Wonderfully incongruous with the look of the name, Ouarzazate actually means 'without confusion' or 'without noise'. Which is quite true: Ouarzazate is a quiet town at the base of the High Atlas mountains in Saharan Morocco. For many years a way point for traders between Africa and Europe, Ouarzazate has a labyrinthine Kasbah. The best places to stay in Ouarzazate make a wonderful base from which to dive into the desert or the mountains.
Whatever method of transport you want to take into the desert, or into the mountains, Ouarzazate will set you up. There are numerous agencies here, offering transport by camel, bikes, motorbikes, or assisted trekking. With the Sahara in one direction and the High Atlas in the other, Ouarzazate will be your oasis in the middle of it all…
The centre of town has been developed quite a lot over the past couple of years, and it's now a spacious pedestrianised plaza. Quite different from the bustling trade capital rife with livestock as it was for centuries, or the dusty French garrison town that Ouarzazate became in the 1920s.
After the French left in the '50s Ouarzazate became a location darling of the film industry, and still is! It's played Tibet, Somalia, Ancient Rome and Egypt, among others. You might still recognise Ouarzazate in Game of Thrones. If you fancy a trip to a film set, visit Atlas Studios where you can see sets from Cleopatra, Asterix & Obelix, Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia, to name just a few.
What Not To Miss
- Ouarzazate is a day trip's distance from Ait Benhaddou, one of Morocco's best-preserved Kasbahs, and a World Heritage Site.
- The Dades Valley runs between Bourmaine and Ouarzazate, and between these two oases are a string of little fortified villages beyond which is rose country, then date and henna country. Followed by the 300 metre high walls of Todra Gorge.
- Ouarzazate is also a good base for an overnight experience in the dunes at M'Hamid, a small village in the Zagora region, and one of the last pockets of civilisation before the vast ocean of the Sahara. After M'Hamid it's just sand, shepherds and caravan trails.
Use our guide to the best places to stay in Ouarzazate and start to plan your off-the-beaten track Moroccan adventure.
