Visit Ouarzazate

Beyond the Tichka pass, the landscape shifts: ochre earth, palm groves and mud-brick kasbahs below peaks that are snow-capped in winter. Ouarzazate is the base for the Ait Benhaddou ksar, studios that have hosted film shoots since the 1980s and the Draa roads. One or two nights are enough.

Why stop in Ouarzazate?

Ouarzazate is a town in southern Morocco, about 200 km from Marrakech via the Tizi n'Tichka pass. It is known for Taourirt Kasbah, its film studios and its proximity to the Ait Benhaddou ksar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. It is the usual stop before the Dades and Draa valleys.

Ouarzazate highlights

Earthen kasbahs, film sets and pre-Saharan landscapes, in town and close by.

Taourirt Kasbah

The former Glaoui family residence in the heart of town, a maze of mud brick where some rooms keep 19th-century painted ceilings and stucco.

Atlas Studios

Film studios founded in 1983 at the entrance to town, whose sets from international productions can be visited with a guide.

Ait Benhaddou ksar

A fortified earthen village on a hill above the Ounila river, UNESCO-listed, and the backdrop to many films and series since the 1960s.

Telouet Kasbah

The former palace of the Glaoui pasha on the Tichka route, crumbling outside but with inner salons covered in zellige and carved cedar ceilings.

Kasbah Amridil

A 17th-century family kasbah in the Skoura palm grove, one of the best preserved in the south, with a small museum of everyday objects.

El Mansour Eddahbi Lake

The reservoir east of town, whose arid shores attract migrating birds and walkers, with the Atlas peaks as a backdrop.

What to see in and around Ouarzazate?

The centre and the Taourirt district

The modern town grew in the 20th century around Avenue Mohammed V, wide and straight, and remains calm and airy. To the east, Taourirt Kasbah, former residence of the Glaoui family, powerful lords of the south, forms the historic quarter together with the old ksar next door. Allow an hour for the kasbah, where some decorated rooms are open, and another for the ksar and the carpet shops on the nearby square. In the evening, Place Al Mouahidine gathers cafés and restaurants.

The studios and the film town

Since the 1980s, the light, natural scenery and mud-brick architecture have drawn international productions. Atlas Studios, at the western entrance to town, can be visited in about an hour with a guide, among fake Egyptian temples, ancient villages and aircraft wrecks. CLA Studios, further out, sometimes open their sets too. Opposite Taourirt Kasbah, a small cinema museum displays costumes and sets. Many extras are hired locally: feel free to ask your host about current shoots.

The Ounila valley up to Telouet

About thirty kilometres north-west, Ait Benhaddou is the essential excursion: a fortified mud-brick ksar stacked on a hill above the Ounila river. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the light is better and the groups have gone. The paved road up the Ounila valley then leads, in about 1 hour 30, to Telouet Kasbah, the Glaoui's former stronghold with zellige-clad salons. This detour joins the Tichka road and can replace the main route on the drive from Marrakech.

Towards Skoura, the Dades and the Draa

To the east, the Skoura palm grove, about 40 km away, shelters fine kasbahs and marks the start of the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs towards the Dades. To the south-east, the road crosses the Anti-Atlas to the Draa valley and Zagora, about 160 km away, gateway to the dunes. Areas near the Algerian border are subject to government travel advisories: check them before taking any track east. Ouarzazate is a key stop on southern Morocco road trips: one night on the way out, one on the way back.

Frequently asked questions about Ouarzazate

Should you sleep in Ouarzazate or Ait Benhaddou?
Ait Benhaddou appeals for the atmosphere at sunrise and sunset, with guesthouses facing the ksar. Ouarzazate offers more services, restaurants and more practical departures towards Skoura and the Draa. For a single night, Ait Benhaddou; as a base, Ouarzazate.
Which films were shot around Ouarzazate?
Ait Benhaddou and the studios have served as backdrops for many productions, including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven and the Game of Thrones series. Atlas Studios tours show several of these sets, even though many have been dismantled or reused.
Is the Tichka pass dangerous to drive?
The road has been widened and well surfaced, but it remains winding, busy with trucks and sometimes snowy in winter. Drive in daylight, allow four hours from Marrakech and check the weather between December and March, as temporary closures remain possible.
Can you reach the Merzouga desert from Ouarzazate in one day?
It is doable, about 350 km and six to seven hours of driving via the Dades and Todra, but exhausting. It is better to break the journey with a night in the Dades gorges to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Did the 2023 earthquake affect the Ouarzazate area?
The September 2023 earthquake mainly struck High Atlas villages around Al Haouz. Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou remain accessible and open to visitors; reconstruction work continues in some mountain villages, which should be visited respectfully.
What to see in Ouarzazate with only half a day?
Taourirt Kasbah and the old ksar next door in the morning, then Ait Benhaddou in late afternoon for the low light on the mud brick. Keep Atlas Studios for a longer stay or a hot day, since the tour is partly sheltered.

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