How to include Ouarzazate in your Morocco tour
- Day stop Marrakech ? Sahara: Cross Tizi n'Tichka, stop at Aït Benhaddou + Atlas Film Studios, overnight in Ouarzazate, continue to Sahara next day. The most popular Morocco circuit.
- Ouarzazate base (2 nights): Day 1: Aït Benhaddou + Film Studios. Day 2: Draa Valley + Fint Oasis. Excellent photography base for the surrounding landscapes.
- Full southern circuit: Marrakech ? Ouarzazate ? Draa Valley ? Merzouga Sahara ? Todra Gorge ? Fes. 7–10 days. The definitive southern Morocco experience.
What to see in Ouarzazate
Atlas Film Studios
The world's largest film backlot outside Hollywood — 322,000m² of permanent sets used in Game of Thrones, Gladiator, The Mummy, and 200+ other productions. Open for tours between shoots.
Aït Benhaddou
UNESCO World Heritage ksar 30km from Ouarzazate — the most-filmed location in Morocco. Ancient pisé (rammed earth) fortified city on the trans-Saharan caravan route. Golden hour photography here is unmissable.
Taourirt Kasbah
The 17th-century kasbah of the Glaoui family — once the most powerful dynasty in southern Morocco. The most ornate mud-brick architecture in Ouarzazate, with carved cedar ceilings and intricate zellij tilework.
Draa Valley Oases
The 200km palm oasis valley running south from Ouarzazate to Zagora. Continuous ribbon of date palms, ochre kasbahs, and Berber villages flanked by desert plains — one of Morocco's most beautiful landscapes.
Tizi n'Tichka Pass
The 2,260m High Atlas mountain pass between Marrakech and Ouarzazate — one of the great scenic drives in North Africa. Snow-capped in winter, wild flowers in spring, Berber villages on every switchback.
Fint Oasis
A hidden palm oasis just 10km from Ouarzazate city — a dramatic gorge in the arid landscape with a ribbon of date palms and a village where Berber families have lived for centuries. A MSITravels signature stop.
