This all tarmac 62-km route climbs 500m as it heads north up the Dades Valley and comes out at the top at a mini ‘Grand Canyon’. The tarmac stops at M’semrir where non-offroaders should turn around and head back for the return journey down the gorge.

Others can carry on, taking the ‘E23 Upper Dades’ piste north to Agougal, or the ‘E33 Gorge Link’ piste east to Tamtattouchte in the Todra Valley.

Photographs taken on a variety of trips.


km7.4: Irene Cullis on what was a rocky silencer-bashing piste in 1974...


...which in 2010 is now a smooth tarmac road


km11: haematite (iron oxide) in the soil produces the deep reds


km19: granite intrusions known locally as 'Doigts des Singes' or 'Monkey Fingers'






km21: plenty of pisé ksour


km29: Auberge Tissadrine situated on an interesting-looking side valley


km31: the fairytale castle of Hotel Timzzillite...


... atop the hairpin bends...


And on one of the bends, the granade emblem of the combat engineers of the French Foreign Legion


...with more descending the other side


km34: the road drops down the river level—which, worryingly, is almost topping the road


km40: ancient watchtower amidst great strata


km55: John Cressey with Tal'at n'Iguidi in the background


km57: Tim Cullis with BMW R1200 GSA on the rim of the canyon



riding the rim of the gorge



km62: the souq at M'semrir and the end of this route