Marrakech – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

Spend the day away from the hustle and bustle of city life and cross the imposing landscape to Ouarzazate. Visit the famous Kasbahs, made famous by many movies. More here…

A full day out from the Imperial City Marrakech, we take you across the High Atlas chain the Tizi N’Tichka pass – an imposing landscape of the high mountains and traditional Berber villages. The descent along the east side of the chain offers a sudden change in the lush landscape to an arid, desert panorama. On the way, we will stop to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait Benhaddou. Many movies filmed here, such as: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Obelix, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Prince of Persia and others. This is probably the best-preserved fortified Kasbah in the country. With its dramatic walls of red earth, slit windows and crumbling towers, it is a magnificent example of a traditional stronghold.

Chosen as a location for Hollywood films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Jewel in the Nile, and more recently Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones, Ait Ben Haddou sits upon a lofty pinnacle of rock overlooking a river. Dating from around the 15th century, its importance as a trading post gradually waned, and today’s inhabitants eke a living from farming… and as film extras!