Ifelou Ihedan Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3B II PG (v3a2 II) Raps:5 + 2 jumps, max ↨69ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Granite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 18 Oct 2021
"Not flowing. Water stagnant with millions of hatching insects, but fairly clean. Anchors all bolted and excellent condition. Potholes ALMOST in keeper |
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| Best season: | Nov-June
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29.7834, -9.0907
29.7874, -9.0946
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Introduction[edit]
Ifelou Ihedan is a great canyon barely known by anyone except local canyoneers. It’s one of the best canyons in the area, with several very unique bridges and keeper potholes. Enjoy.
Approach[edit]
From the parking area, head up the steep slope, following the GPS. Near the top, make a hard left and navigate through some uneven rocks. This will bring you into a sweeping valley. Head up the valley to a rocky saddle, and go through this saddle. Remember, there is nothing exposed or dangerous on the approach.
After this saddle, stay left heading up a gradually inclining valley. From the top of this valley, drop down along the left side of the next open area. You should easily see the keeper pothole that marks the start of the canyon.
Descent[edit]
Rappel into the pothole, 5 meters off bolts on the right. Have an escape plan BEFORE you get on rope. If low, this is a keeper pothole with deep, cold water and millions of insects. If high, it’s an easy swim that will bring you to a very small area for the next rappel, also about 5 meters, off bolts on the left.
This rappel deposits you into a pool with some tangled branches. Keep left along the wall until the pool ends. There is brief bushwhacking before the big rappel, 20 meters off bolts on the left through a bridge. This rappel can end is a small but tricky pothole, so be prepared to swing around it or get in to swim.
The next rappel is 5 meters into a huge pothole. If very low, this may be a keeper. Generally, water is high enough that this pothole has a brief swim and then some wading with an easy escape. When you swim across this pothole, it is essential that you don’t pull your rope - use it as a belay for the next rappel.
The next rappel is 20 meters off bolts on the left, on a wall well outside the watercourse. Reaching these bolts requires exposure, with small footholds, and it needs to be protected, especially if the water is flowing. Using the rope still attached to the previous rappel, connect yourself and rig this rappel, which will drop you alongside a waterfall and into a pool.
The canyon now opens. There is another rappel of 3 meters into a pool, then a downclimb into a long swim. At this point, you’re probably amazed at how much water there is in these desert mountains! It then briefly opens again, then closes with a 3 meter downclimb/jump (always check first). Bolts appear to have been removed. Ditto for the next jump of 4 meters. The canyon then ends, just before a large drop-off.
Exit[edit]
Exit near the gps point, just before the big drop-off. There’s no trail, but it’s easy to walk through the rock formations. It will help to have a GPS or compass. When you get close to the parking area, you will be on top of a large cliff. There is an easy, non-exposed way down if you stay somewhat left. This will bring you right back to your vehicle.
Red tape[edit]
No red tape.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
https://www.LukasEddy.com/Canyons-of-Morocco
Background[edit]
First explored and bolted by a French team with Tafroute canyoneering guru Ahmed around the year 2020.