Tinghir Oasis

The Todra comes out of the gorge above Tinghir and its water supports a palmeraie that runs about thirty kilometres down the valley - a strip of intense green a few hundred metres wide between bare hills, with the old villages built up on the slopes above the productive land rather than on it, which is the rule in these oases: nothing that can grow food is built on. Above the town stands the old ksar and the ruined Glaoui kasbah, and the walk from there down through the gardens is the thing to do - narrow paths between plots, water channels, palms, and people working. The valley was historically home to a Jewish community whose quarter is still identifiable in the old town. Tinghir itself is a market town on the road to the Todra gorge, five kilometres up, and most travellers pass straight through it to the gorge without walking the oasis, which is a mistake.

What you actually see

• A thirty-kilometre green ribbon - palms and gardens between bare hills.
• Villages above the land - built on the slopes so nothing productive is lost.
• The Glaoui kasbah - ruined, above the town, with the view down the palmeraie.
• Working gardens - channels, plots and people at work rather than a display.

When to go

Spring and autumn. A day. Morning light down the valley.

Honest expectations

These are private gardens - stay on paths and expect to be offered a guide, which is reasonable. The kasbah is a ruin and unstable in places. Summer heat is severe. Most visitors skip the oasis for the gorge.

Nearby

The Todra gorge is five kilometres north; the Dades gorge is west.