By road
Marrakesh, ~200 km over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, about four hours
Africa · Morocco
Ouarzazate, Morocco
The door of the desert and its film-set kasbahs · Marrakesh, ~200 km over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, about four hours
Getting there
By air
Ouarzazate (OZZ), ~2 km from the town
Best time to visit
March to May and September to November — warm days, cool nights; summer is very hot
Don't miss
Kasbah Taourirt
Aït Benhaddou
Atlas Film Studios
Fint Oasis
Kasbah Amridil in Skoura
The Cinema Museum
Things to do
Visiting Aït Benhaddou
Touring the film studios
The drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass
A night in a kasbah guesthouse
Where to eat
What to pack
Sun protection, a scarf for dust and wind, warm layers for desert nights, cash for the kasbahs' caretakers
A quieter corner
The Fint Oasis, a palm-filled gorge of mud villages a short drive south of the town
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Ouarzazate?
March to May and September to November — warm days, cool nights; summer is very hot. What to pack: Sun protection, a scarf for dust and wind, warm layers for desert nights, cash for the kasbahs' caretakers.
How do I get to Ouarzazate?
Fly into Ouarzazate (OZZ), ~2 km from the town.
What is there to do in Ouarzazate?
Visiting Aït Benhaddou, touring the film studios, the drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, a night in a kasbah guesthouse. A quieter find: The Fint Oasis, a palm-filled gorge of mud villages a short drive south of the town.
What should I eat in Ouarzazate?
Tagines, Berber omelette, dates from the Drâa valley, mint tea.
About Ouarzazate
- Desert
- Mountains
Where it is
Ouarzazate is a town in south-central Morocco, south of the High Atlas on a plateau at about 1,150 m where the Drâa and Dadès valleys meet, on the road from Marrakesh to the Sahara.
History
Ouarzazate grew from a French garrison post founded in 1928 beside the Glaoui family's Kasbah Taourirt, on an old caravan route to the desert. From the 1960s its light and landscapes drew film-makers, and Atlas Studios, opened in 1983, made it the centre of Morocco's film industry.
People
The town's people are largely Amazigh (Berber), and Tamazight is spoken alongside Arabic and French; many families have worked as extras, builders and craftsmen on the films shot here. Life is slower than in Marrakesh, and the souk is small and local.
Known for
- Kasbah Taourirt
- Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage ksar
- Atlas Film Studios
- The gateway to the Drâa valley and the Sahara
Did you know?
Ouarzazate's name is Amazigh for 'without noise', and its studios have stood in for ancient Egypt, Rome, Tibet and Somalia in dozens of films.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.