Visiting the Todra Gorge was the best surprise stop on our trip to Morocco. It’s a place we didn’t expect and now one we recommend everyone to visit!
When we booked our trip to Morocco, we had two places we really wanted to see – The Sahara Desert and the Blue City. Since we were flying into Marrakech, we figured we’d stick around and see Marrakech before taking off, but had no other plans in store for our time in Morocco.
However, upon researching how to get to Merzouga (the place to ride camels in the Sahara), we realized the drive was upwards of 10 hours! There had to be a place to stop along the way!
Ten hours was much too far to drive without experiencing places in between! We had read about Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou but in all honesty, both places seemed like just another tourist trap outside of Marrakech. Literally, the complete opposite of what we were looking for! But then we heard about the Todra Gorge and bam… we were sold!
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Getting To The Todra Gorge
Jay found a place for us to stay, we bought our bus tickets, and were on our way – more than ever ready to get out and see some nature!
Traveler’s Tip… There are two bus companies that go towards the Todra Gorge from Marrakech, Supratours, and CTM. The buses both leave at 7:30 am, however, we recommend taking CTM as they accept credit cards, earning you more points for rewards.
Normally, we would opt for overnight buses, but we were glad this bus was a day bus, as we were both stoked to see the scenery of the Atlas Mountains and cities along the way. However, Heather was feeling quite car sick for the majority of the ride, so ended up sleeping for loads of it anyway!
Traveler’s Tip… If you get car sick, the first part of the ride is a doozy! Be sure to pack water and light snacks or ginger with you to keep your stomach at bay!
The highlight of the whole ride wasn’t the scenery at all, it was the place we stopped for lunch! With a 30-minute break in the middle of nowhere, we decided to go to a local shop instead of the actual bus station’s lunch stop. And man, the food was to die for! Easily some of the best food we had in Morocco, and some of the friendliest service too! The owner and his son were so happy we popped in! Just a few more hours in the bus, and we made it to Tinghir.
Traveler’s Tip… Once you get to Tinghir, you’ll have to take a cab to the Gorge (8 dirhams per person). However, be sure you tell your cab driver the hotel you’re staying at and get dropped off there, or they’ll take you to the main area of the gorge and want to charge you more for backtracking to your hotel!
Where To Stay When Visiting The Todra Gorge
Getting to our B&B we were blown away by the views. Our room was huge, the shower had one-way windows overlooking the mountains, and Hmed (our host) had fresh mint tea waiting for us on the balcony overlooking the valley below. (Get a room tour in the video at the top of this post, or by clicking here.)
Traveler’s Tip… We recommend using AirBnB to book your stay because you can pay with credit card (hey-o, rewards!) and don’t deal with money with your host.
The Best Food In Morocco
We opted to have dinner at Hmed’s place, as there weren’t really restaurants nearby, and couldn’t be happier with the food. Each night Hmed served a different traditional Berber meal, and holy smokes, this was THEEEE BESSSST FOOD we had our entire trip!
And breakfast?!? Let’s just say the breakfast spread was so big that we didn’t eat lunch any of the days we stayed with Hmed. The bread was freshly baked each morning in a traditional Berber way, and would literally melt in our mouths… still dreaming about it now!
No stay would be complete without a little Moroccan tea! Whenever we returned from wandering the gorge, Hmed made us tea and joined us on the deck sharing stories of him growing up in the gorge and parts of his culture we would have never otherwise known.
Moments like those are a huge part of why we travel.
Visiting The Todra Gorge
We ended up going up to the actual gorge two different times. Once by foot, and once by the local bus.
If you don’t want to walk, you can take a cab or the local bus to the gorge, but man the walk is gorgeous! Either one should cost 5 dirhams, and all you do is just flag down a car or bus going up the road. If they’re heading to the gorge they’ll stop, if not they just smile and keep driving on!
Walking To The Todra Gorge
The first time we actually walked to the gorge. We met up with Jack and Jill, a couple we shared a cab with on the way to our accommodation and walked the couple hours to the base of the gorge. It was lovely!
The trail weaves in and out of a palm grove and Berber village farmlands where we got to see locals tending to their crops and washing laundry in the river.
Walking Through The Actual Todra Gorge
Once we got to the base of the gorge, we really couldn’t believe our eyes. It reminded us of being in Zion National Park. There’s a rode that actually goes right through the gorge with the Todra river running alongside it.
The Todra Gorge cliffs are huge, and they’re full of rock climbers rock climbing on both sides. And get this, the water coming from the Todra river is warm!! How is that even possible?!
People were selling the typical tourist gimmicks, but in all honesty, it wasn’t too distracting from the beauty that surrounded us. We ended up going back a second time because it was so pretty, and again, we were just blown away by the beauty of the gorge.
There Are Even Kasbahs At The Todra Gorge
Kasbahs are basically ruins and old buildings in Morocco that have some serious charm. They’re usually made from local resources, like mud and sticks, and can be found all throughout Morocco.Walking through the kasbahs is a great way to learn about Morocco and the living conditions.
We had seen a couple of other kasbahs while on the bus to the gorge, and kept hearing about them while in Marrakech, but hadn’t explored any of them. However, when we arrived at Panorama Todra we had a gorgeous view of kasbahs across the valley and learned that our host actually grew up in them.
We had to visit!
Walking through the kasbahs was quite eerie. We didn’t know if the walls or broken rooves were going to cave in on us, and had no idea what was around every corner.
We ended up spending hours just lost in the kasbahs, watching the sun go down, and talking with the only person we saw the entire time exploring the place!
These kasbahs are the ones to visit in Morocco! There is nothing touristy about them at all. And, we literally only saw one other person the entire time we walked through them!
Visiting The Todra Gorge In A Nutshell
Our time in the Todra Gorge was absolutely lovely. There’s so much more to explore than we did, longer hikes to do, and so much peace and scenery to take in. Though, after staying for three days, we decided we needed to move on, to try and get to a warmer area of Morocco. – Visiting Morocco in December proved to be much colder than we had imagined!
We were definitely not prepared for the colder weather, and with just a small space heater in our room, we were freezing our tooshies off the whole time. Though, it was all worth it for the moment Jay was standing over the heater and we started smelling something burning…. he was synching his leg hairs on the open flame! Lesson learned… always packing our warm weather clothes no matter where we go… thanks, dad! 😉
If you’re visiting the Todra Gorge outside of the summer months, remember that it can get very cold at night. Most of the places have small space heaters, but really they aren’t much for larger rooms, so pack accordingly!
As always, we’d love to hear from you! Share your stories of visiting a place like this with us below, and if you’re planning a trip to Morocco, don’t forget to add the Todra Gorge to your list of places to visit!
Recommended Gear For Visiting The Todra Gorge
Jacket: The Todra Gorge can get really cold at night. And if you’re visiting in the winter, it’s cold during the day too! This jacket is lightweight but warm, and packs down really small!
Backpack: We never travel without these backpacks. They keep your belongings safe with the extra snap protection, are waterproof, and are carry on size! And best yet… they don’t look like a typical backpacking backpack, so you don’t stand out as much!
Water Bottle: Whether you want to keep your water cool while you trek, or are looking to keep your mint tea hot, this water bottle does the trick! It keeps drinks hot for 6 hours and cold for 24!
Camera: This post tells you all about the camera gear we used while visiting the Todra Gorge. All the photos and videos were taken with this gear right here.
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