Dades Gorge & the Todra Gorge in the Red Valley
Gorges Du Dades & Gorges Du Todra in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains
Jun 7, 2009
The Dades Gorge is a mysterious cleft deep within the High Atlas Mountains at the edge of the Sahara Desert. But unlike the wide-open plains of the desert or the spacious coasts to the west, one could easily experience claustrophobia within a fissure that is 30 feet wide at its narrowest point and where sheer cliffs tower up to 1,600 feet (500 m) above.
Visiting Morocco's Wilderness
The High Atlas Mountains form part of the Atlas range that runs across Morocco. The Dades Valley, or the Red Valley, as it is sometimes called, nestles within this inhospitable range and is carved by millions of years of water erosion. Every year, winter storms bring torrential rain and floods, which are swiftly despatched by the Dades River. Unlike most other rivers, the Dades transforms itself from a small trickle into a monstrous torrent and back again in a matter of hours. Such rivers are called “wadis” or “oueds” in Arabic terms. Thousands of years of Dade’s tempest have carved ever deeper into the soft limestone and sandstone of the High Atlas Mountains, creating a tortured-looking cleft of dizzying depths.
Hills of Human Bodies
Years of climatic erosion have also resulted in strange shapes in the rocks that resemble figures among other strange shapes. For this reason, this part of the gorge is known locally as the “Hill of Human Bodies.”
From Boumalne du Dades to Ait Oudinar
The gorge is accessed via a perilous road from Boumalne du Dades to Ait Outinar to the south of the gorge. The route is littered with fairytale-like settlements, kasbas and citadels, indicative of an unfolding drama. The landscape’s colour is startlingly red, hence the name, “Red Valley.” The gorge’s approach is marked by a narrowing of the valley and a less hospitable road. Most travellers go by foot at this point, since the road deteriorates further, but mostly to take in the eeriness of the enclosure. The most spectacular and narrowest section of the gorge is accessed via a narrow path that leads to the bowels of the gorge. One must take great care to navigate at this point, for there is a sheer drop to the river below.
The Moroccan Desert
Incredibly, fossils of corals reefs have been found within the cross-section of rock, which has been dated back to approximately 200 million years. For this reason, scientists believe that the Atlas Mountains once formed the seabed until the action of the earth’s crust lifted it into its present convoluted shapes.
The Todra Gorge and the Todra River
Just to the East of Dades’s Gorge, is Todra Gorge, cleaved by the Todra River. At its most spectacular section the cliffs rise to 1000 feet (300 m) and is barely 30 feet (9m) wide at it narrowest point.
Visiting Dades Gorge
Visiting Morocco will provide the wonder of the Dades Gorge located within the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco has been cleaved by thousands of years of water erosion. Winter storms blast these mountains every year, flooding the River Dades and gouging out even more rock. At its narrowest point, the gorge is a mere 30 feet wide, but the cliffs above tower to 1600 feet. Fossils of sea creatures have been found embedded the limestone walls, evidencing of a dramatic upheaval of land from the seabed. Not far away, a similar landscape, the Todra Gorge can be found within this inhospitable but beautiful landscape.
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