Road trip to Ouarzazate 1-day
In November 2022, we made a 16-day Road trip in Morocco going all around and driving over 2 500 km (in a Fiat 500! What an adventure).
Our trip started and ended in Fes, and we made a loop in order to visit this magnificent country. Our itinerary went through the main cities, the Sahara Desert, the seaside and the mountains of Morocco.
We personally rented a car at the airport and did the following: Fes, Chefchaouen, Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira, Marrakesh, Imlil, Telouet, Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Merzouga, Ifrane. However, you don’t need to follow it by the dot, you can use it to make your own plan.
Today the plan is to leave Imlil, the high Atlas Mountain next to Marrakech, visit the Anima garden, then drive to Telouet to visit an old Kasbah and then finish in Ait Ben Haddou. We will then sleep next to Ait Ben Haddou, right before Ouarzazate.
Telouet Kasbah is a Kasbah (citadel or fortified quarter) along the former route of the caravans from the Sahara over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech.
Aït Benhaddou is a historic ighrem or ksar (fortified village) also on the former caravan route. It is considered a great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
In this article, we will tell our story going from Imlil or Marrakech to Ouarzazate. So, if you too are planning a trip to Morocco, then let ‘s dive in Road trip to Ouarzazate 1-day
Table of Contents
Here is our complete video from this trip :
Mapping the day
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Road trip to Ouarzazate
Introduction
We woke up around 7h and had breakfast around 8h. This way we can leave ASAP. It is hard to get breakfast before 8h in Morocco. To start our Road trip to Ouarzazate, we then left Imlil and headed toward Marrakech.
Anima Garden
We drove off the mountain and the first stop of our Road trip to Ouarzazate was Andrée Geller garden Anima. It was 1h30 drive away and cost 12euro or 120dh per person. Before the garden we withdrew money from an ATM 4000dh.
The garden is amazing, beautiful and quite big. It isn’t crowded at all, and you can really take the time to sit on a bench and enjoy nature, the wind, the fountain sound, and the birds.
You can get to the garden by car by following for 5min a small dirt road on the side of the main road. There is a huge board showing where to turn. They also have free shuttle from Marrakech. Or you can take the public bus Alsa 25 toward Ourika. Of course, you can also get a tour or a private car from Marrakech.
We decided to have lunch in the garden. We ordered a Moroccan pizza and 2 Anima teas. It cost 80 and 4 for the tips. It was yummy and we got a nice spot on the rooftop under a sun umbrella.
We then stop by their souvenir shop which has really nice stuffs. Tina bought a scarf made of silk and cotton for 350dh. It is much more original than what you find in the medinas.
Telouet
We hoped on the car and at the next intersection we stopped at a car wash in a gas station. A guy clean in and out of the car while we were waiting with a view. It took around 30min and cost 30 and 5dh tips.
We then drove towards Telouet. The road was fine for some part and under heavy construction for the other. It was a mix of that until the intersection for Telouet where we left the main road.
Then it was mountain road. Easy to drive and not crowded at all. We parked in front of the Kasbah in Telouet for 10dh. Then we went in for 20dh each. It is not too big but quite nice to see as it isn’t crowded at all.
There is an inner yard, and then the first floor. The last room has an amazing tiles work.
Telouet Kasbah is a fortress along the former route of the caravans from the Sahara over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. The kasbah was the seat of the El Glaoui family’s power, thus sometimes also called the Palace of Glaoui. Its construction started in 1860 and it was further expanded in later years. The palace can still be visited but it is steadily becoming more damaged and is slowly collapsing. In 2010, work was underway to restore the property.
Ait Ben Haddou
We then drove to Ait Ben Haddou which is 1h away. There we park where we saw a sign, but nobody asked us anything for the parking. Maybe because it was already late.
We followed a small road to the old city. It cost 20dh per person. This one is really huge compare, and more time would have been great as when we arrived sunset already started, and everything was closing. We still made it for sunset on top of the old town.
We then walk a bit around and to a viewpoint on the hill across and then left as it was getting dark.
Our accommodation was just 5min away. So, our Road trip to Ouarzazate ended right before Ouarzazate. We left Imlil around 9h, arrive at the garden at 10h45. We left around 13h. Wash the car at 13h05, left around 13h45. We arrived at Telouet around 16h30, left around 17h. Arrive in Ait Ben Haddou at 18h05.
One or two more hours would have been very nice in Ait Ben Haddou.
The site of the ksar has been fortified since the 11th century during the Almoravid period. None of the current buildings are believed to date from before the 17th century, but they were likely built with the same construction methods and designs as had been used for centuries before. The site’s strategic importance was due to its location in the Ounila Valley along one of the main trans-Saharan trade routes.
Today, the ksar itself is only sparsely inhabited by several families. The depopulation over time is a result of the valley’s loss of strategic importance in the 20th century. Most local inhabitants now live in modern dwellings in the village on the other side of the river and make a living off agriculture and especially off the tourist trade.
Where to stay
- (€): ksar lamane ait ben haddou
- (€€): Kasbah El Hajja
- (€€€): Caravane
Road Trip from Imlil/Marrakech to Ouarzazate
Day 1:
- Leave from Imlil or Marrakech
- Visit Anima Garden
- Drive to Telouet
- Visit the Telouet Kasbah
- Drive to Ait ben Haddou
- Visit the Ksar
- Go to your accommodation
ضرب الحديد ماحدو سخون Strike the iron while it’s still hot. (Take advantage of the opportunity before it passes you by)
Get our full map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once? With this map, you get all our pins, destinations, things to see, where to eat and sleep, and so much more in one time.
