Tizi n'Test Pass

The Tizi n'Test crosses the High Atlas at 2,092 metres and links Marrakech with the Souss plain and Taroudant. The road over it was cut in the 1920s and is narrow, unbarriered in long sections, and carved into the mountainside with a drop on one side for much of the descent - it has a reputation among drivers and it is earned, particularly on the southern side where it falls steeply with tight switchbacks. The reward is the view from the top: the whole Souss plain laid out below with the Anti-Atlas beyond it, and cafes at the pass to stop at. Near the northern foot at Tinmel stands the mosque built in the middle of the twelfth century, around 1148 or 1153, as the spiritual centre of the Almohad movement, one of very few historic mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims may enter; it was severely damaged in the 2023 earthquake and is under restoration.

Highlights

• A 1920s mountain road - narrow and unbarriered with a long steep southern descent.
• The Souss plain from the top - the whole plain and the Anti-Atlas beyond.
• Tinmel mosque - built in the mid-twelfth century, damaged in 2023 and under restoration.
• Cafes at the pass - the usual stopping point at 2,092 metres.

When to go

April to June and September to November. A day for the drive.

Before you go

The road is genuinely demanding - narrow, unbarriered and slow, and not for nervous drivers. Snow and rockfall close it in winter. Tinmel is under restoration after earthquake damage; check whether it is accessible. Fuel is scarce along the route.

Nearby

Ijoukak and the Agoundis valley are north; Taroudant is south on the plain.

Key facts