Tinghir

Clinging to the southern side of the High Atlas range that carves its way through the dusty plains of this section of central Morocco, Tinghir rises almost organically from the beige-brown ridges that encompass it. It’s a place that would be almost invisible in its adobe cloak and mud-brick veneer were it not for the evergreen bloom of date palms that is dashed through its centre. The Palmeraie is a curious oases of colour made possible by the trickling channels of the Wadi Todgha, coaxed across the arid landscape here by the clever innovations of the Amazigh peoples.

Tinghir tour guides based in the town now offer a whole host of different itineraries to travellers making their way through this less-trodden section of the Atlas range. The most popular of these are unquestionably the 4x4 expeditions out to see the sheer-cut walls of the mighty Todra Gorge (rock climbers will be in heaven) carved over millions of years by attrition, and guided wanderings through the oasis of Tinghir itself, where panoramic views from the ancient Glaoui Kasbah overlook Berber home steads.