Where the Dadès river has carved its way into the southern flank of the High Atlas, the red and orange cliffs close in around a ribbon of green fields and palm groves. The Dadès Gorge is part of the long valley sometimes called the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, a string of fortified mud-brick houses and villages built along the water by Berber families, who farmed the narrow strip of irrigated land and defended it from raiders. Above Boumalne Dadès, the valley narrows and the rock turns to strange formations, including the weathered pillars known as the monkey fingers.
The road through the gorge is a joy for riders who like a challenge. It climbs along the river, with the cliffs towering above, before a famous series of tight hairpins zigzags up a steep slope, tarmac stacked above tarmac like a staircase, with a viewpoint above where you can look back down the whole sequence. Beyond that, the road gets rougher and narrower as it penetrates further into the mountains, and sections may be damaged by floods, which are sudden and severe after storms. Sun comes late in the narrow valley, so mornings are cool, and the light on the rock at the end of the day is wonderful.
Spring is the best season, when almond blossom and green barley contrast with red rock, and the road is dry. Summer midday is hot and the cliffs hold the heat, while winter nights are cold and snow can block upper stretches. Do not ride the gorge in heavy rain, because flash floods and rockfall are real hazards.
Nearby Kelaat M'Gouna is known for roses, which are grown in hedges around the fields and turned into rosewater and cosmetics, and celebrated with a festival each spring. The nearest big town is Tinghir, about thirty-seven kilometres to the east, which is where to fill the tank and buy supplies, along with Kelaat M'Gouna, as the guesthouses in the gorge are small and fuel is not guaranteed. Many serve a good tagine and mint tea on terraces, and the owners are happy to give advice about road conditions.