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Monkey Fingers: the rock formation in the Dades Valley
A short, strange stretch of eroded rock pillars on the road between the mountains and the desert.
Written by Morocco Tailored Tours.
The formation known locally as "Monkey Fingers" (doigts de singe in the French still commonly used for it) sits along the Dades valley road near Boumalne Dades. It's a cluster of narrow, rounded rock pillars eroded out of the same red rock that forms the nearby gorges, said to resemble a row of fingers or knuckles depending on the angle you catch them from.
The shapes come from the same erosion processes that carved the Todra and Dades gorges nearby: softer rock layers wearing away faster than harder ones, over a long enough timescale to leave these more isolated, rounded columns standing apart from the main cliff faces.
It's a roadside stop, not a destination in its own right. Most routes through the Dades valley, between the High Atlas and the Sahara, pass close enough for a short photo stop without adding real time to the day. Combined with the valley's switchback road nearby, it's one of the more overlooked short stops on the classic mountains-to-desert route.
Want to see how this works on a real route? Our 6-Day Fez to Marrakech Desert Tour via the Sahara and 8-Day Fez to Marrakech Tour via the Sahara and the Rose Valley are private itineraries we can adjust to fit.
Planning around Todra and Dades Gorges? Read the Todra and Dades Gorges destination guide, or see 6-Day Fez to Marrakech Desert Tour via the Sahara, a sample itinerary that includes it.
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6-Day Fez to Marrakech Desert Tour via the Sahara
A private 6-day Fez to Marrakech desert tour via the Middle Atlas, two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Todra and Dades gorges, Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou. The reverse of our classic Marrakech-to-Fez route, for travellers whose flights land or leave from Fez. A full day to sit still in the dunes, a night in each of the gorges and Ouarzazate, and a finish in Marrakech rather than a backtrack.
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Read articleTours for this trip
6-Day Fez to Marrakech Desert Tour via the Sahara
A private 6-day Fez to Marrakech desert tour via the Middle Atlas, two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Todra and Dades gorges, Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou. The reverse of our classic Marrakech-to-Fez route, for travellers whose flights land or leave from Fez. A full day to sit still in the dunes, a night in each of the gorges and Ouarzazate, and a finish in Marrakech rather than a backtrack.
Visits Fez · Sahara Desert · Todra and Dades Gorges · Ouarzazate · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech
From€1,713(≈ $1,915 USD)€2,015 (≈ $2,250 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
8-Day Fez to Marrakech Tour via the Sahara and the Rose Valley
A private 8-day Fez to Marrakech tour that heads straight for the Sahara and then takes the long way over the Atlas. You get an afternoon in the Fez medina, a night in a desert camp, two nights in the Todra and Dades valleys, a night in Ouarzazate and a full day in Marrakech.
Visits Fez · Sahara Desert · Todra and Dades Gorges · Ouarzazate · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · +1 more
From€2,017(≈ $2,255 USD)€2,373 (≈ $2,650 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
8-Day Casablanca Loop Tour via Marrakech, the Sahara and Chefchaouen
A private 8-day loop from Casablanca that runs south to Marrakech, across the Atlas to the Sahara, up to Fez and the Rif, and back to Casablanca. It includes two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, a full guided day in Fez and a night in Chefchaouen, and you fly out from the same airport you arrived at.
Visits Marrakech · Ait Benhaddou · Todra and Dades Gorges · Sahara Desert · Fez · Chefchaouen · +5 more
From€2,017(≈ $2,255 USD)€2,373 (≈ $2,650 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room