What is the Dades Valley and the Valley of Roses?

The Dades Valley is, to my mind, the most beautiful single stretch of the southern route — and the one people most often rush through to reach the desert. The Dades River carves a ribbon of intense green through the arid land: palm groves, almond and fig orchards, fields, and a string of old earthen kasbahs and villages backed by raw red and ochre mountains. The famous bit is the Dades Gorge, where the road climbs in a series of tight hairpin switchbacks so dramatic they are practically a meme among photographers — you will recognise the view the moment you see it.

Two natural curiosities make the valley special. First, near the gorge, are the 'monkey fingers' — strange, weathered rock formations bulging out of the hillside like knuckles, eroded into the most peculiar shapes. Second, all along the floor, the kasbahs and the way the villages cling to the green against the bare slopes give the landscape a layered, painterly quality that changes completely with the light. I always tell guests to give the Dades an overnight if they can, because dawn and dusk here are extraordinary.

Just to the west lies the Valley of Roses, centred on the town of Kelaat M'Gouna. This is where Morocco grows the pink damask roses that are distilled into rosewater and rose oil — you will see hedges of them lining the fields. They bloom in spring, and in early-to-mid May the town throws the Rose Festival (Moussem des Roses), with music, processions and a 'rose queen,' as the harvest comes in. Even outside festival time you can buy rosewater, soaps and dried buds at far better value than in the city souks.

On a typical southern loop you would come through here between the Todra Gorge and Ouarzazate, or on the run to and from Merzouga. My advice: don't treat the Dades as a drive-through. Stop for the gorge switchbacks, walk a little among the kasbahs, buy your rosewater straight from the source, and if your itinerary allows, sleep in the valley rather than barrelling on to the next town.