valley from just outside our door.

We take a drive farther up along the road and discover what seem like abandoned buildings.

Small villages begin to appear.

When we emerge out of the dramatic valley we are greeted with signs of life.

Back in the depths of the valley there occasionally pops up a "cafe" of a Berber tent for the hiking enthusiasts. Farther down and closer to the main highway is the popular area. It hosts several places to stay with some river side seating and refreshments. It is most popular with the locals who are out in family droves splashing away in the water. We discover why it is such a popular spot, the blue-green pool pictured above is the source of a spring. Even shepherds bring their sheep down in the middle of it all.

We sit on the river bank and have a drink.

The next day we set off back to the main highway to discover the next grand gorge: the Dadès Gorge.