Thousands of kasbahs in the Dadès valley
The picturesque Dadès Valley skirts the Dadès River, with oases full of date palms and almond trees, the valley of roses and the "valley of a thousand kasbahs.
Kasbahs are ancient walled settlements, meant to protect residents from invaders.
Now kasbahs are actually very welcoming, some have even been converted into hotels.
The Dadès Valley is a beautiful and accessible area for hiking, and not only through the lower, inhabited parts.
There are hiking trails that go up considerably, past jagged rock formations and up to the top of the plateau.
There are also hikes in the coolness of narrow gorges, where narrow passages with steep walls of red rock block the sunlight. Where the world can't find you ...
Green gardens and oasis towns in the Drâa Valley
Equally picturesque is the Drâa Valley: a succession of beautiful loam-colored villages connected by chains of green gardens with countless date palms.
In an otherwise parched environment, the gardens represent great wealth.
These gardens are irrigated by the water of the Drâa River or Oued Drâa; at about 1100km long, it is the longest river in Morocco.
The river originates in the High Atlas, where meltwater comes together in small streams to form a somewhat larger stream that makes its way down.
The Imni River joins the Drâa, which eventually flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Along the banks of the Drâa, it is clearly visible how much water gives life.
