Tizi n'Test Pass — Marrakech to Taroudant via HighAtlas.
Distance
225 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
2,400 m
Tizi n'Test Pass — Marrakech to Taroudant via High Atlas.
A 220km traverse of the High Atlas via the original 1932 French-engineered pass. The R203 climbs from Marrakech through Berber villages of Asni and Ouirgane before threading past the medieval Tin Mal Mosque (1156 AD) and topping out at Tizi n'Test (2,100m). The southern descent into the Souss valley is one of the most relentlessly twisty roads in Morocco. Less commercial than the parallel Tichka pass to the east.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance225 km
Days1
Total climb2,400 m
Fuel stops1 along route
DifficultyChallenging
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The route.
MarrakechStart · Start in Marrakech. Take R203 south via Tahanaout. Last comfortable fuel for 200km — top up here.
AsniFuel Stop · Berber market town at 1,150m. Last reliable fuel before the climb. The Saturday market is one of the largest in the High Atlas.
OuirganeScenic Point · Quiet valley village beside the Nfis dam. The road begins to twist seriously from here as it follows the Nfis Gorge upward.
Tin Mal MosquePhoto Spot · 12th-century Almohad mosque from the empire that once ruled from Mali to Spain. One of only two mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims.
Tizi n'Test Pass (2,100m)Mountain Pass · The 1932 French-built pass. Atlas peaks line both horizons. The southern descent of 90 hairpins drops 1,500m into the Souss plain — concentrate.
TaliouineRestaurant · Saffron capital of Morocco at 940m. Lunch on the main square. The local cooperative sells the planet most expensive spice at half European prices.
TaroudantEnd · End inside Taroudant pink-ochre 16th-century ramparts. Often called Little Marrakech minus the tourist crowds.
More routes in Morocco
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