The Dades Gorge road winding through red canyon walls in the Valley of Roses

Dadès Gorge

Hours

Always open

Entry

Free

Duration

120 minutes

Location

Boumalne Dades to Msemrir

The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs — the number isn't hyperbole. Ruined fortresses line the valley; the famous switchbacks stack against cliffs. The vertigo is universal.

The Gorge

The Dadès River carved this gorge through the Atlas over millions of years. The road through it — built by the French in the 1930s — switchbacks up a narrow canyon of red and ochre rock. The geological formations at the entrance are called the 'monkey fingers' — eroded sandstone pillars that look like giant clenched fists.

The Rock

The gorge walls rise 300 metres. The strata are visible — layers of limestone and sandstone tilted, folded, and eroded into forms that belong in a geology textbook. Small kasbahs perch on ledges above the river. The road narrows to a single lane in places.

Visiting

The gorge starts about 25 km north of Boumalne Dadès. Drive or hire a taxi. The road is paved but narrow. The first 15 km are the most dramatic. Guesthouses line the gorge road for overnights.