Ouarzazate: Door of the Desert
Film studios, kasbahs and caravan crossroads — the southern city every Sahara route passes through.
Hollywood on the edge of the Sahara
Ouarzazate grew where the Atlas roads meet the desert tracks — a garrison town turned film capital, nicknamed the Hollywood of Morocco. Its studios have hosted desert epics for decades, and their sets (Egyptian temples, Tibetan monasteries) still stand in the sun outside town, visitable on guided studio tours.
In town, the Taourirt Kasbah — once the Glaoui rulers' palace — shows what southern earthen architecture looks like at full scale: maze-like corridors, painted ceilings and rooftop views over the oasis. And 30 km up the old caravan road stands Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar every south itinerary pairs with Ouarzazate.
For travellers, Ouarzazate is above all a junction: north over the Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech, east to the Dadès and Todra valleys, south down the Draa to Zagora, southeast to Merzouga. Most Sahara trips sleep here or pass through — worth half a day, not a week.
Where it is
South of the High Atlas, between Marrakech and the Sahara. Drag to explore.
Highlights
- Film studios — guided visits to working sets in the desert light.
- Taourirt Kasbah — palace maze, painted rooms and oasis rooftops.
- Ait Benhaddou — the UNESCO ksar, half an hour up the road.
- Fint Oasis — palm groves and lunch spots minutes from town (ask your driver).
- Night stop — comfortable hotels make it the natural break between Marrakech and the dunes.
Cross the south with us
Ouarzazate features on our Zagora, Merzouga and Classic routes — or as a stop on your custom itinerary.
