macaque monkey | Ray and Shelley's Retirement Adventures

Our day began with a drive to the dramatic Todra Gorge. It is a natural large gorge created by the River Todra which carved its way through limestone throughout the centuries.

We were surrounded by towering vertical limestone cliffs reaching heights of over 300 meters (1000ft), We walked through the gorge area admiring the steep cliffs and uniqueness of it all. Our guide Jamal explained some of the history and said it is known as Morocco’s Grand Canyon.

Jamal in the Todgha gorge in Morocoo explaining the history of the gorge.

Jamal explained how the restaurants were closed after a large bolder feel through the roof of the restaurant behind him. We could see the huge bolder inside the restaurant. Fortunately no one was there when it occurred.

There were locals in the gorge and some of them were looking for money. Some were selling trinkets or simple asking for a donation. I paid this woman who was using a mule as a means of transporting goods to allow me to take her photo. Mules are quite common and used in the Atlas mountains as a means to transport goods.

Woman with her mule that she uses for transporting goods.

After time wandering through the Todra gorge it was interesting to see how the colours change as the sun slowly moves from the east to west.

We left the gorge and continued on our trip heading towards Merzhouga. Our next stop was at a town called Midelt which is known as the “Apple City.” Our guide Jamal stopped at a roadside fruit stand and bought a large bag of delicious apples for the tour. He hinted that we may want to save some for another adventure. We continued on and drove through an area with some dense cedar forests and were surprised to see macaque monkeys along the roadside. We stopped and got out to explore the area and see the monkeys.

We brought some apples out with us and went to see the monkeys. They were very well behaved and not like what we expected. Normally monkeys are bold and try and steal food or items but these were very calm and not aggressive at all. Some of the monkeys sat in the trees and stayed away from us while others came for the food.

Monkey watching us from the safety of the tree

Jamal was quite comfortable around the monkeys because he has experienced them over the years on his tours.

It was quite interesting to watch the interaction of the monkeys with us. They were very friendly and did not seem nervous but yet they were not bold or aggressive.

Jamal even gave one a drink of water from his bottle.

We fed the monkeys and watched them for a while before heading back on our bus and continuing on towards Merzhouga, which would be our base before heading out into the Sahara. Before we reached our final stop for the day we came to a cafe and shop called Tenere. We stopped here to buy a head scarf for our adventures in the Sahara because depending on the wind there is a lot of blowing sand.

We tried on different coloured scarfs and even put on the traditional clothing for a photo. It was fun trying on the scarfs and learning how to tie them properly.