Hike above the gorge of Todra

The starting point of the trek is at the end of the town Tinghir near Hotel Azul with comfortable accommodation. In the surroundings is beautiful oasis that strethech up to Todra Gorge.
 

Along the road we get through the next village up to the high rocky pass Todra. Before we set out to the mountains, we can have same food here, buy souvenirs or try extreme sports such as mountaineering. You can also hire a guide here. Through the gorge flows a stream, which feeds the entire oasis and the view up is really impressive.
 

While walking through the gorge you will see ubiquitous traders mainly with souvenirs. It's an amazing contrast of high rocks, river and colorful products.
 

There are stairs right at the end of the gorge on the left side that will lead you out to the trail into the mountains. It's a good clue and you can thus be sure that you are going the right way. There are amazing views of the entire gorge and road that becomes lost in the distance between the other passes.
 

The terrain of the trail is rocky, but very comfortable. With a little exaggeration can be said that there is no need for special mountain equipment. The path is lined with sparse vegetation in the form of small shrubs.
 

Following the trail will get further into the pass with is a crossroads into another possible trails. This place can be confusing due to unavailability of maps. It is important to follow the trail to the south, where we will see the foothills of Atlas with Tinghir in the distance.
 

There are wonderful views of the mountains around from the hills above the pass. In this picture you can see the view south into the foothills and further continuation of the trail route.
 

Following the trail for about 20 minutes we get to nomadic settlement. There is no need for fear here. You will be welcomed by local people.
 

Nomads will welcome you with Moroccan whiskey, which is a traditional Moroccan tea. They will offer you also something to eat. So you should count with some contribution, which is used to meet the needs of the settlement. Nomads will reward you in return you with the possibility to make picture of them.
 

Nomads have in their settlement everything they need for isolated way of life. They live in burrows built into the mountains and in tents.
 

There are also several children in the village. It's really impressive to see the authenticity of this way of living – without mobile phones, tablets and modern civilization.
 

Farewell to the nomads…. Of course, you need to expect that you will not make understood with them with language, but by simple gestures and body language.

Colors and structure of these mountains are incredible. The plasticity caused by the enormous pressure of tectonic plates created amazing views of this masterpiece of nature.
 

During the descent from nomadic settlement we get back into the pass, from which appear another breathtaking views. We set out from the pass down to the village, which we see from this pass.
 

You will probably see no animals during the entire journey, only during the descent into the valley you can see grazing donkeys.
 

During the descent into the valley we get to the village, which we passed on the way to Todra Gorge. Throughout the entire oasis in Tinghir you can see wonderful contrasts of old abandoned villages and new buildings.
 

To get back to the main road, it is necessary to pass through the old village and oasis, where we need to find a suitable place to jump to the other side of the river. There is no need to panic if you do not find the right place immediately, just look around and you will surely find something.
 

After crossing the oasis we get to the road and then come back to the starting point.