Morocco
Paradise Valley
Turquoise rock pools hidden in a palm-lined gorge where the Atlas drains toward the Atlantic.
The valley earns its name in the laziest way possible — turquoise rock pools, smooth-boulder waterslides, palm trees filtering the light into green dapples, and nobody in any hurry to go anywhere. The river has carved a series of natural swimming pools into the rock, each a different shade of blue-green, connected by small cascades that children and adults slide down with equal delight. The surrounding cliffs are steep and red, and the only sound is water and laughter.
Paradise Valley is a palm-lined river gorge in the foothills of the High Atlas, roughly 30 kilometres north of Agadir. The river has carved a series of natural rock pools and small waterfalls into the limestone, creating a sequence of swimming spots connected by smooth-rock slides. The valley gained popularity through word of mouth among the surfing community based in Taghazout and Tamraght, though it has since attracted a broader audience. Access requires a short drive on a piste road followed by a thirty-minute walk down into the gorge. Local guides and mule handlers operate at the trailhead. The pools are at their best between April and October.
Friends
Natural rock slides, cliff jumping, and turquoise pools — Paradise Valley is a group day out that delivers exactly what the name promises.
Couple
Quieter pools further up the valley offer seclusion and beauty in equal measure. Bring a picnic and spend the afternoon.
Family
The shallow pools and natural slides are a paradise for children. The hike in is manageable, and the reward is unbeatable on a hot day.
- Natural turquoise swimming pools cascade down a palm-lined gorge between smooth boulders.
- The pools are deep enough for jumping from the surrounding rocks — a natural water park.
- Access is by footpath from the road above — a thirty-minute walk keeps it uncrowded.
- The gorge sits between the Atlas mountains and the Atlantic coast, reachable from either direction.
Berber omelettes and fresh orange juice at trailside cafés perched above the pools.
Argan oil and honey pancakes served on reed mats at the gorge entrance.
Pedra de Lume
Cape Verde
Float in a salt lake inside an extinct volcano, crater walls rising on every side.
Vale do Paúl
Cape Verde
Sugarcane terraces spill down a volcanic crater into the greenest valley in the archipelago.
Monastery of St. Anthony
Egypt
Earth's oldest inhabited monastery, wedged into a Red Sea mountain canyon since the fourth century.
Hoang Su Phi
Vietnam
Rice terraces so vertiginous they look like topographical maps carved directly into the sky.
Chefchaouen
Morocco
Blue-washed walls dripping with bougainvillea in a mountain medina where cats outnumber cars.
Fes el-Bali
Morocco
Nine thousand alleys where the smell of cedar, leather, and centuries of spice never fades.
Essaouira
Morocco
Atlantic gales rattle shutters on a fortified port where Hendrix once jammed with Gnawa musicians.
Erg Chebbi
Morocco
Saharan dunes taller than apartment blocks turning from gold to crimson as the sun drops.