Can you go rock climbing in Morocco, especially at Todra Gorge?

Todra Gorge is one of the reasons climbers put Morocco on their list, and standing at its base you understand why. Sheer limestone walls rise three hundred metres almost vertically from a narrow canyon floor, with a cold river running through it. There are hundreds of established sport routes here, bolted across the full spectrum — gentle multi-pitch slabs for newcomers right up to steep, technical overhangs that humble strong climbers. You can walk from your guesthouse to the rock in minutes, which makes it one of the most convenient world-class crags anywhere.

What I love about Todra is the atmosphere. You belay with the gorge echoing around you, Berber families passing on the road below, and the light shifting copper-to-gold on the walls through the day. We base climbers in the small guesthouses right inside the gorge, and a qualified local guide can supply ropes, draws and a rack, set up top-ropes for beginners, or lead harder lines for experienced partners.

For the serious trad and big-wall crowd, the real prize is Taghia, a remote village near Zaouiat Ahansal in the central High Atlas. The limestone towers there give long, committing multi-pitch routes that draw alpinists from across Europe. It is a mule-trek to reach and you sleep in a simple gîte — adventure in the proper sense, and not for first-timers.

Season is everything. Todra climbs beautifully from autumn through spring, with crisp clear days; the gorge holds shade so you chase the sun in cooler months. Summer middays are brutally hot on the rock, so we climb dawn and dusk then. I always pair a Todra climbing trip with the gorge itinerary so non-climbers in the group have the canyon, palm oases and kasbahs to explore.