Ouarzazate sits at 1,100 metres, where the Draa and Dades valleys meet. It is called the gateway to the desert and the city of cinema. Here is what deserves your time, and how to organise it.
Kasbah Taourirt
In the heart of town, the former residence of the Glaoui is a maze of decorated rooms, corridors and terraces. Allow an hour. The lanes of the surrounding quarter are worth the stroll too.
The film studios
Atlas Studios, on the western edge, is visited with a guide. You walk through sets of films shot here, from ancient Egypt to Tibet. The cinema museum, opposite Kasbah Taourirt, completes the visit in town.
Aït Ben Haddou
The most photographed ksar in Morocco, UNESCO listed, lies about thirty kilometres to the north west. Go early or late in the afternoon for the light and the quiet.
The Fint oasis
About ten kilometres south, a river, palm trees and four earthen villages in a landscape of black stone. Lunch with a local family can be arranged on the spot.
The kasbah of Tifoultoute
Five kilometres west, on the road of the kasbahs, it dominates the river and glows at sunset. It is our village: La Table du Berbère is at Riad Chay, just below.
The lake and the Skoura palm grove
Lake El Mansour Eddahbi for a sunset, the Skoura palm grove and its Amridil kasbah for a half day to the east.
The evening
Days around Ouarzazate often end late and hungry. Book your dinner before you set off on an excursion: the good kitchens cook to order. At La Table du Berbère you compose your menu, starter, main and dessert, and everything is ready when you sit down, on the patio or on the roof facing the kasbah.
How long to stay
One day is enough for the kasbah, the studios and Aït Ben Haddou. Two days let you add Fint and Skoura without rushing.
Eating near the sights: around Kasbah Taourirt, after Atlas Studios and in Tifoultoute.
