Plage Mansour Gauche · Todra Gorge (Todgha) · Morocco
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
Six pitches of technical wall and corner climbing one minute from the gorge-entrance guesthouses. Easy pitches alternate with three hard ones, and the 6b+ fourth pitch and the 6c last pitch are precise, footwork-heavy climbing on very rough rock. The route stops in the middle of the wall and you abseil off.
The route
A six-pitch route on the wall immediately left of the gorge entrance, opened ground-up in 1990 and now one of the better-protected harder multipitches in Todra. The grades alternate: 6a, 6a+, 5c, 6b+, 5c, 6c. The fourth and sixth pitches are the reason to come, both sustained and technical in steep corners and walls. It finishes at a belay part-way up the face, not on a summit. You need to be solid on technical 6b+ to enjoy it; the camptocamp obligatory grade is 6a+.
In pictures
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 25 m | Steep start on good holds at about 5c, then a 6a slab move below the belay. Slightly polished and sometimes dusty, since it doubles as a single-pitch climb. |
| P2 | 6a+ | 25 m | A steep corner climbed on balance and positioning, with a hard exit move. A 2018 party thought the exit worth 6b. |
| P3 | 5c | 30 m | A rising line to the right on good rock; a link pitch. Bolts are more spaced on this easier ground. |
| P4 | 6b+ | 30 m | Technical wall, a short traverse right, then a steep crack to finish. Graded 6b/6b+. A 2022 party found the middle traverse less well protected than the rest and slightly committing. |
| P5 | 5c | 30 m | Hook left to turn a big overhang. Pleasant, on increasingly rough rock. |
| P6 | 6c | 25 m | A fierce boulder move on sharp holds straight off the belay, then sustained, technical corner climbing to the last belay, which is out to the right. Well protected. Parties call it a stiff 6c, some 6c+. |
Getting there
Base yourself at the mouth of the gorge near Tizgui, about 14 km from Tinghir. The gorge-entrance guesthouses are a few minutes on foot from the wall and there is a car park on the left at the gorge entrance, just before the first hotel. Tinghir is reached by road or bus from Marrakech; a taxi covers the last stretch.
One minute. From the guesthouses at the gorge entrance cross the stream to the 'beach' on its right bank; some parties wade barefoot, others keep dry by walking along the wall of the irrigation channel from the bridge. The route starts left of a big gully and chimney that splits the face.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from Mountain Project area 112010562 (Mansour gauche)
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 31.58413, -5.59164 (crag)
Getting down
Abseil the route. With 2×50 m ropes you skip alternate belays: R6 to R4 (50 m), R4 to R2 (47 m), R2 to the ground (45 m). A 2018 party called it quick and efficient.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent and every belay is bolted, so you can retreat from any belay. With 2×50 m ropes the abseils go two pitches at a time.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing at about 1500 m, in the sun through the morning; the route page says it goes into shade from about 15:00. Reports run from September to April, including February ascents in warm sun and a September ascent at 30°C started at 16:00 in the shade. The rock is very abrasive above the first pitch.
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Moroccan time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 12 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 22 | 16 | 13 |
| Mean daily low °C | −1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1641 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
13 quickdraws and 2×50 m ropes for the abseils. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Cœur de Palmier.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
The classic of the gorge, first climbed in 1977. Sustained and physical 6a climbing up cracks, corners and short bulges on the big pillar at the gorge entrance. The first pitch is the 6a+ crux, straight off the ground. Watch for loose blocks on the last pitch, shared with Chibania.
6a+9 pitches300 m
Read the cautions
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
A long, moderate line above the Mansour palm grove at the upstream end of the gorge. Mostly steady 5c with a 6a crack to start and a harder, very abrasive finish. Big views up the valley.
6b7 pitches300 m
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Eight pitches up the middle of the Levant wall, with the 6a on the first pitch and steady 5a–5c above. Morning sun. Camptocamp rates the commitment a little higher than the gorge-floor routes because of the length.
6a8 pitches320 m
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
The longest route in the gorge: 550 m of easy ridge climbing on the left as you leave the narrows. Sold locally as the beginner's first big bolted route. The first three or four pitches are in shade with a 7 am start; after that you are in the sun.
5c13 pitches550 m
Read the cautions
Around 6c · about 6 pitches
Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
Six sustained pitches up the red wall above Leonidio, four of them 6c. The climbing is steep and on good holds, with a 3 m boulder problem on the last pitch and a long 6a+ to start. The bolts are close enough to let you concentrate on the moves.
6c6 pitches200 m
Greece · Manikia (Evia)
A varied route in two tiers: two pitches of pocketed wall and sculpted slab, a walk across a big ledge, then four longer pitches up the main wall. The upper wall holds the 6c and a superb 40 m pitch of continuous vertical climbing. A quiet valley with a gentle walk down through meadow.
6c6 pitches200 m
Morocco · Taghia
A less-travelled neighbour of Au nom de la Réforme: a sustained 6b crack pitch, an unusual 6c that climbs through a hole and out left with one bouldery move, then three long pitches of 6a to 6a+ up a pillar. Getting off cleanly means either the sparsely bolted summit pitches or a short traverse to the Réforme abseils.
6c6 pitches190 m
Read the cautions
Spain · El Chorro
Seven pitches up a steep south face at Frontales, sustained, physical and technical on very rough, unpolished limestone. The fifth pitch (6b+) is a thin slab and the sixth (6c) has a strenuous start and a crux on grey rock. It is one of the few 6c multipitch lines here with a clean abseil descent.
6c7 pitches195 m
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.
