Ouarzazate With Kids

Ouarzazate With Kids: An Oasis in the Desert

Ouarzazate with kids is one of those stops that starts as a logistics decision and turns into a favorite. It is the gateway between Marrakech and the Sahara, it is where most of Morocco’s famous movie sets live, and it puts you twenty five minutes from Aït Benhaddou. Here is what we did, what actually worked with our girls, and what I would plan differently.

An Oasis in the desert…is in my opinion, a good way to describe Ouarzazate.You drive for hours to get there, through mountain passes, rural roads, tiny towns and desolate scapes…then suddenly enter Ouarzazate.  The Hollywood of Morocco. The infrastructure is surprising after what you just drove through, incredibly wide paved streets, and sidewalks with beautiful light fixtures lining your way into town.

There is also an energy facility here with a huge tower in the distance with a mirrored top casting sun rays of hope out to those seeking refuge from the dessert, well not really, but that is a bit what it feels like.

There are many famous movies that have used the backlot sets here, in fact there are two studios you can visit and see all of the sets, fun for movie buffs like us!  Cinema Studio Atlas and CLA Studios.  We visited the fore mentioned and you can read more about it in the See & Do page for Ouarzazate.

The town itself is bustling with life, the average man doing the day to day.  It is a fabulous half way point if you are making your way to the Sahara from Marrakech, as we were, or visa versa direction.

Ouarzazate is also conveniently located about a 25 minute drive from Aït Benhaddou, made famous in the movie Gladiator and more recently in Game of Thrones.  More importantly though, it is an UNESCO world heritage site.

A traditional berber village and home to an ancient Kasbah, Aït Benhaddou is an experience not to be missed if you are in the area.  In addition to taking in the incredible scenery, you may get an opportunity to tour a local berber home or even ride a camel when you make it to the top of the village.  If your guide can get you there, you might also get a chance to visit the cave where part of Gladiator was filmed!  The girls got to play with and take pictures with the spear and shield used in the movie!!!  Pretty cool…not geekin out over here or anything…

Sure Aït Benhaddou is a bit tourist driven now, due to it’s popularity in the movie biz, but it is not overrun with people since the location is still a bit remote. I recommend a visit.  It is a photographers dream so if you are looking for good instagram shots, you should find plenty here!  To read more about our exploration of this beautiful village, check out our Ouarzazate See & Do page.

Is Ouarzazate Good for Kids?

Yes, and it turned out to be one of the easier stops in Morocco to travel with children. Here is why it worked for us.

• It breaks up the drive. Ouarzazate sits between Marrakech and the desert, so instead of one brutal day over the mountains you get two manageable ones with a real bed in the middle.
• The film sets are an easy sell. Kids who are completely done with old buildings will still happily walk through an Egyptian temple set and a pair of giant metal wings. Ours perked right back up.
• Aït Benhaddou is a climb. The kasbah is stacked up a hillside on uneven stone, so once you cross the river a carrier beats a stroller. Around town and on the studio lots the stroller was fine.
• Go early or late. There is almost no shade on the hill and midday out here is no joke with little ones.
• It is a working town. After the intensity of Marrakech, ordinary streets and ordinary shops were honestly a relief for all four of us.

From here, read our Ouarzazate with kids itinerary, the best things to do in Ouarzazate, where to eat in Ouarzazate and where to stay in Ouarzazate. If you are carrying on, we also wrote about taking the kids into the Sahara Desert and Marrakech with kids.