Gouffre Friouato

Gouffre du Friouato


Useful Information

down the entrance pit. © Mark and Megan Whyte
Location: About 14 km southwest of Taza.
(34.104727, -4.072478)
Open:  
Fee: Adults MAD 10.
Classification: SpeleologyKarst Cave
Light: none.
Dimension: VR=272 m.
Guided tours:  
Photography:  
Accessibility:  
Bibliography: Norbert Casteret (1947): Au Found des Gouffres, Librairie Academique Perrin, Paris. Chapter IV Dans les gouffes du Moyen-Atlas.
Norbert Casteret (1947): My Caves, J M Dent & Sons Ltd, London. p 67
Michael Laumanns (2007): Atlas of the Great Caves of Africa and the Karst of Africa. BHB 24 pp 112, 114-115, survey p 123.
Address:  
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1930 explored by Norbert Casteret.
1932 start of development by the village Bab Boudir.
1969 exploration by cavers from Exeter University.

Description

at the bottom of the entrance pit. © Mark and Megan Whyte

There is a good tarmac road most of the way. The turning to the Gouffre du Friouato is signposted on the right. The road to the cave is quite steep and if the car does not make it, it is a 20 minute walk. There is usually a guide at the cave entrance, but it is recommended that you take your own lights as the cave is enormous. It consists of a 100 metre shaft. There are 520 steps down to the bottom. All nice safe concrete ones with a handrail. Each step however is about 18 inches [37 cm?] high. Great going down but very tiring coming up!

The guide will take you down through the part that was described as a 'squeeze' by one holidaymaker. It is a crawl sized hole. Then more concrete steps. At the bottom of the steps is a large chamber, so high that even the guides powerful torch fails to reach the roof. The cave continues, going from one large chamber to another. Each one is profusely decorated with enormous stalagmites and stalactites. Sadly some have been broken by vandalism, some by what seems to be ferocious floods in the winter. Another chamber has some stalactite curtains which are really impressive too. 3 or 4 inches thick and 6 or 7 feet long. The guide plays a tune on them like church bells.

Cavers have explored to a depth of 272 m and it is postulated the that there is a subterranean river which is connected to the nearby Grottes du Chiker. The Chiker is 3.8 km long and is not suitable for casual visitors.


Text by Tony Oldham (2007). With kind permission.