Ouarzazate is where Morocco starts to feel like the desert. Beyond the High Atlas, the green of Marrakech gives way to ochre plains, palm-filled valleys and earthen kasbahs the colour of the surrounding earth. Long a caravan crossroads on the route to the Sahara, the town has earned a second identity as the kingdom's film capital — the "Hollywood of Africa" — where vast studios and dramatic landscapes have stood in for ancient Rome, Egypt, Tibet and the mythical cities of countless blockbusters.
The undisputed star is Ait Benhaddou, half an hour before town. This UNESCO-listed ksar — a honeycomb of red-earth towers climbing a hillside above a shallow river — is the most photographed sight in the south and has appeared in everything from Gladiator to Game of Thrones. In Ouarzazate itself, the labyrinthine Kasbah Taourirt recalls the days of the powerful Glaoui pashas, while the Atlas Film Studios let you walk among the standing sets. Just outside, the tranquil Fint Oasis offers a quieter, greener counterpoint to all the cinema and stone.
Below are the four tours we arrange most often. The full-day from Marrakech is the classic, packing the Tizi n'Tichka pass, Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate into one big day; the film-studio and kasbah tours suit those already in town or with extra time; and the Fint Oasis trip is for travellers who want to slow down. Because Ouarzazate sits on the road south, it also pairs naturally with a multi-day Sahara tour. We arrange shared and private departures to suit your pace and budget.
from 450 MAD per person
