To visit the Dadès Gorge from Ouarzazate, drive east on the N10 to Boumalne Dadès — about 115 km, roughly two hours — then turn north up the R704 into the Dadès valley. The famous switchbacks, the coiled hairpins you see in every photograph, are around 25 km up that road near Aït Oudinar, so allow about two and a half hours of driving from Ouarzazate to reach them. The road is paved the whole way, a normal car copes fine, and the gorge pairs naturally with Skoura on the way out and the Todra Gorge beyond.
What is the Dadès Gorge, exactly?
The Dadès is a long valley that the Oued Dadès has cut down through the eastern High Atlas, north of Boumalne Dadès. It is not a single slot canyon but a sequence of landscapes: a wide, green oasis floor of kasbahs and gardens near the bottom, then a tightening gorge of red and ochre rock, and finally the famous switchbacks where the road climbs the cliff in a tight coil of hairpin bends. Higher still the valley opens again into remote pasture and nomad country.
It sits on the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, the classic route east from Ouarzazate, and most people see it as one act of a larger journey — Skoura, the Valley of the Roses, the Dadès, the Todra, then on to the Sahara — rather than as a destination in isolation.
How do you get there from Ouarzazate?
The drive: head east out of Ouarzazate on the N10. You pass the Skoura palm oasis (about 40 km, a natural first stop), then Kelaa M'Gouna and the Valley of the Roses, reaching Boumalne Dadès after about 115 km and two hours. In Boumalne, turn north onto the R704, which follows the river up into the gorge.
To the switchbacks: from Boumalne it is roughly 25 km of valley road — past oasis gardens, the monkey-finger rocks and the Aït Oudinar bridge — to the foot of the hairpins. The well-known café-viewpoint at the top of the bends (usually Café Timzzillite) is where almost everyone pulls in to look back down over the road. All told, budget about two and a half hours of driving from Ouarzazate to that viewpoint, more with stops.
Without your own car: there is no useful public transport up the gorge itself. Grands taxis and buses run along the N10 to Boumalne, but to explore the valley, stop at the viewpoints and reach the monkey fingers you really want a private car or guided tour. It is one of the easiest excursions to fold into a southern itinerary.
Where are the switchbacks, and the monkey fingers?
The switchbacks are the headline. About 25 km up the R704, just past the Aït Oudinar bridge, the road suddenly rears up the valley wall in a series of tight hairpins stacked one above the other. From the café at the top you look straight down over the coiling tarmac and the green ribbon of the valley floor — one of the most photographed stretches of road in Morocco. The light is best in the afternoon, when the western sun rakes across the bends.
The monkey fingers come a little before the switchbacks, near Aït Ouffi. Here the sandstone has eroded into bulbous, finger-like columns — locals call them the monkey fingers, monkey toes or monkey paws — and a short trail leads among them from the roadside. Several small guesthouses look directly onto the formations, which makes this a popular place to break the drive or stay the night.
Beyond the switchbacks the valley grows wilder and quieter. With time and a sturdy vehicle you can carry on up the upper Dadès toward the remote villages and pasture; a rough back road even links over to the Todra for those with a 4x4, a guide and no fear of unpaved tracks.
Is the road safe to drive yourself?
The R704 is fully paved to the switchbacks and well beyond, and tour vehicles drive it daily, so a normal hire car is fine for the main sights. That said, the hairpins themselves are steep, narrow and tightly coiled, with sheer drops and few barriers. Take them slowly, keep a low gear on the way down to save your brakes, sound the horn on blind bends, and give way calmly when buses or vans are working their way up.
Avoid driving the bends after dark — there is no lighting and the drops are unforgiving. Fill up with fuel in Boumalne Dadès before heading up, carry water, and remember that the higher valley tracks (not the paved road) need a 4x4 and local knowledge. For the wider rules of the road down here, our guide to driving the kasbah trail is worth a read before you set off.
Day trip or overnight: which is better?
As a day trip, the Dadès is doable but long — about two and a half hours each way. Start early, take in Skoura and the Valley of the Roses on the way out, reach the switchbacks and monkey fingers around midday, and you can be back in Ouarzazate by evening. It is a full day with a lot of road, but it works.
Staying the night is the better experience for most travellers. The gorge has a string of guesthouses and small kasbah hotels right beside the river, several looking onto the monkey fingers or the switchbacks, and the valley is at its loveliest at dawn and dusk once the day-trippers have gone. An overnight also breaks the long haul and sets you up to continue east the next morning rather than backtracking — see our guide to where to stay across the south for how the gorges fit in.
Should you combine it with the Todra Gorge?
Almost always, yes. The Dadès and the Todra sit about an hour apart on the same road — Boumalne Dadès to Tinghir — and they complement each other rather than repeat. The Dadès is about the theatre of the road and the eroded rock; the Todra is about walking the narrow cleft where the limestone walls close to a few metres apart and soar 300 metres overhead.
The natural shape is a loop: Ouarzazate, Skoura, a night in the Dadès, the Todra the next morning, then on toward the dunes — exactly the spine of our route east to Merzouga. If you only have time for one gorge, choose the Dadès for the drive and the rock, the Todra for the walk.
What is the best time to visit?
- Spring (April–May) — green valley floor, comfortable warmth, and the rose harvest in the nearby Valley of the Roses. The standout window.
- Autumn (late September–October) — clear, settled weather and good light on the rock, with fewer crowds than spring.
- Summer — hot on the open road, though the valley stays cooler than the open desert; start early and rest at midday.
- Winter — crisp, clear days and quiet roads, but cold after dark and the possibility of snow on the high tracks above the switchbacks.
Frequently asked
How do you get to the Dadès Gorge from Ouarzazate?
Drive east on the N10 to Boumalne Dadès — about 115 km and roughly two hours — then turn north onto the R704 up the Dadès valley. The famous switchbacks are around 25 km up that road, near the village of Aït Arbi and Aït Oudinar, so figure on about 2.5 hours of driving from Ouarzazate to reach the hairpins themselves. The road is fully paved as far as the switchbacks and well beyond.
Where exactly are the Dadès Gorge switchbacks?
The serpentine hairpins — the stretch you see in almost every photograph — are about 25 km north of Boumalne Dadès, just past the Aït Oudinar bridge. There is a well-known café-viewpoint at the top of the bends (Café Timzzillite is the usual stop) where you can pull in, have a mint tea and look straight down over the coiling tarmac. It is signposted and impossible to miss once you are climbing.
Can you visit the Dadès Gorge as a day trip from Ouarzazate?
Yes, but it is a long day: roughly 2.5 hours each way, plus stops. A round trip that takes in Skoura, the switchbacks and the monkey-finger rocks works as a full day if you start early. Most travellers prefer to spend a night in the gorge, or to fold it into a multi-day loop east toward the Todra Gorge and the Sahara rather than doubling back to Ouarzazate the same evening.
What are the 'monkey fingers' in the Dadès?
Just below the switchbacks, around the village of Aït Ouffi, wind and water have eroded the sandstone into bulbous, finger-like columns locally nicknamed the 'monkey fingers' (or monkey toes / monkey paws). There is a short walking trail among them from the roadside, and several small guesthouses look directly onto the formations. It is the gorge's most distinctive natural curiosity after the road itself.
Is the road up the Dadès Gorge dangerous to drive?
It is paved and driven daily by tour vehicles, but the switchbacks are steep, narrow and tightly coiled, with sheer drops and no barriers in places. Take them slowly, use a low gear on the descent, sound your horn on blind bends and avoid driving them after dark. A normal car reaches the switchbacks and the main viewpoints comfortably; only the rough tracks higher up the valley need a 4x4.
When is the best time to visit the Dadès Gorge?
Spring (April–May) and autumn (late September–October) are ideal — comfortable temperatures, green valley floor and good light on the rock. Spring also brings the rose harvest in the nearby Valley of the Roses. Summer days are hot on the open road though the valley stays cooler than the desert; winter is clear and quiet but cold after dark, and the high tracks can hold snow.
Should you combine the Dadès Gorge with the Todra Gorge?
They pair naturally — both lie on the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs east of Ouarzazate, about an hour's drive apart (Boumalne Dadès to Tinghir). A classic two- or three-day loop runs Ouarzazate, Skoura, Dadès, Todra and on toward Merzouga, rather than seeing either gorge in isolation. If you only have time for one, the Dadès is about the road and the rock; the Todra is about walking the narrows.
Eastern kasbah circuits
We build the Dadès into loops that actually flow.
Skoura, the Valley of the Roses, the Dadès switchbacks and the Todra narrows — as a long day, an overnight in the gorge, or the full road east to the dunes. Private car, kasbah hotels we trust, early starts. Tell us what you have in mind.
Request an itinerary