Ouarzazate
Travel Guide
The Southern Crossroads & Entrance Into The Sahara
Ouarzazate is situated South of Marrakech and known as ‘The Doorway’ to the spectacular and magnificent Saharan regions, a crossroads through which everyone must pass in order to access the desert.
Head South East through the Dades valley, to reach the Chebbi dunes, Head South through the Draa Valley, to reach the Lihoudi dunes and the Chigaga dunes.
On Top Of The World
The journey from Marrakech involves travelling a two-lane highway, spectacular at every turn. This dramatic roller coaster of a road is travelled daily by every type of vehicle. From cars, SUVs and lumbering motor coaches to tanker trucks, lorries loaded with livestock They all pass wherever they choose!
Travelling with a skilled driver on this road is a real asset, Hassan is that asset!
The Dramatic Tizni-N-Tichka Pass
By twists and turns the landscape is arid and lush, dotted with picturesque Berber villages beneath the towering snow-capped peaks of the Atlas mountains. The road winds higher and higher until it reaches the highest pass in North Africa, the Tizi-N-Tichka, at an altitude of 2260 metres, from there this ribbon of highway descends gracefully into the red clay region of the Moroccan high desert and into Ouarzazate.
Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou
Ouarzazate is also situated close to the UNESCO world heritage site of the fortified village and Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, amazingly still inhabited by 10 families.
The Kasbah has also proved the perfect exotic location for numerous international films.
It is a wonderful example of Morocco’s protected heritage and offers a unique insight into Bedouin life in the region.
Morocco’s Hollywood
Ouarzazate is an attractive, peaceful, palm oasis town with towering palms, wide streets, many hotels and well placed municipal gardens, beautiful red-earthed Riads, pavement cafes and the Kasbah Taourirt, partly restored by UNESCO.
Ouarzazate is also a noted film making the location, as is much of the surrounding area, with Morocco’s biggest studios inviting many international film companies to shoot their films. Ouarzazate is known as Morocco’s Hollywood. In fact the Kasbah Tiffoultoute, just west of the town was made into a restaurant and hotel for the cast of Lawrence of Arabia and still remains a place of interest to head to for mint tea, taken from its terrace with picturesque views.
Lawrence Of Arabia, Star Wars, The Living Daylights, The Last Temptation Of Christ, The Mummy, Gladiator, Kundun, The Sheltering Sky, Salmon Fishing In Yemen, were all shot in the Ouarzazate area. Some filmed at the Atlas Film studios and others at the CLA studios. The CLA houses the more convincing sets and a host of fantastic props.
Both studios are open to the public and tours can be arranged.
Natural Beauty, Natural Wonders
Ouarzazate is also a city of Hollywood worthy contrasts, where donkey driven carts clip-clop their way past the entrance of Le Berber Palace Hotel, a grand establishment of elegant rooms and sweetly scented gardens, where Gucci sunglasses by the pool and Louis Vuitton luggage in the lobby is the order of the day!
The Beautiful Berber Inhabited Fint Oasis, a green oasis hidden deep in a small river valley surrounded by barren hills is a said favourite area of the region for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt filmed ’Babel’ in this region of Southern Morocco. Testimony to the fact, there is no escaping the nod to fame and glamour in the Berber town of Ouarzazate! Film studio, glamour and manufactured wonders aside, Ouarzazate principally serves as the gateway to the Natural wonders, awaiting discovery, in the Dades Valley, the Draa Valley and the extraordinary Moroccan Sahara
All of which, is most definitely not a filmmakers illusion!
Our Award-Winning Service
My now wife is Moroccan, and we wanted to organize a pre-wedding trip for our friends and my family members who wanted to take in the sights before our wedding in Marrakech. The group quickly ballooned beyond our wildest expectations with 63 people wanting to join in! We had made arrangements with a different tour company who mysteriously cancelled on us several months after we thought everything was all set. We scrambled at short notice to find another tour company and are so happy we found Mor'hara. I will never forget! I cannot recommend this company enough for large or small group travel.
Steven M - Morocco / USA
My sister and I had talked about visiting Morocco for several years. How lucky we were that she found Mor'hara Morocco Tours. Our 10-day trip was planned in detail with assistance from Liz and from the first day that we were picked up at the airport by Hassan we set sail on a fabulous journey through Morocco. Camel riding into the desert, traversing the Atlas Mountains, shopping in Marrakech, tasting all kinds of exotic foods, interacting with local people and their children - day after day of wonderfully exciting activities. Hassan was the ideal guide- informative, funny, engaging. This adventure was truly the trip of a lifetime.
Gerri L - USA
The experience Morhara Morocco Tours provided us was "simply" unforgettable. Perfect from all service perspectives (logistics, 4x4 vehicles, amazing accommodations and in the camp, cultural content, routes, spectacular food, personnel, flexibility and security) and more importantly to me, everything was handled with care, love and passion by Hassan, our guide and leader of the tour. Hassan was great, generous and seemed to be driven by the ambition to make this tour an outstanding event for all us. We are deeply thankful and happy with your services.
Marcelo L - Brazil
I don't even know where to start! Hassan was an incredible guide, translator, driver, coordinator during our entire time in Morocco. We were female travelers and felt very safe with Hassan and had a great time from start to finish. The desert tour was unforgettable. We learned how to cook tajine, rode camels, climbed sand dunes, saw beautiful Kasbahs, went off-roading, and glamped like pros! We had a wonderful, surreal experience and I would 100% recommend Hassan and Liz's company. Our trip exceeded my expectations and it was all thanks to Hassan and Liz at Morhara.
Jennifer W - USA
I contacted Morhara due to their great reviews and I couldn't be happier with my decision. We had a once in a lifetime experience. The trip was well paced and included the flexibility you need travelling with young children. A lot of the success of the trip was due to our lovely driver Hafid, my children and my husband and I all loved him! In turn his love for his country, especially the Sahara, was infectious and we truly felt like we saw the real Morocco. We can't wait to come back when the children are older, Morocco is such a beautiful, friendly country.
Cleo W - UK
As a group of 5, we spent wonderful 11 days in Southern Morocco. From the very first contact, we were pleased with the personalized contact and arrangements of our private tour and then... we arrived in Morocco and it was even better! Hassan who was guiding us proved to be extremely friendly, helpful and informative and made us feel relaxed and comfortable during the whole journey. If you are looking for a first-class service and personalized, friendly assistance while in Morocco I can clearly recommend you get in touch with Liz and Hassan of Mor'hara Tours. Thank you both for all your efforts and fantastic holiday we had on and off the 'beaten' visitor track!
Jacek A - Poland
My husband and I just got back from our holiday in Morocco, and we had the best time, thanks to Mor'hara. During the planning process, Liz and Hassan (owners) are extremely responsive and provided comprehensive information. Now that we have travelled with them, I am even more supportive of their business and we greatly enjoyed our time with Hafid, our driver. I would highly recommend traveling with Hafid and Mor'hara. Even though we only interacted with Liz and Hassan via e-mail, I feel like part of the family. Thank you team Mor'hara for the amazing experience and memories!
Akikio I - USA
This is the company to hire if you want an authentic and unforgettable experience in Morocco. Hassan will go out of his way to make you fall in love with Morocco. Our experience in the Sahara was exceptional. We never once felt lost or out of place as Hassan made sure to make us feel like Morocco was our home too. We didn't feel like we were over paying, and every recommendation came with genuine intention for us to have a once in a lifetime experience in Morocco. I wish we had more time to see the entire country with this tour company.
Parastoo B - USA
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