Tinghir: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Tinghir is a long oasis before it is a town: the Todra river comes down from the High Atlas, and for kilometres below the gorge its water is led into a ribbon of palms and fields between bare hills. This drive follows the water upstream, from the palm grove to the gorge and on to the villages above it. Half a day; take a layer for the gorge, which stays in shadow most of the day, and walk the last part on foot.

A short history of Tinghir

Tinghir is a long oasis along the Todgha River, with mud kasbahs and date palm groves, and about 15 kilometres to the north lies the Todgha Gorge, whose walls reach a height of about 300 metres and which at its narrowest point is only a few dozen metres wide. For generations a Jewish community lived in the town in a mellah of its own; most of its members emigrated to Israel in the 1950s and 1960s. In 2012 the documentary 'Tinghir-Jerusalem' was released, by director Kamal Hachkar, a native of the town, who retraced the Jewish neighbours of his grandfather.

The ten best sights in Tinghir

1
Kasbah of the Glaoui
An earthen ruin on the edge of the old town; look, don't climb the walls
2
Old Afanour
The old fortified quarter on the hill; go with someone who lives there
3
Ksar El Khorbat
A restored fortified village at Tinejdad, 45 minutes east; you can sleep inside
4
Musée des Oasis
Inside Ksar El Khorbat; the best hour you can spend learning how an oasis works
5
Todra Gorge
Arrive before 10 or after 4; at midday the light is flat and the coaches are in
6
Aghbalou springs
Where the water comes out of the rock at the gorge mouth; cold even in July
7
Palm grove viewpoint
The classic photo of green palms under bare red hills; best in the late afternoon
8
Heart of the palm grove
Walk the paths between the plots; stay on the dykes, the fields are private
9
Tamtattouchte
The village above the gorge; the road on to Agoudal climbs high and is cold
10
Ait Hani
High village on the road over the Atlas; fill up before, there is little after

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Tinghir →

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 Tinghir:

Free walking tours in Tinghir

Into the Todra

Palm grove viewpoint · The houses and ksour stand on the rocky edges of the valley, not in it: every metre that water can reach is kept for crops. That is why the green line between the brown walls is so sharp.
Heart of the palm grove · An oasis is farmed in three storeys: date palms on top, fruit trees such as olive, fig and pomegranate in the middle, and barley, alfalfa or vegetables on the ground. Water reaches each plot by turn, through small earth channels.
Aghbalou springs · Aghbalou means 'spring' in Tamazight, and the name marks the place where water rises at the foot of the cliffs at the gorge mouth. From here channels begin to carry it out to the fields of the oasis.
Todra Gorge · At its narrowest the gorge is only about ten metres wide, with limestone walls rising around 300 metres on both sides. The road runs on the riverbed itself, and the walls are bolted with hundreds of climbing routes.
Tamtattouchte · Above the gorge the valley opens into high, cold country. The road from here climbs over the Atlas to Agoudal and Imilchil, where a famous engagement festival is held each September.
Ait Hani · This is Amazigh herding country, where families moved their flocks between high summer pastures and the valleys. In winter snow can close the road here for days.

The town of the ksour

Modern Tinghir grew out of a chain of earthen ksour along the oasis edge — fortified villages that slowly merged into one town in the 20th century. Among them lived Amazigh farmers, the Glaoui's men, and for centuries a Jewish community in its own quarter, the mellah. This walk goes through the old quarters on the hill and down to the market. About two hours; ask before photographing people, and go with a local guide if you want to enter the alleys of Afanour.

Kasbah of the Glaoui · In the early 20th century the Glaoui family, lords of Telouet and later pashas of Marrakech, extended their rule over the Todra and built this kasbah to hold it. After their fall in 1956 it was abandoned and has been melting ever since.
Old Afanour · Afanour is one of the old hill ksour that make up Tinghir. Its walls were built of rammed earth from the valley itself, so a house left empty returns to mud within a few rainy winters.
Lalou el-Mellah · Jews lived in Tinghir for centuries in their own quarter, speaking Tamazight like their neighbours; almost all left for Israel in the 1950s and 60s. In 2013 Kamal Hachkar, a Tinghir-born filmmaker, released 'Tinghir-Jerusalem: Echoes of the Mellah', in which he found the town's former Jews in Israel, still singing in Tamazight.
Tinghir souk · From the 1960s a French recruiter, Félix Mora, signed up thousands of young men from southern Morocco, Tinghir among the main places, to work in the coal mines of northern France. The money they sent home built much of the new town around this market.
Tinghir · Tinghir became the capital of its own province in 2009, carved out of Ouarzazate province, and it has grown fast since. The old ksour now sit inside a ring of concrete houses painted the same earth colour.
Palm grove viewpoint · From above, the town and the oasis read as two different worlds: building stops exactly where irrigation begins.

East to the oasis museum

East of Tinghir the mountains fall back and the road crosses open desert towards Tinejdad and the Tafilalt. Here the oases depend not on a river but on water drawn from under the ground, through tunnels dug by hand. This drive goes past a silver mine to a restored ksar that explains how the whole system worked. About an hour each way plus the visit; fill up in Tinghir.

Tinghir · Leaving town, look back at the Todra: the palm strip ends suddenly where the river's water runs out, and the desert begins at the last irrigated field.
Imider · Imider has one of the largest silver mines in Africa. Since 2011 villagers have protested that the mine takes their groundwater, and their protest camp on the hill above became one of the longest-running in Morocco.
Khettara basin · A khettara is an underground channel dug by hand from the foot of the hills, sloping gently so groundwater flows out by gravity into a basin like this one. From the air it shows as a line of shaft mounds across the desert — the same idea as the Persian qanat.
Tinejdad · Tinejdad is a cluster of ksour in the Ferkla oasis rather than a single town. Its palm groves were watered for centuries by khettaras, and many of the channels have dried up as wells and pumps lowered the water table.
Ksar El Khorbat · Ksar El Khorbat is a fortified village from the 19th century that was restored from the early 2000s and is still lived in. Its covered lanes keep the inside cool, with light coming in only through gaps in the roof.
Musée des Oasis · The museum fills several houses inside the ksar with tools, clothes, jewellery and models of irrigation. It covers the lives of all the people of the oases — Amazigh, Arab, Haratin and Jewish — side by side.

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Getting to Tinghir and getting around

Grand taxis to the gorge · Shared Mercedes taxis to the Todra villages leave when full; pay per seat
Tinghir bus station · Coaches west to Ouarzazate and Marrakech, east to Errachidia; buy the day before in season

Cheap eats in Tinghir

Tinghir eats like the rest of the south: a tagine slow-cooked in its clay pot over charcoal, harira soup with dates at dusk, flat bread from the neighbourhood oven and mint tea at every stop. On the road east look for madfouna, the stuffed flatbread of the Tafilalt that travellers call Berber pizza. Café food is cheap — a tea costs less than a bottle of water at home.

Café Central · Mint tea or coffee on the main square, about 8-12 dirhams
Café Voyageurs · Breakfast of msemen, honey and tea, about 15-20 dirhams
Chez Aziz · Simple grill by the souk; brochettes and salad about 40-60 dirhams
Patisserie Top Qualité · Moroccan biscuits and pastries by weight, a few dirhams each
Izdar n souk · Market stalls: dates, bread and fruit, 10-30 dirhams for a picnic

Museums in Tinghir

Musée des Oasis · Oasis life room by room; about an hour
Ksar El Khorbat · Walk the covered lanes; tea on the roof
Kasbah of the Glaoui · Seen from outside; the walls are fragile
Old Afanour · Old hill quarter; best with a local guide
Lalou el-Mellah · The empty Jewish quarter; ask a local to show you round

Nature and day trips near Tinghir

Todra Gorge · Walk the narrow section; climbing guides wait at the hotels
Heart of the palm grove · Shaded paths between plots; an hour's walk
Aghbalou springs · Cold water at the gorge mouth
Tamtattouchte · Open high valley above the gorge
Palm grove viewpoint · Sunset over the oasis

Things to do in Tinghir with kids

Todra Gorge · Paddle in the shallow river between giant walls
Ksar El Khorbat · Dark covered lanes like a maze
Heart of the palm grove · Spot the water turning into each field
Musée des Oasis · Old tools and jewellery to look at

Where to eat in Tinghir

Kasbah Dar Bassou · Regional dishes in a kasbah-style house; tagine about 70-90 dirhams
Riad Agraw · Home-style dinner in a guesthouse; ask in the afternoon
El Mabrouk · Regional cooking on the road towards the gorge
Kasbah Omari · Terrace above the palm grove
La Kasba · Regional menu in the upper town

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Frequently asked questions about Tinghir

What is there to see in Tinghir?

The top sights in Tinghir are Kasbah of the Glaoui, Old Afanour and Ksar El Khorbat. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Tinghir?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Tinghir without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Tinghir?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Tinghir, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Into the Todra.

How do you get to Tinghir and get around?

The main ways are Grand taxis to the gorge and Tinghir bus station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Tinghir, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Tinghir 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.

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