Back to Ancient Morocco: Explore Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou in a One-Day Trip
4.3
27 Ratings
Marrakesh
Embark on a one-day trip to Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou in ancient Morocco. Explore historical villages, majestic Atlas Mountains, and famous movie sets. Upgrade to private trips and 2-day journeys for a deeper experience.
Duration:
14 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Tizi n Tichka - To make the most of your day, your journey will start early in the morning, 7am, from your Marrakech accommodation.
Hop inside the air-conditioned car and soak up the scenery as you travel through the Atlas Mountains. Enjoy the view at the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, the highest point of The Atlas Mountains accessible by car (2260m)
Please note, one-way journey to Ouarzazate takes about 5 hours through the mountain pass of 2200km high.
- Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou - At midday, you’ll arrive at the famous fortified city of Ait Benhaddou - the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco. Travel back in time with our local official guide taking you around the kasbah. The Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou is a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture. Listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has also been the backdrop for many Hollywood productions (Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Alexander, Star Wars, Prince of Persia, Babel, Cleopatra, Prison Break, and many more) After the guided tour enjoy locally made lunch in one of Ait Benhaddou charming restaurants overlooking the ancient village.
- Taourirt Kasbah - After lunch, you’ll be taken to the city of Ouarzazate. Nicknamed ‘The gate of the desert ’, the town is inhabited by Imazighen (Tamazight speakers) who constructed famous kasbahs that the area is known for. You’ll have a chance to visit the most impressive kasbah - Taourirt. Originally built in the 19th century, it was owned by the el Glaoui clan, a family that had a powerful stronghold of one of Morocco’s most significant southern caravan routes to West Africa.
What's Included
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Insurance
What's Not Included
- Staff gratitude
- Lunch
- Guide in Ait Benhaddou
Additional Information
Embark on a journey through the old trade paths to Ait Benhaddou, Morocco’s most visited historical town and a popular location for Hollywood’s major films such as Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Prince of Persia, and more.
Navigate through the splendid Atlas Mountains and rugged deserts, unravel Morocco’s age-old cities, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the erstwhile trade route connecting the Sahara and Marrakeck.
The tour transports you to the past, immersing you in the grandeur of Amazigh design and enabling you to feel like a true Hollywood star in some of the world’s most renowned film sets around Ouarzazate.
Be informed: the one-way trip to Ouarzazate takes approximately 5 hours going through the High Atlas Mountain crossing of 2200 meters high. While the view is astounding, we appreciate that it might be a bit exhausting for some tourists. Therefore, we offer the option of personal tours and 2-day adventures to fully uncover Ouarzazate & Ait Benhaddou’s neighboring regions. Contact us for further information.
Location
Marrakesh
Jama el Fna square
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(27 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
R4365oimichaeld
Jan 25, 2024
Amazing even though the long drive - I recently embarked on the "Hollywood of Morocco" day trip to Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou, and it was an extraordinary adventure that exceeded my expectations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Khufu8
Dec 21, 2022
Fantastic Architecture and Vistas - This was a stop on our 10-day bus tour of Morocco, and it was a highlight. A UNESCO world heritage site, this is one of the largest kasbahs in Morocco, a virtual rabbit warren of red clay residences and colurful shops (you will not be harassed). The crenellated towers are a sight to behold, and the view from the top of the hill of the town and the Atlas mountains is breathtaking. Many films, including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator, have been shot here for good reason. We lingered in the actual arena where Maximus fights his first gladiatorial duel for Proximus. Wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alfieb186
Apr 27, 2022
Amazing landscapes - the trip was really nice, even though the journey was long the Alas Mountains' landscapes are amazing.
Ait Benhaddou Kasbah is the highlight of the trip, our guide was super friendly and shared with us his knowledge of the Berbers culture and history.
everything was as described.
thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D3212xdjackg
Apr 17, 2022
Worth every minutes of the journey - The landscapes are breathtaking, starting from the High Atlas Mountains with stops in panoramic views and Berber villages all along the way , and then watching the landscape changes to drier and more desertic.
Arriving to kasbah ait benhaddou we had a walking tour and learned about the history of the location and the Berber culture.
Long drive but every minute is very interesting.
Thanks to the organiser🙏🏽
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephanie_h
Jul 4, 2021
A fun day in the sun - This was a fun tour despite the heat outside. The driver took good care of us and made sure that we were able to have a fun time.
Review provided by Viator
Peter_b
Apr 19, 2024
Fantastic trip , long drive - We were picked up from our resort in a comfortable minibus. Upon arriving at Jemaa el-Fna Square, we waited for approximately 20 minutes before additional passengers joined the vehicle. We commenced our journey, only to encounter an unexpected bus change. We were asked to move to a larger but more cramped bus with limited legroom. As more passengers boarded, the bus became overcrowded, prompting the removal of a few individuals to create space.
At this point, we expressed our dissatisfaction with the trip organization and planning. Fortunately, we were transferred to a third bus, which was far more spacious and comfortable. The driver demonstrated exceptional skills, and the trip turned out to be remarkable. We made several stops along the way, during which the driver provided valuable information without excessive chatter.
Despite the initial challenges, the 11-hour journey proved to be worthwhile. The roads were generally smooth, although we encountered a few roadblocks due to fallen rocks. The driver remained composed and safely returned us to our resort.
Review provided by Viator
George-199001
Jan 16, 2021
breath taking landscapes and mesmerising architecture - it all started very good with Moha our guide picking us up from our accommodation on time.
this agency is taking all the precautionary COVID-19 measures.
we started journey 7 am through the beautiful landscapes of the High atlas mountains, few stops in viewpoints with panoramic views on Berber villages in the mountains.
after 4 hours drive we arrived to the magical ait Ben Haddou with was the highlight of the trip, our lovely guide Moha is very friendly and well informed about the history and the culture, and then we visited the film studio and Taourirte Kasbah in Ouarzazate.
i would say that the journey is a bit long but it's worth it, but if you have more time than what I had you can take an overnight trip to ouarzazate this agency organise that.
so grateful Moha
thank you again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nestor_m
Jul 25, 2023
9 hours by bus - Has been a very good experience, I don’t suggest to anyone to do this trip for a day because there’re 9 hours by bus and is insane something like that.
Review provided by Viator
Arlene_m
Apr 19, 2022
Ait Benhaddou and Quarzazate - We were picked up at 7:30am and taken to meet our bus which left at 8:15am.
The bus trip was awful, neither the driver nor the co-driver gave any information, we stopped for a 5 minute break which only gave you time to use the toilet and grab a bottle of water, the bus journey took 5 hours. We finally got to Ait Benhaddou which was spectacular, we had our tour then got lunch around 2:30pm
We then went to Quarzazate which was interesting and nice to see. Then back on the bus, again we stopped on the way back to use the toilet unfortunately where we stopped there was no food or snacks available, we finally got back to Marrakech at 10pm and were told we would be dropped in the town and need yo make our own way back to our Riad.
The trip was advertised to take 10/12 hours, ours took over 14 hours, the lack of information on the journey or what to expect was appalling.
Review provided by Viator
Perryburns
Dec 26, 2019
This is a tough day out - We had high hopes for this trip based on the reviews and itinerary but all was not as it seemed. We were picked up half an hour late and then taken into Marrakesh where we changed to a very poorly maintained bus which had no working seat belts and literally held together by tape.
Because there are a 100 Km of Road Works between Marrakesh and Ouzazarte (Dec 2019) the journey that took over 5 hours and the driver was very reluctant to provide toilet breaks although after a revolt he finally agreed. The visit to Ait Ben Haddoud was brilliant (although despite the advert we had to pay local entrance tax) with a very well-informed local guide but this gave way to a 2-hour lunch break because they were so disorganized. We then went on to Ouzazarte where we had no guide (so we had to hire our own at a cost of 100 dh) and were given only 30 minutes to have a look at either the Kasbah or the film Studio. we then had a four hour return journey in the dark which was very unpleasant. This should really be a 2 day tour and if you go for it, Ait Ben Haddoud is definitely worth the trip, but you need to understand that you will be stuck in a coach which is poorly equipped for 10 hours
Review provided by Tripadvisor
More activities from this operator
