The Ouarzazate region is the gateway to the Moroccan south, and in many ways offers the  country’s most iconic scenery. It’s a land of big skies, wide open desert vistas, palm oases and crumbling rammed-earth ruins that have stood for centuries. The exotically-named Ouarzazate has gained international notoriety as a Hollywood film location and is a crossroads to the gorges on the southern flank of the High Atlas, the Draa Valley and ultimately the Sahara Desert. Read on to find out more about the region and the riches it has to offer. 

Ait Benhaddou is a Ksour, which is a fortified village made up of Kasbahs and other dwellings. It sits in the lower Ounila Valley and is one of the must-see sights of the region. Funding from UNESCO and the film industry has restored the village and it can easily be visited by way of a network of stone pathways in the interior of the site. There are a number of small, characteristic, guest houses in the area but most often our suggestion is to visit the site en route between Marrakech and the desert.