Desert Excursions

The Taourirt and Aït Ben Haddou Kasbahs
Todra Gorge

Desert Excursions

As befits a town whose name means 'door to the desert', Ouarzazate is most popular as the startign point for trips out to the surrounding deserts and the nearby Atlas mountains, as well as the many smaller kasbahs. The town offers numerous tour agencies and hotels, making it a convenient basecamp.

The Taourirt and Aït Ben Haddou Kasbahs

The kasbahs of the Dades Valley are famed for the well-preserved beauty, though sadly most of these once thriving grey-brown fortress-towns have been abandoned and are open to exploration. The two most beautiful and best preserved Kasbahs in Morocco, the Taourirt and Aït Ben Haddou Kasbahs, are considered national treasures and are protected as World Heritage Sites.

Todra Gorge

One of the most spectacular natural features in a landscape full of dramatic cliffs and wide open plains, this thousand foot high canyon cuts its way through the towering walls of the High Atlas, and is a popular attraction with the more adventurous travellers. The Gorge is often reached as

a sidetrip from Tineghir.