Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DADÈS VALLEY & THE GORGES
Nomad crossings, rose valleys and two-tone kasbahs: even on paper, the Dadès Valley
stretches the imagination. From the daunting High Atlas to the north to the rugged Jebel
Saghro range south, the valley is dotted with oases and mudbrick palaces that give the re-
gion its fairy-tale nickname - Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs. Some of the best views are
only glimpsed on foot, on hidden livestock tracks between the Dadès and Todra Gorges and
nomad routes across the Saghro.
Paved roads from Tinerhir to Imilchil and the intersection of the N8 between Beni Mellal
and Khenifra, and from Er-Rachidia north up the N13 to Meknès, allow travellers to con-
nect easily with Middle Atlas itineraries.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Skoura
POP 2800
By the time caravans laden with gold and spice reached Skoura, the camels must've been
gasping. After a two-month journey across the Sahara, blue-robed Tuareg desert traders of-
floaded cargo from caravans in Skoura, where Middle Atlas mountaineers packed it onto
mules headed to Fez. Ouarzazate is now the region's commercial centre 39km west, but
Skoura's historic mudbrick castles remain, and desert traders throng
Monday and Thursday
souqs
brimming with intensely flavourful desert produce. When market days are done and
palm-tree shadows stretch across the road, no one seems in a hurry to leave.
Sights & Activities
Navigating the network of dirt tracks in Skoura's vast
palmeraie
is challenging, so invest in
a guide (Dh50 per hour). Most hotels offer their own excursions.
PALM GROVES
Palmeraie
Skoura's defining features remain its mudbrick kasbahs and vast Unesco-protected palm
groves, earning the moniker 'Oasis of 1000 Palms'. Under this green canopy, a 15-mile
patchwork of carefully tended garden plots are watered by an ingenious, centuries-old
