Private Ait Ben Haddou with Road of the Kasbahs from Marrakech
1 day
Private
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About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Douar Ait Ben Haddou, Ait Ben Haddou 45000 Morocco
Embark on this exciting adventure from Marrakech across the magnificent High Atlas Mountains whose snowy peaks blend into the clouds offering an impressive landscape and an absolutely stunning scenery at every turn with its Ancient Kasbahs, caravan routes, UNESCO World Heritage sites, traditional Berber villages, and a rich culture of southern Morocco. Discover what makes Ait Ben Haddou a backdrop to hundreds of Hollywood films.
A scenic drive from Marrakech over the highest mountain pass of North Africa (2,269 meters) Tizi-N-Tichka, where you will have fascinating views of the High Atlas walls. Continue until you reach the famous Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified clay city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Studded with crenelated towers and decorated with geometrical patterns, it is truly one of the world’s cultural treasures. Test your camel riding skills with plenty of laughter (optional), have a lunch break (optional) and relax in a typical Ait Ben Haddou restaurant with great panoramic views of the kasbah that will take you to a world where time seems to stand still.
Drive back to Marrakech later in the afternoon while crossing the High Atlas Mountains.
Drop-off at your hotel in Marrakech in the evening, not just with photos you've captured, but with stories and memories of personal encounters with the indigenous people and a good sense of the beauty and hospitality of the Moroccan desert.
Duration: 10 hours
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This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Douar Ait Ben Haddou, Ait Ben Haddou 45000 Morocco
Embark on this exciting adventure from Marrakech across the magnificent High Atlas Mountains whose snowy peaks blend into the clouds offering an impressive landscape and an absolutely stunning scenery at every turn with its Ancient Kasbahs, caravan routes, UNESCO World Heritage sites, traditional Berber villages, and a rich culture of southern Morocco. Discover what makes Ait Ben Haddou a backdrop to hundreds of Hollywood films.
A scenic drive from Marrakech over the highest mountain pass of North Africa (2,269 meters) Tizi-N-Tichka, where you will have fascinating views of the High Atlas walls. Continue until you reach the famous Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified clay city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Studded with crenelated towers and decorated with geometrical patterns, it is truly one of the world’s cultural treasures. Test your camel riding skills with plenty of laughter (optional), have a lunch break (optional) and relax in a typical Ait Ben Haddou restaurant with great panoramic views of the kasbah that will take you to a world where time seems to stand still.
Drive back to Marrakech later in the afternoon while crossing the High Atlas Mountains.
Drop-off at your hotel in Marrakech in the evening, not just with photos you've captured, but with stories and memories of personal encounters with the indigenous people and a good sense of the beauty and hospitality of the Moroccan desert.
Duration: 10 hours
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation by air-conditioned minivan
- Multilingual driver
- Guided tour of UNESCO world heritage site, the fortified Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou.
- Local guide and entrance fees
- Local taxes
- Entry/Admission - Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou
Not included
- Lunch and drinks
- Lunch options available à la carte in local restaurants with great views
- Guided Camel riding tour
- Camel riding option available during the tour for 10 US Dollars per person
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Most travelers can participate
- Optional lunch and camel ride can be arranged by your driver on the day of the tour
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
70%
Reviews
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+ve: 1) The view is good 2) Comfortable vehicle 3) Suitable for traveler that have only 1 day for the Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou -ve: 1) Tour Guide in Ait Ben Haddou is not good. He walked too fast that did not find out some of the participants cannot follow. And one of my parent fall down as she trying too hard to catch the pace 2) Entry/Admission - Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou is not included ( Actually it is just 10-15 MAD per person, but they will not give you the change if you are not preparing some coins for this ) which is different from the content mentioned on web-site. The tour guide in Ait Ben Haddou will walk straight and pass through a gate in the bottom of Ait-Ben-Haddou. And you have to pay for the Admission so that you can go inside and chase the tour guide. 3. We choose the package without Lunch, but the driver will drop-off the participants to an expensive restaurant ( Around 120 - 150 MAD for a lunch ). Comparing the food in the city is relatively high.
The local company used by Viator in Marrakech to conduct this tour is In Style Travel Events. Our guide’s name was Said, who was extremely accommodating and helpful, with a great sense of humour. He drew our attention to many points of interest along the very long journey (4 hours each way) through the beautiful Atlas Mountains. We stopped off at a couple of places enroute for refreshments and to take photographs at some notable viewpoints. Our first major stop was Ouarzazate, where we were handed over to our local guide, Muhammed, who had amazing knowledge of the Kasbah and the movies filmed in the immediate area. Then it was on to Ait Ben Haddou, where again our local guide was named Muhammed. We had a wonderful lunch at a small guest house/restaurant overlooking the old fortified Berber town across the valley. After lunch Muhammed took us on a walking tour through the Old Town, he even invited inside his summer residence (where he was born), which was a special treat. Even though this trip amounts to an extremely long day, these amazing historical monuments - well off the usual beaten path - are most definitely worth seeing. We visited during the latter part of October, which was still quite hot at around 83F, and but as it is a dry heat, very pleasant. Judging by our own experience, I would suggest avoiding the summer months when taking this tour. In addition I would probably recommend an overnight stay in the area of Air Ben Haddou, to break up the long journey through the Atlas mountains each way, and to take in more attractions in the area - such as the movie studios or Berber sites. I have no hesitation in recommending Said and In Style Travel Events to anyone wishing to see these amazing places.
Our driver navigated the windy, mountainous roads with expertise and gave us time to stop on the way for pictures and restrooms. We really enjoyed our guide Muhammad in Ait Ben Haddou, who was very informative and interesting. The village was very culturally unique and one of our favorite parts of our trip.
This tour was truly the highlight of our trip to Marrakech! The day was amazing, and well worth the 4 hour drive each way. The views of the Atlas Mountains on the journey were incredible, and our driver stopped several times for photos and snack/restroom breaks. Our driver, Ahmed, was very professional and knowledgeable. Our morning pickup was right on time, and the Mercedes mini-van was roomy and comfortable. One bit of advice is to take Dramamine (motion sickness medication) prior to the ride, as the curvy mountain roads can definitely cause motion sickness. We took Dramamine, and had a lovely day. The tours of the kasbahs were fascinating, with knowledgeable local tour guides. Highly recommend the camel ride -- the views from high on the camel were beautiful, and there was a surprisingly lovely breeze across the desert.
Had a very poor experience on this trip. Bus used seats 15 at max capacity and was completely full. Middle row seats are acceptable two seats on one side of the aisle and a single seat on the other. My wife and I were the last to be picked up and were wedged in the middle of a back row that seats four passengers. No visibility from windows due to seat height highly uncomfortable seating both in seat width and in seat length. Seating definitely worse than airline economy class cabin, with 8 hours during tour spent in this bad seat. If you plan to take this tour, make sure that you are not the last one to get onto the bus!! Or why take the chance, there are better tours to be had. Our tour the next day with another local company used a Mercedes minivan. As to the tour itself, the locations were interesting once on site and the guides were knowledgeable. Lunch menu was good. Be aware though that while the food is included, the drinks are at your expense.
The drive and sights were beautiful and our driver was professional and took good care of us. The only downside was the restaurant where we had lunch, which was pre-paid, in Ait Ben Haddou. The restaurant was a big tourist shop and service and food weren't very good.
Despite the long travel time 8 hours in total back and forth from Marrakech, I enjoyed this tour as I got to see the Atlas Mountains. Our driver, Ahmed, was accommodating stopping at different sections of the mountain range when we requested him to in order to snap some photos. The locations we went to were all jaw-dropping especially after knowing that most of these were used as filming locations.