Boumalne Dades: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Boumalne stands on a plateau where the Dadès river comes out of the High Atlas, and the road north follows the river into its gorge. The lower valley is lined with earthen kasbahs and walnut and almond trees; higher up the walls close in and the road climbs out in a stack of hairpins. About 30 km each way, half a day with stops; drive slowly, and walk the narrows on foot.
The ten best sights in Boumalne Dades
1Kelaat M'GounaThe rose town, 25 minutes west; rose water and soaps in every shop
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2Rose cooperative
Buy rose water from a cooperative rather than a roadside bazaar
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3Ait Arbi
Kasbahs stacked on the rock above the road; the classic gorge photo
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4Ait Youl
The first kasbah villages as you enter the valley
5Dadès Gorges roadDrive up slowly: villagers, donkeys and buses share a narrow road
6Monkey FingersRounded rock fingers; walk the dry canyon with a local guide
7TamelaltVillage below the rock formations; parking for the viewpoint
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8Ait Oudinar
Where the gorge closes in; walk the narrows on foot
9Tissadrine bendsThe hairpin road; stop at the café on top for the view down
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10Msemrir
Last village up the valley; tracks beyond need a 4x4
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Boumalne Dades →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Boumalne Dades:
Free walking tours in Boumalne Dades
Up the Dadès
Boumalne stands on a plateau where the Dadès river comes out of the High Atlas, and the road north follows the river into its gorge. The lower valley is lined with earthen kasbahs and walnut and almond trees; higher up the walls close in and the road climbs out in a stack of hairpins. About 30 km each way, half a day with stops; drive slowly, and walk the narrows on foot.
- Ait Youl · The road from Ouarzazate to Tinghir through Boumalne is called the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, and the Dadès valley has one of its densest strings of earthen kasbahs and ksour. Many are now empty, replaced by concrete houses beside them.
- Tamelalt · Above Tamelalt the hills are made of conglomerate, pebbles cemented in mud, and rain has carved it into rounded towers. Seen together they look like the knuckles of a hand.
- Monkey Fingers · Locals call these formations the Monkey Fingers. A dry side canyon runs between them, narrow enough in places that you squeeze through sideways.
- Ait Arbi · At Ait Arbi the kasbahs are built straight onto the cliff above the road, earth on rock, their towers the same colour as the slope. In the late afternoon the light comes down the valley and lights them up one by one.
- Ait Oudinar · Just above Ait Oudinar the valley closes into the true gorge, with the river, the road and little else between the walls. It is the place to leave the car and walk.
- Tissadrine bends · Here the road climbs out of the gorge in a tight ladder of hairpins, one of the most photographed roads in Morocco. The café at the top looks straight down on the bends.
Roses and the Saghro
West of Boumalne the valley is planted with hedges of pink damask roses, picked in spring for rose water; south of it rises the Jbel Saghro, a dark volcanic range of the Ait Atta. This loop goes west to the rose town and comes back south into the stony hills. A full day by car; in May the rose harvest is on, and the Saghro track needs dry weather.
- Boumalne Souk · Boumalne is the market town for the villages of the gorge and the Saghro, and on market day people come down from both with their produce and animals. It is the place to buy dried fruit and almonds for the road.
- Kelaat M'Gouna · Kelaat M'Gouna holds a rose festival every May, after the harvest. The roses grow as hedges between fields rather than in plantations, so the valley turns pink in lines.
- Rose cooperative · It takes several tonnes of petals to distil a single litre of rose oil, which is why the real oil is so expensive and the cheap bottles in bazaars are usually diluted. Rose water is the lighter by-product of the same distillation.
- Tagdilt · The stony plain around Tagdilt is famous among birdwatchers for desert species — larks, wheatears and sandgrouse — that are hard to see elsewhere so close to a road.
- Ikniouen · Ikniouen is the gateway to the Jbel Saghro, the homeland of the Ait Atta. In 1933 the Ait Atta under Assou Oubasslam held out against the French army for weeks on the Saghro peak of Bou Gafer, one of the last battles of the conquest of Morocco.
- Tizi n'Tazazert · The pass crosses the Saghro at over 2,000 metres between bare volcanic peaks. In winter trekkers cross here, when the High Atlas to the north is under snow.
East to the Todra
The Dadès and the Todra are the two great gorges of the south, an hour apart along the same road, and most travellers sleep at one and visit the other. This day trip runs east across the plain to Tinghir, walks into its old quarters and ends in the Todra narrows. About 55 km each way; leave early, so the gorge is not in deep shade when you arrive.
- Boumalne Dadès · Boumalne grew on the plateau above the river, leaving the valley floor for fields. From the edge of town you look down on the green line of the Dadès below.
- Kasbah of the Glaoui · The Glaoui, lords of Telouet, extended their rule over Tinghir in the early 20th century, and this ruined kasbah was their seat in the town. It was abandoned after their fall in 1956.
- Lalou el-Mellah · Tinghir had a Jewish community in its mellah for centuries, Tamazight-speaking like the town around it; almost all its members left for Israel in the 1950s and 60s. The filmmaker Kamal Hachkar, born in Tinghir, told their story in the 2013 film 'Tinghir-Jerusalem'.
- Tinghir palm grove · The houses of Tinghir stand on the rocky edges of the valley so that every irrigable metre is kept for palms and fields. From above, building stops exactly where the water begins.
- Aghbalou · Aghbalou means 'spring' in Tamazight, and the name marks where water rises at the foot of the cliffs at the gorge mouth, to be led out along channels to the oasis.
- Todra Gorge · At its narrowest the Todra is only about ten metres wide, with walls of around 300 metres. Compared with the Dadès it is shorter and steeper — a slot rather than a valley.
Getting to Boumalne Dades and getting around
- Boumalne bus station · CTM and private coaches between Ouarzazate and Tinghir stop here
- Grand taxi stand · Shared taxis up the gorge and to Kelaat M'Gouna; they leave when full
Cheap eats in Boumalne Dades
Boumalne is a market town, and its food is the plain food of the south: tagine from a clay pot, harira soup, brochettes off the grill and round flat bread, with mint tea at every table. Up the gorge the auberges cook for their guests, often with walnuts and almonds from the valley's own trees. A café lunch costs a few dozen dirhams.
- Cafe I · Coffee or mint tea by the bus station, about 8-12 dirhams
- Restaurant Café du Sud · Tagine or omelette in the centre, about 30-60 dirhams
- Hotel Restaurant Adrar · Set lunch of salad, tagine and fruit, about 60-80 dirhams
- Boumalne Souk · Bread, dates and almonds for the road, 10-30 dirhams
Museums in Boumalne Dades
- Ait Arbi · Kasbahs on the cliff; a local can show one inside
- Rose cooperative · See how rose water is distilled; buy at the source
- Ait Youl · Kasbah villages at the mouth of the valley
- Kelaat M'Gouna · Rose shops and the May festival
Nature and day trips near Boumalne Dades
- Monkey Fingers · Walk the dry canyon between the rocks, about 2 hours
- Ait Oudinar · The narrows on foot; cold water underfoot in spring
- Tagdilt · Early-morning birdwatching on the stony plain
- Tizi n'Tazazert · Volcanic peaks of the Saghro; rough track
- Msemrir · High valley above the gorge; the tracks beyond lead to the Todra
Things to do in Boumalne Dades with kids
- Monkey Fingers · Squeeze through the narrow canyon; find the shapes in the rocks
- Tissadrine bends · Count the hairpins from the café on top
- Weekly market · Donkeys, sheep and noise in the early morning
- Ait Oudinar · Paddle in the shallow river in the narrows
Where to eat in Boumalne Dades
- Atlas Dades · Regional dishes in the town centre
- Kasbah Planète Bleue · Dinner in a kasbah guesthouse outside town; book ahead
- Kasbah Ait Arbi · Terrace meal facing the cliff kasbahs
- Tissa Drine · Café-restaurant at the top of the bends
- Auberge Oudinar · Simple auberge food by the narrows
Frequently asked questions about Boumalne Dades
What is there to see in Boumalne Dades?
The top sights in Boumalne Dades are Kelaat M'Gouna, Rose cooperative and Ait Arbi. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Boumalne Dades?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Boumalne Dades without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Boumalne Dades?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Boumalne Dades, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Up the Dadès.
How do you get to Boumalne Dades and get around?
The main ways are Boumalne bus station and Grand taxi stand. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Boumalne Dades, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Boumalne Dades that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Boumalne Dades for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.