Aït Mansour Gorge

South of Tafraout the granite country drops away towards the desert side of the Anti-Atlas, and the Aït Mansour gorge is where the road goes through it - a canyon of pink and grey rock walls with a floor of date palms, fig and irrigated gardens along a streambed, and small villages built against the cliffs in the shade. The contrast is the point: bare boulder-strewn slopes above, and a strip of dense green a few tens of metres wide below, kept going by the water and the walls. The road is narrow, occasionally single track, and continues south through Timguilcht and on towards Souk el-Had Issi and eventually the desert edge. It is a drive rather than a walk, with stops, and the light in the bottom of the gorge is best in the middle of the day when the sun clears the walls. Facilities are minimal - a few small cafes.

What you actually see

• Palms in a granite canyon - a green floor a few tens of metres wide under bare walls.
• Villages against the cliffs - built in the shade at the foot of the rock.
• A narrow road south - single track in places, continuing towards the desert edge.
• Sharp contrast - boulder slopes above, irrigated gardens below.

When to go

October to April; midday for light in the gorge floor. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The road is narrow with blind bends and passing places. There are almost no facilities - a couple of cafes. Summer heat is severe. Flash flooding after rain closes the gorge road.

Nearby

Tafraout and the Ameln valley are north; Tiznit is west.