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Tinghir, Morocco

Tinghir,
Morocco.

Drâa-Tafilalet · Todra Valley

Plan a Tinghir trip

Tinghir, Morocco

From Marrakech
232 kmas the crow flies
How long
1–2 nights
Nearest airport
Ouarzazate (OZZ) + 2h drive, or Errachidia (ERH) + 1h30 drive
Best time
March–May and September–November; the gorge is accessible year-round but can flood briefly after heavy rain

Tinghir is the gateway to the Todra valley — a lush oasis town backed by the southern Atlas, base camp for one of Morocco's most dramatic canyon hikes.

Tinghir (also written Tinerhir) is a market town and oasis at roughly 1,342 m in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, strung along the northern edge of a broad date-palm oasis fed by the Todra river as it spills down from the High Atlas. It lies about 180 km east of Ouarzazate and 33 km west of the Todra Gorge's most dramatic narrows, which makes it the main overnight base for anyone visiting the canyon. The town itself — its terraced palmeries, the Glaoui kasbah on the hill, the Tuesday souk and the knot of Berber village quarters — rewards a stay in its own right, quite apart from its role as a gorge gateway. Tinghir's palmery, some 50 km long, is among the widest and most fertile in southern Morocco.

Where it sits

Tinghir on the map.

Tinghir is about 232 km east of Marrakech in a straight line; the road is longer. The line on the map is that straight line, not the route your driver takes.

  1. Dadès & Todra Gorges21 km
  2. Aït Bougmez Valley90 km
  3. Skoura109 km

Map: Marrakech to Tinghir

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

What to see in Tinghir.

  1. The road through the Todra gorge
    The road through the Todra gorge

    What is the Todra Gorge and how close is it to Tinghir?

    The Todra Gorge is a slot canyon where the Todra river has sliced through 300-metre limestone walls to a passage as tight as 10 metres at its narrowest. The main narrows lie 33 km north-east of Tinghir, reached by a scenic road through the palm oasis — and the drive in is part of the show.

  2. Palm groves and ksar ruins
    Palm groves and ksar ruins

    Tinghir palmery and terraced gardens

    One of the longest, most productive oases in southern Morocco — the palmery runs roughly 50 km along the Todra river, its terraced plots of dates, alfalfa, henna, figs and pomegranates tended by Berber farmers on traditional irrigation channels.

  3. Glaoui kasbah and old town quarters

    The 19th-century Glaoui fortress on the hill above Tinghir looks down on a cluster of old village quarters — Ait Ouaarda, Ait Bou Oulli and others — built of earth, with distinctive defensive towers and painted doors.

  4. Rock climbing in the Todra narrows

    The vertical limestone of the Todra Gorge carries more than 150 bolted sport routes from 5a to 8b, making it one of Africa's premier climbing destinations. Several guiding outfits in the gorge hire out gear and lead climbers of every level.

Trips

Tinghir, the way we would plan it.

Every itinerary is private and built around your dates, with a proper stop in Tinghir. Each one is priced in a written quote within 24 hours.

  1. Marrakech → Sahara via the gorges

    3 days

    Tinghir and the Todra narrows are a key overnight on the private desert route running from the Atlas down to the dunes.

  2. Dadès & Todra gorge explorer

    2 days

    A private two-day loop: the Dadès switchbacks and monkey-finger formations on day one, Tinghir and the Todra narrows on day two.

Browse every tour

Plan your Tinghir days

  • Private your group in its own car
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Tinghir, answered.

Is Tinghir worth staying at, or just a pass-through for the Todra Gorge?
Either works, but Tinghir rewards an overnight. Walking the palmery at dawn, exploring the old quarters and returning to the gorge in the early-morning light — before the Ouarzazate tour buses arrive — makes for a far richer experience than a two-hour stop.
How narrow is the Todra Gorge at its tightest point?
The main narrows — the most photographed stretch — pinch to roughly 10 metres at the base, with limestone walls rearing 300 metres on either side. The passage runs about 600 metres along the shallow Todra river, and you wade across the stream several times.
Is the Todra Gorge better than the Dadès Gorge?
They're different beasts. The Todra is more dramatic at the narrows — sheer vertical walls, an enclosed slot — while the Dadès is wider and longer, with the famous switchback road and the curious 'monkey-finger' rock formations. Serious visitors to southern Morocco take in both on the same loop.

Before you go.

Getting there
Around 2h (180 km) east of Ouarzazate on the N10, or 1h30 west of Errachidia on the same road
The gorge road
The 33 km from Tinghir to the Todra narrows winds through the palm oasis — an easy, beautiful drive in any vehicle
Best combined with
Aït Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Skoura and the Dadès Gorge on the full southern kasbah loop

Have your Tinghir days planned by a local.

Tell us your dates, group size and pace. We send a written proposal within 24 hours: private guides, transfers, riads, the lot.

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