What are the best day trips from Tinghir and Todra Gorge?

Tinghir is the practical base for the Todra Gorge, and the gorge is the obvious first move — just 15 minutes north of town. The road runs right into a slot where vertical limestone walls climb 300 metres on either side and the river narrows to a few metres at the throat. Early morning, before the coaches arrive, you can hear your own footsteps echo off the rock. Rock climbers come from all over Europe for these walls; the rest of us walk through, have a tea at one of the little cafes wedged against the cliff, and carry on up-valley where the crowds thin and Berber hamlets cling to the slopes.

Don’t overlook Tinghir itself. The palm grove below the town is one of the loveliest in the south, and you can walk or bike for hours along the irrigation channels between the gardens, with the old fortified Glaoui kasbah crumbling above. A local guide will take you up to the ksar for the panorama over the whole green ribbon of the oasis against the bare mountains — it’s a half-day of pure, unhurried Morocco.

For a bigger day, the Dades Gorge lies about an hour and a half west, and the drive itself is the attraction: the famous hairpin switchbacks twisting up the cliff, the "monkey fingers" rock formations, and a string of kasbahs along the Valley of Roses. Many travellers actually link Todra and Dades into one long day or, better, sleep a night in the Dades to break it up. The two gorges are sisters, and seeing both gives you the full geology lesson.

If you have a 4x4, time, and a sense of adventure, the road north over the High Atlas to the Imilchil lakes and plateau is unforgettable — remote Berber country, twin mountain lakes, and the home of the legendary marriage festival. It’s a serious half-day-plus drive each way on rough roads, so I’d only recommend it with an early start and a good driver. For most people, Todra plus the palmeraie, or Todra plus Dades, fills the days beautifully.