Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate — the Gateway to the Sahara and the Hollywood of Africa — sits at 1,160m altitude at the crossroads of the Draa and Dadès valleys in southern Morocco. It is the hub of the country’s film industry, home to the Atlas Film Studios (the largest studio complex in Africa), and the logical base for exploring the entire pre-Saharan south. The Taourirt Kasbah, once the southern palace of the powerful Glaoui family, is one of the finest and most accessible kasbahs in Morocco — beautifully restored, open to visitors and surrounded by a still-inhabited ksar village. The Fint Oasis, just 10km outside town, is a lush palm grove and creek valley that feels entirely removed from the desert landscape surrounding it. From Ouarzazate, every major southern attraction is within reach: Aït Ben Haddou (32km north), the Draa Valley and Zagora (south), the Dades Valley and Todra Gorge (east), and Marrakech over the Tizi n’Tichka pass (200km north). Films shot in and around Ouarzazate include Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy, Kingdom of Heaven, Game of Thrones, Babel and over 300 more productions. Ouarzazate has its own airport with connections to Casablanca.