# Aït Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate

A fortified mud-brick village on a hill, a World Heritage site since 1987, and 30 km away Ouarzazate, with its kasbahs and film studios. The first stop on crossing the Atlas.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/morocco/ait-ben-haddou · Revisado: 2026-11-11

## What is Aït Ben Haddou?

A ksar, a fortified village of mud-brick houses packed onto a hillside, on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh. Few families live inside today and almost everything is shops and houses that can be visited. You know it even if you don't know it: dozens of films and series have been shot here. It can be seen in two or three hours.

## How to get there from Marrakesh

It is about 190 km and about four hours along the N9 and the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 m, with many bends and lorries. Stop at the pass and, if you have time, detour to the Telouet kasbah. Without a car, the CTM and Supratours buses go to Ouarzazate and from there a grand taxi drops you at the ksar in half an hour.

It is the logical first night of the trip to the desert: the next day you continue to the Dadès and Todra gorges.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: High Atlas, Atlas, Classic film locations
- Cerca: Imlil and Toubkal (a 75.6 km), Marrakech (a 103.4 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Aït Ben Haddou Ksar** (2 h · Everyone · Free, some houses charge): What it is and why it matters
A ksar is a fortified village: mud-brick houses packed against one another, with walls reinforced by corner towers and a collective granary, the agadir, at the very top. The one at Aït Ben Haddou climbs a slope of the Ounila valley, about 30 km from Ouarzazate, and its oldest buildings are attributed to the 17th century. It was a stop on the caravan route that linked Marrakesh with the Sahara; you can still make out the old fondouk, the caravanserai. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987.
Today few families live inside and most of the houses are shops, workshops or houses that are shown to visitors. You know it even if you don't know it: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), the third season of Game of Thrones (2013) and Gladiator II (2024) were shot here, among many others.
The visit step by step

Cross the river. At the foot of the ksar runs the Oued Maleh, with salty water that is not drinkable. You arrive from the new village, on the other bank, where the hotels, restaurants and car park are. You cross by a footbridge or, when the water is low, over the stones.
Climb through the alleys. From the entrance, the cobbled streets zigzag up between mud walls, covered passageways and wooden doors. Some open houses charge a few dirhams to show the interior and the roof terrace.
Reach the agadir. At the very top are the ruins of the fortified granary. From there you see the whole ksar at your feet, the Ounila valley with its orchards and, on clear days, the Atlas mountains.
Come down another way. There are several ways down; all end at the river.

Allow about two hours at an easy pace, counting the climb, a house or two and a while at the top.
Price
Walking around the ksar is free. You only pay if you go into a private house, hire a guide or buy something. If a "guide" attaches himself to you at the entrance, make it clear from the start whether you want his services and at what price.
When to go
First thing in the morning or at sunset. At midday come the groups doing the there-and-back trip from Marrakesh, the sun beats down and there is no shade on the climb. At sunset the mud turns red and the light is that of the films. In July and August Ouarzazate exceeds 38 °C: climb very early.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons. In winter, if you come from Marrakesh, check the state of the Tizi n'Tichka pass first, as it is sometimes closed by snow.
Getting there and parking
From Marrakesh it is about 190 km and four hours along the N9 and the Tichka; the turn-off to the ksar is signposted before you reach Ouarzazate. From Ouarzazate it is half an hour. Without a car, you take a bus to Ouarzazate and from there a grand taxi. Park in the new village, opposite the ksar: cars cannot go in.
With children, dogs and reduced mobility
The alleys are stone and earth, with uneven steps and steep slopes at the end. With children who can walk it is an entertaining excursion; with a pushchair, no: use a baby carrier. It is not wheelchair accessible beyond the riverbank. With a dog you can walk around, but think about the heat and the lack of water.
Where to sleep
Sleeping nearby lets you see the ksar without groups, at dawn or in the last light. You have Kasbah Tebi, next to the ksar, and Riad Ksar Ighnda, a few kilometres away. In Ouarzazate, complete the day with the Taourirt kasbah and the Atlas Studios.
- **Tizi n'Tichka Pass** (30 min · Everyone, with stops for car sickness · Free): What it is
The Tizi n'Tichka is the pass by which the N9 road crosses the High Atlas between Marrakesh and Ouarzazate. It is the way almost all the traffic to the south goes: cars, buses, lorries and excursion minibuses. French military engineers opened the road in 1936 following the old caravan track, and today it is the N9 (formerly P-31).
The sign at the pass reads 2,260 m, the figure you will see everywhere. A 2022 GPS measurement lowers it to about 2,205 m; for you, as a traveller, the difference changes nothing. What matters is that you climb from the Marrakesh plain to over 2,200 m in a couple of hours, and then drop down the other side towards the Ouarzazate valley.
The route
From Marrakesh, the N9 crosses the Haouz plain, starts to climb between mud-brick villages, terraced orchards and bare slopes, and strings together ever tighter bends up to the pass. At the top there are cafés, mineral stalls and room to park where the buses also stop. It is the logical stop: you stretch your legs, have a tea and look back at the valley you have climbed.
On the way down to the south the landscape changes suddenly: less green, more rock and ochre colours. Shortly after the pass the turn-off to Telouet leaves, with its Glaoui kasbah; if you have time, the road continues along the Ounila valley to the Aït Ben Haddou ksar. By the N9 you reach Ouarzazate.
The complete journey from Marrakesh to Aït Ben Haddou is about 190 km and about four hours without long stops. Allow more if you hit roadworks or a line of lorries.
How to drive it

Bends and lorries. The road is paved, but has continuous bends and slow lorries. Overtake only with clear visibility.
Car sickness. If anyone gets carsick, stop every hour. Children notice it above all in the upper section.
Petrol. Fill the tank in Marrakesh or Ouarzazate.
Without a car. The CTM and Supratours buses between Marrakesh and Ouarzazate go this way, as do private drivers.

When to cross
In spring and autumn, no doubts. In summer there is no problem at the pass, but on the way down to Ouarzazate the heat is strong. Snow can fall at the pass between November and March: sometimes the road is closed for a few hours. If you go in winter, ask about the state of the pass at your accommodation before leaving and do not cross it at night.
If it rains heavily in the Atlas, bear in mind that the Spanish Foreign Ministry warns of sudden flash floods in the area in the rainy season.
- **Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate** (1 h · Everyone · About 25 DH, in cash): What it is and why it matters
The Taourirt kasbah is the great mud-brick building in the centre of Ouarzazate. Oral tradition says it was built in the 17th century by the Imzwarn family; in the 19th century it passed to the Glaoui, the lords of the south, who extended it around 1882 under Hammadi Glaoui. From here the crossing of the Draa and Dadès valleys was controlled, on the caravan routes to the Sahara. The family of Thami el Glaoui, pasha of Marrakesh throughout the French protectorate, lived in it until independence, in 1956.
Afterwards it was occupied by homeless families and gradually deteriorated. It was added to the national heritage list in 1954 and the municipality bought it in 1972. A small part was restored in the 1990s with UNESCO help, and the south wing was restored recently. The September 2023 earthquake opened cracks in it and brought down some parts.
What you see
What you visit is only part of the complex, the restored part. From outside you see the towers and the mud-brick walls with geometric Amazigh motifs. Inside you walk through courtyards, narrow staircases and rooms with carved and painted cedar ceilings, cane ceilings, paintings and zellige walls. The caid's former residence, unrestored, keeps carved stucco and decorated arches. The rest of the kasbah, around it, is still inhabited: it is a neighbourhood of alleys.
If it seems familiar, it is because it appears in Gladiator and in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
Hours, price and duration
The Ouarzazate local website gives hours of 10:00 to 17:00 every day and an entry of 25 DH. Other sources give somewhat different prices depending on the year, and at the ticket office you pay in cash. Allow between 45 minutes and an hour. There is no advance booking: you buy the ticket at the door.
Getting there and parking
It is on Boulevard Mohammed V, Ouarzazate's main avenue. From any hotel in the centre you can reach it on foot or by petit taxi. If you go by car, park on the same avenue or in the surrounding streets, where it is usual for a parking attendant to ask you for a few coins.
From the Aït Ben Haddou ksar it is about 30 km and half an hour by car. On the way, at the entrance to the city, you pass the Atlas Studios.
With children and accessibility
Children like the staircases and passageways, but they are narrow, uneven and dimly lit: it is no place for a pushchair or a wheelchair. Keep an eye on little ones on the stairs. Inside it is cool even in summer, and it is a good plan for the hot hours.
Guides
It is usual for guides to offer their services at the door. You do not need one to understand the restored part, but a good guide shows you what each room was for. Agree the price before you start.
- **Atlas Film Studios** (1 h 15 · Families and teenagers who love films · About 80 DH with a guided visit): What it is
Atlas Studios is the big film studio of Ouarzazate. It was founded by the businessman Mohamed Belghmi in 1983, on the outskirts of the city, and since then it has hosted shoots from half the world: The Jewel of the Nile, The Living Daylights, The Mummy, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Babel, series such as Game of Thrones, Vikings or Prison Break and programmes such as The Grand Tour. Most of its grounds lie in the desert and mountains around; what you visit is the main compound, next to the road.
The visit is a guided walk among sets that were left standing after the shoots: facades of Egyptian temples, aeroplanes, palaces and papier-mâché statues. You see how a set is built to look convincing on camera and why it looks so different up close. It is a simple visit, without effects or staging: what is interesting are the stories the guide tells and recognising scenes.
Where it is and how to get there
It is on the N9, the Marrakesh road, a few kilometres west of Ouarzazate: about 3 km according to the city's local website and about 5 km according to other sources. If you arrive from Marrakesh or from Aït Ben Haddou, it is on the left before entering the city, just after CLA Studios, another studio. By car it is the most convenient way: you stop on the same road on the way.
Without a car, a petit taxi from the centre costs about 10 DH, and bus line N1 drops you a few hundred metres from the gate. From the Aït Ben Haddou ksar it is about 30 km, half an hour by car.
Hours, price and duration
The Ouarzazate local website gives hours of 10:00 to 18:00 every day and an entry of 80 DH with a guided visit; other guides give somewhat different hours and a lower price in some cases depending on age. Take the 80 DH as a reference and carry cash. The studio is still active: when there is a shoot some sets are closed, and sometimes the entire compound. If you are going specially, ask at your accommodation that same morning.
The visit lasts between an hour and an hour and a half and is always with a guide: it cannot be toured independently. Ask at the entrance which languages the visit is offered in that day.
With children and teenagers
It works well with children of any age and with teenagers who have seen some of the films. You walk on flat ground of earth and gravel, without steep slopes. There is little shade between sets, so in summer go first thing or late in the afternoon and bring a hat and water. A pushchair can manage, though the gravel is tiring.
How to fit it into the trip
The usual thing is to combine it on the same day with the Aït Ben Haddou ksar and the Taourirt kasbah, in the centre of Ouarzazate. If you come from Marrakesh over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the studio is on the way. If you sleep in Ouarzazate, Le Berbère Palace is close; in the ksar itself you have Kasbah Tebi.

## Consejos

### Arrive in the afternoon or sleep here
The tour groups arrive mid-morning. At sunset and first thing, the ksar is yours.

### Cross by the new bridge
You no longer need to wade the river. The shops on the other side offer "guides": you don't need them.

### Climb to the granary at the top
From the top you see the Ounila valley and the plain towards Ouarzazate.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do you have to pay to enter Aït Ben Haddou?
The ksar itself is free to walk through. Some houses charge a small fee to show their interior or terrace.

### Is it worth sleeping here?
Yes, if you are on the way to the desert. You see the ksar without groups and split the long journey from Marrakesh.

### What is there in Ouarzazate?
The Taourirt kasbah, the Atlas film studios and the biggest choice of hotels in the south. It is a functional town, one you pass through.

### Can you do it in a day from Marrakesh?
You can, but it is eight hours on the road for two or three of sightseeing. It is much better to sleep here.