Todra Gorge

Our alarm went off early as we had plans to catch the sunrise over the dunes.  It was extremely difficult to drag ourselves out of the warm bed and even more difficult to get out from under all those blankets!  Throwing on all the warm clothes we had we headed out into the desert.  The morning was serene and peaceful.  We made it up one of the larger dunes just in time to see the sun peak out from behind the mountains in nearby Algeria.  Despite not being a morning person, the peaceful few minutes Josh and I had as the sun rose were worth it.

The sunrise light hitting the dunes

Untouched dunes

Camp in the light of the morning

Choosing not to take the camels back out of the Sahara we boarded our Prado and headed out of Merzouga.  In Rissoni, the next city, we went on a quick car tour of the numerous ksars dotting the terraced date fields.  Ksars are different from kasbahs in that they do not have the large fortified wall surrounding the houses.  Not having this fortified exterior allowed many to be built next to each other.  It seemed like there was one at every twist and turn of the road.  The terraces were very elaborate as well allowing for irrigation and conservation of water.  The area doesn't seem rain often and when it does it uses every drop.

From the desert we started to see the landscape change once again to rocky cliffs and barren flat ground.  The Atlas Mountains began to emerge as we hit Tinerhir.  Tinerhir was breathtaking with its sprawling villas dispersed between decaying kasbahs and luscious oaisises.  It was hard to define where Tinerhir began and where it ended.

Looking over Tinerhir

After Tinerhir, we headed into Todra Gorge.  The gorge rises 300 meters into the sky and the face constantly changes colors as the sun moves across the sky.  We were able to get out of the car and walk along the road for a bit here.  The gorge is also a rock climbers paradise and we saw many climbers from beginner to advance trying their hand at the cliffs.  Unfortunately most of the trails were designed for those planning on spending a few days there so we were unable to do some hiking.

Driving into Todra Gorge

Many rock climbers were testing out their skills on the rocks

We jumped back in the car and headed for Dadas Gorge, the other beautiful gorge in the area, to spend the night.  The drive again was one of the best parts as the landscape jutted and rose before us.  Our hotel was located on a cliff overlooking a small town making for amazing views  of regular life:  women hanging out laundry to dry and a group of boys starting up a soccer game.

The little town near the Dadas Gorge

The view from the hotel balcony

Josh over a fossil embedded in the hotel floor

At the hotel we were upgraded to a small suite and enjoyed exploring our huge room and the surrounding grounds.  That night we were treated to yet another delicious meal and watched a little of the current soccer match on television.

Our suite

Even though we've been on the road a lot of this trip, I feel like we are getting a true taste of Morocco.  We have explored the cities, the desert, the gorges and will soon head into the mountains.