Today we’ll visit Todra Gorge, an area I haven’t heard of before. But if I learned anything from the overwhelmingly beautiful mountains in Midelt — another spot I didn’t know about prior to our visit — it’s to keep an open mind because Morocco has a lot of tricks up its sleeve.

We pass through the High Atlas Mountains today. Here’s a look at the landscape en route to Todra Gorge:

We check into our hotel. It’s lovely and there’s a pool, which my roommate Tally and I take advantage of.

After a few hours of relaxing our group meets up for an afternoon hike.

We cross a river and wind our way through surprisingly lush vegetation on the other side. It’s all quite scenic and I’ll stop talking for a minute so you can soak up the photos.

Then the greenery fades away and we find ourselves in an area of historic ruins. Some of these dwellings aren’t meant to be lived in but squatters appear and children ask for money.

Our next stop is a Berber rug co-op.

Before they push the carpets on us, we’re given a demonstration on how to make mint tea. (Hint: sugar, sugar, and more sugar.)

Then they show us rug samples…

… and more and more samples…

Some of my tour mates splurge on a rug. When in Berber country, right?

Our final stop of the day is the area’s namesake — Todra Gorge.

I’m surprised to see how many locals are enjoying the Gorge — cooling off in the water, enjoying picnics, and just hanging out. It’s more of a gathering spot that a scenic viewpoint.

Our day ends back at the hotel, where our group enjoys dinner poolside.

Ellen cracks me up on a daily hourly basis.

Mohamed shows off his tea pouring skills to cap off our meal. But after learning just how much sugar goes into mint tea during our demonstration today, we’re all a little less enthusiastic to imbibe this sweet elixir. The more you know…

Tomorrow we’ll visit a movie studio en route to our next stop. The part of me that will always identify with living / working in Los Angeles is super excited for this.

Thanks to Nomadic Tours for discounting my tour in exchange for photography and blogging. Opinions are my own.