Aït Ben Haddou & Ouarzazate Tours from Marrakech

The road to Aït Ben Haddou crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka, at 2,260 m the highest pass in Morocco, and the pass is half the reason to go. At the other end is the fortified earthen ksar that has stood in for half of cinema's ancient world, walked with a local guide who can tell you which parts are film set and which are eleventh-century caravan route.

Ouarzazate and its film studios sit an hour further on and are optional. This is a long day - 12 to 14 hours door to door, with about three and a half hours of driving each way - and it is the single best day trip from Marrakech if you only take one. Aït Ben Haddou is also the first stop on every one of our multi-day desert tours, so if you are already going to Merzouga you will see it either way.

All tours

All tours - At Marruecos