After all the sightseeing for the past week, we really needed some downtime. So it worked out well that Intrepid had planned for us to spend two days relaxing in the Todra Gorge. Although, we didn’t exactly relax while we were there…we decided to attempt several pretty challenging hikes!
Kimberly
For photos, click here.
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| Todra Gorge |
The gorge itself is a giant trench in the High Atlas mountains. In the middle of complete barren rockiness, a river flows through small towns, creating incredibly fertile land. The contrast of stones and dirt with bright green palmeries was just stunning!
The main hike we did was called the Route des Nomades and was incredible just for the serenity of being so isolated in the rocky desert. There were many moments that felt just like the scenes in Babel – especially when we came up a boy playing his flute on the rocks across the canyon while watching his herd of goats grazing along the mountains. We had a local guide, Redouane, lead just the two of us on this adventure. He knew a Berber family that lives up on the mountain, and the father invited us for tea with him and his grandson. The hospitality of the Moroccans is really just incredible. Here is this man, several hours hike from anything, who is offering several cups of tea to complete strangers (and foreigners nonetheless). Playing with his somewhat timid grandson was probably one of the highlights of our trip. Just the five of us, sitting in this man’s home (which consisted of a tent and some carpets), drinking tea, and making faces to get the little boy to laugh. It was incredible!
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