Route of 1000 Kasbahs

The valleys and 1000 kasbahs road

The 1000 Kasbahs road is well named. They are numerous along the 230 kilometers between Ouarzazate and Goulmima and around the valleys and palm plantations.

It is reached in Skoura, a small town in the renowned palm grove where numerous well-kept kasbahs abound, such as the Kasbah of Ameridil, the most famous of them. Then a few kilometers away, Kelaat Mgouna where roses are harvested from April to June and are also honored and celebrated during 3 days at the beginning of May during the roses festival.

Wander along its paths along the banks of the Oued Mgoun where roses, poppies, wild corn, almond trees, fig trees and wheat fields form an astonishing garden. At the exit of Kelaat Mgouna is the village of Azlag where once the Jewish community of the village was specialized in the daggers making, a tradition that is now perpetuated by the know-how of more than 200 craftsmen.

It’s from Boumalne Dades that the road which runs along the valley starts. Borrow it, it’s like a 60 km of happiness. The road winds along the valley and plays with the unevenness.

It offers a varied and impressive landscape on the kasbahs, the stunning cliffs with “monkey fingers”, the panoramic views, the gorges, the village of Msemrir and the little known valley of Oussikiss whose stone houses, fields and gardens are well irrigated due to the dam proximity.

Tinghir, a pleasant town, deserves to stay there for a while. Down below and on the edge of the palm grove is the mellah, the oldest district of Tinghir. On the heights, the Kasbah of Glaoui overlooks the surroundings.

Not far away are the gorges of Todra where a picturesque road takes us, along one of the most beautiful palm groves of Morocco, housing adobe villages and inhabited kasbahs. The walks around the gorges, along this impressive 300-meter fault, lead us to discover the trails of the High Atlas and Berber villages.

Going down from the gorges of Todra towards Tinejdad, the palm grove stretches a few kilometers to Ferkla. In Tinejdad, visiting the Ksar El khorbat, from the 19th century, is worth the detour as well as the Oasis Museum located in front of the Ksar main entrance.

The Lalla Mimouna’s Museum, 4 kilometers before the entrance of Tinejdad, is a must stop. Full of poetry to the glory of water, the only source of life in oases. The 1,000 kasbahs road ends in Goulmima. Located in the oasis of Ghéris, the Ksar of Goulmima is one of the most beautiful in the region.