Dadès Gorges, Canyon in Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco.
Dadès Gorges is a canyon carved through red and grey rock layers, with sheer walls that rise hundreds of meters on either side. The Dadès River flows through this narrow passage, having slowly shaped the towering cliff faces over millions of years.
The gorges were created when the Dadès River began carving through the Atlas Mountains millions of years ago, gradually widening and deepening its path. Over time, the steep canyon became a natural gateway for trade routes connecting northern Morocco to the southern desert regions.
The Dadès Gorges has served as a crossing point for Berber traders and communities for centuries, shaping settlement patterns in the region. The red clay kasbahs scattered along the river reflect how people learned to build sustainably in this harsh mountain environment.
The best way to explore the gorges is along National Route 10, which winds through the mountains and offers several pullouts and overlooks for stopping. Starting early in the day or visiting late afternoon helps you avoid midday heat and enjoy changing light that makes the rock formations more dramatic.
The canyon walls display a striking geological feature called monkey fingers, where sharp stone projections jut out from the rock like raised digits. This pattern formed because different rock layers erode at different rates, creating these distinctive finger-like formations that catch the light in unexpected ways.
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