Things to do · Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate is the classic southern hub of Morocco, the gateway between the High Atlas and the desert and the base for the great kasbah country of the south. Earthen ksour, palm oases, river gorges and the Glaoui strongholds all lie within reach of the town. From the UNESCO ksar of Aït Ben Haddou right next door to the switchbacks of the Dadès Gorge, here are nine excursions you can build a day around, with an honest note on which are half-days and which fill a full one.
9 experiences
Around 30 km and half an hour from Ouarzazate, the fortified ksar of Aït Ben Haddou is a UNESCO World Heritage site and Morocco's most famous earthen village, a cluster of kasbahs rising above the Ounila river. Easily a half-day, often paired with the nearby Atlas Film Studios.
On the edge of Ouarzazate itself, the Atlas Studios are among the largest film studios in the world, with standing sets from epics shot in the region. With the town's small cinema museum opposite the Taourirt Kasbah, it is an easy half-day for film fans.
About 40 km east, the Skoura palm grove is a dense oasis threaded with tracks past old kasbahs. The best known, Kasbah Amridil, is a handsomely restored earthen fortress you can walk through. A relaxed half-day among palms, fig trees and irrigation channels.
A green canyon oasis hidden in the dark volcanic hills roughly 30 to 40 minutes south of town, reached by a rough piste best suited to a 4x4 or sturdy car. Palms and small Berber hamlets line a river at the canyon floor, making a quiet half-day escape close to Ouarzazate.
Around an hour and a half to two hours east via Kelaat M'Gouna, the Dadès Gorge is famous for its dramatic switchback road climbing between red rock walls and the 'monkey fingers' formations. A full day, often combined with the rose town of Kelaat M'Gouna on the way.
On the road to the Dadès, the Valley of Roses around Kelaat M'Gouna is planted with the Damask roses harvested each spring for rose water and oil. Visit in May for the rose harvest and festival, or stop year-round for the valley's kasbahs and cooperatives.
South over the Tizi n'Tinififft pass, the Draa Valley opens into Morocco's longest palm oasis. Around an hour to the town of Agdz and the old caravan kasbah of Tamnougalt, it is a half to full day of palmeries, mud-brick ksour and the start of the road toward Zagora.
Reached via the scenic Ounila back road, the Kasbah of Telouet is the crumbling-yet-ornate former seat of the Glaoui lords, with intricate tilework and painted ceilings inside. Roughly an hour and a half each way along a winding mountain route, making a full day.
Just a few kilometres west of Ouarzazate above the river, the Kasbah of Tifoultoute is a former Glaoui residence with sweeping views over the palm-fringed valley and the Atlas beyond. A quick, easy stop that pairs neatly with Aït Ben Haddou on the same outing.
Aït Ben Haddou is the headline excursion, the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar about 30 km and half an hour from town. It is usually combined with the Atlas Film Studios near Ouarzazate to make an easy, rewarding half to full day of kasbah country.
Yes, but treat it as a full day. The Dadès Gorge is around an hour and a half to two hours east via Kelaat M'Gouna, so an early start helps you enjoy the switchback road and rock formations before driving back. The Valley of Roses makes a natural stop on the way.
Very much so. Ouarzazate is the classic southern hub and gateway between the High Atlas and the desert, with the kasbah trail, the Skoura and Fint oases, the Draa Valley and the Dadès all within a day's reach, which is why so many southern tours pass through it.
The Fint Oasis lies roughly 30 to 40 minutes south of town down a rough piste, so a 4x4 or a sturdy car is best, and a local guide or driver helps with the unsigned final stretch. The reward is a green canyon oasis of palms and small Berber hamlets very close to the town.
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