Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate's dry light and desert-edge scenery made it a natural fit for film production, and the Atlas Studios sets, built for everything from historical epics to science fiction, are open to visit. Most itineraries pass through on the way to Ait Benhaddou or the dunes instead of stopping long.
Planning a visit to Ouarzazate
How long to stay
One night is enough to see the studios and the kasbah, and it breaks up the long drive between the Sahara and Marrakech. It is also a base for Ait Benhaddou, roughly 30 km away.
What a visit looks like
Atlas Studios is a working film complex, and guided visits take around an hour and a half. Sets built for productions such as Gladiator remain on show. Taourirt Kasbah in the centre of town was once the seat of the Glaoui family. Opening hours and fees vary by season.
When to go
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. Summers are very hot, and winter nights are cold.
How it fits with the rest of a trip
Ouarzazate is the gateway between the Atlas and the Sahara and is used as an overnight on many of our desert routes, often after the Dades or Todra gorges and before the road over the Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech.
Ouarzazate in photos
Itineraries that include Ouarzazate
4-Day Fez to Marrakech Desert Tour via the Sahara
A private 4-day Fez to Marrakech desert tour through Ifrane and Azrou, Merzouga, the Todra Gorge and Ait Ben Haddou. The shortest way from Fez to Marrakech through the Sahara: Ifrane and Azrou, a night at a desert hotel and a night in a luxury camp, Todra Gorge, Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou.
Visits Fez · Sahara Desert · Todra and Dades Gorges · Ouarzazate · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · +1 more
From€917(≈ $1,025 USD)€1,079 (≈ $1,205 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
5-Day Marrakech to Sahara Desert Tour with Merzouga Camp
A 5-day Marrakech desert tour with a different bed each night: Marrakech, the Dades Valley, a luxury camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes and Ouarzazate, before returning to Marrakech on the last day. You see Ait Ben Haddou and Todra Gorge on the way out and sleep in the Sahara on day three. For travellers who want the desert on a short schedule without a full day of driving back.
Visits Marrakech · Ait Benhaddou · Todra and Dades Gorges · Sahara Desert · Ouarzazate
From€1,403(≈ $1,565 USD)€1,651 (≈ $1,845 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
6-Day Fez to Marrakech Desert Tour via the Sahara
A private 6-day Fez to Marrakech desert tour via the Middle Atlas, two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Todra and Dades gorges, Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou. The reverse of our classic Marrakech-to-Fez route, for travellers whose flights land or leave from Fez. A full day to sit still in the dunes, a night in each of the gorges and Ouarzazate, and a finish in Marrakech rather than a backtrack.
Visits Fez · Sahara Desert · Todra and Dades Gorges · Ouarzazate · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech
From€1,713(≈ $1,915 USD)€2,015 (≈ $2,250 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
7-Day Casablanca to Marrakech Tour via Fez and the Sahara
A private 7-day Casablanca to Marrakech tour that runs through the imperial cities and out into the Sahara. You see Rabat, Volubilis and Meknes on the way to Fez, spend a night in a desert camp at Erg Chebbi, and come back over the High Atlas past Ait Benhaddou, finishing with a full guided day in Marrakech.
Visits Rabat · Fez · Sahara Desert · Todra and Dades Gorges · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · +5 more
From€1,741(≈ $1,945 USD)€2,048 (≈ $2,290 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
8-Day Fez to Marrakech Tour via the Sahara and the Rose Valley
A private 8-day Fez to Marrakech tour that heads straight for the Sahara and then takes the long way over the Atlas. You get an afternoon in the Fez medina, a night in a desert camp, two nights in the Todra and Dades valleys, a night in Ouarzazate and a full day in Marrakech.
Visits Fez · Sahara Desert · Todra and Dades Gorges · Ouarzazate · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · +1 more
From€2,017(≈ $2,255 USD)€2,373 (≈ $2,650 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
8-Day Casablanca Loop Tour via Marrakech, the Sahara and Chefchaouen
A private 8-day loop from Casablanca that runs south to Marrakech, across the Atlas to the Sahara, up to Fez and the Rif, and back to Casablanca. It includes two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, a full guided day in Fez and a night in Chefchaouen, and you fly out from the same airport you arrived at.
Visits Marrakech · Ait Benhaddou · Todra and Dades Gorges · Sahara Desert · Fez · Chefchaouen · +5 more
From€2,017(≈ $2,255 USD)€2,373 (≈ $2,650 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
10-Day Imperial Cities and Sahara Tour from Casablanca to Marrakech
A private 10-day Morocco tour from Casablanca to Marrakech that links the Atlantic coast, the blue Rif, the imperial cities and the Sahara. You get two nights at Erg Chebbi, a full day in Fez, a night in Ouarzazate and a morning in Marrakech before you leave, with no day rushed.
Visits Chefchaouen · Fez · Sahara Desert · Todra and Dades Gorges · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · +6 more
From€2,625(≈ $2,935 USD)€3,088 (≈ $3,450 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
15-Day Morocco Tour from Casablanca via Rabat, Asilah and Ait Benhaddou
A private 15-day Morocco tour from Casablanca that gives each region its own night: Rabat, Chefchaouen with an Akchour hike, Fez, two nights in the Sahara, a night in Ouarzazate, Marrakech and Essaouira. The coast road through Asilah and El Jadida bookends the trip, so you finish in Casablanca where you began.
Visits Chefchaouen · Fez · Sahara Desert · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · Essaouira · +8 more
From€7,625(≈ $8,520 USD)€8,970 (≈ $10,020 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room