How Many Days in Ouarzazate? Sample Plans for 1 to 5 Days
One night or a full base for exploring the south? Day by day plans for Ouarzazate, from a single day to a stay with a desert night.
Ouarzazate is often treated as a stop between Marrakech and the desert: one night, then gone. That works if you only want to sleep, but the town sits at a junction of valleys, and each extra day opens a different direction. The plans below use real distances and the rides and trips we run, so you can match the length of your stay to what you want to see.
The short answer
- One day covers the town and one ride.
- Two days add Ait Ben Haddou or a full valley day.
- Three days let you combine riding, a long day trip and a slower morning.
- Four days or more make room for a desert night without rushing.
One day in Ouarzazate
Start in the centre. Taourirt kasbah and the Cinema Museum face each other on Boulevard Mohamed V, and an hour to an hour and a half for each is realistic. In the afternoon, when the light softens, take a ride out of town. The quad ride to Fint oasis lasts three hours and ends with mint tea among the villages, and the horse ride to Fint follows the same idea at a calmer pace.
If you arrive late or leave early, swap the oasis for the one hour ride to the Kingdom of Heaven film set. It still gets you onto the tracks and back before dinner.
Two days
Day one
Town visits in the morning, then a ride to Fint or the film set in the afternoon.
Day two
Give the second day to Ait Ben Haddou, 30 km away. You can drive there in 30 to 45 minutes, or arrive on the half day quad tour to Ait Ben Haddou, which crosses plateaus, dry riverbeds and villages before you explore the ksar on foot. On the way back, Atlas Film Studios is right on the road into town, 3 km west of the centre.
A good alternative for day two is a valley trip with a driver. The Valley of Roses and Dades Gorges day trip heads east through the Skoura palm grove to Kelaat M’Gouna and the gorges, with lunch included.
Three days
Three days is where Ouarzazate starts to feel like a base rather than a stopover.
- Day one: the town, then an afternoon ride.
- Day two: Ait Ben Haddou, by road or on a half day ride, with time to climb to the granary at the top of the ksar.
- Day three: a full day with a driver. Choose between the Draa Valley and Zagora to the south, the road of a thousand kasbahs and the Todra Gorges to the east, or the amethyst day in the Berber village of Tiggert.
If you love riding more than sightseeing, replace day three with a full day in the saddle or at the wheel. The full day horse ride links the Kingdom of Heaven set, Kasbah Tifoultoute and Fint; the full day quad and buggy tours swap Tifoultoute for Ait Ben Haddou.
Adding the desert
The big dunes are far from Ouarzazate, so a desert night needs its own block of time.
- Two days, one night. The closest option is the Mhamid or Erg Chigaga tour, recommended for travellers already staying in Ouarzazate or Skoura. Mhamid is about four and a half hours away and Erg Chigaga about six. The two day Erg Chebbi tour reaches Merzouga in around five hours each way.
- Three days, two nights. The three day Erg Chebbi tour adds the Dades and Todra gorges and remote villages, with one hotel night and one camp night. The three day Erg Chigaga loop returns by Iriki Lake and Foum Zguid.
- Four days. The South Oasis Route crosses the Saghro mountains and the remote Saharan villages around Ouzina on the way to Erg Chebbi.
Not sure which dunes suit you? Our comparison of Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga looks at drive times, camps and scenery.
Two sample stays
Five days with the desert
Day one in town with a ride to Fint, day two at Ait Ben Haddou, then a three day Erg Chebbi tour that brings you back to Ouarzazate in the late afternoon of the last day.
Four days without the desert
Town and film set, Ait Ben Haddou by quad or horse, the Valley of Roses day, then the Draa Valley day ending at the Tinfou dunes, where a camel ride can be added on the spot for around 200 dirhams per person.
Where to base yourself
Most visitors sleep in Ouarzazate itself, which keeps the town sights within walking distance and puts every ride and day trip a short transfer away. Two alternatives suit longer stays.
- Skoura. The palm oasis on the N10, east of town, has many lodges, guest houses and old kasbahs run by local families. It is quieter than Ouarzazate, and the Erg Chebbi tours and the road to the Valley of Roses pass through it. The weekly souk is held on Mondays.
- Agdz. About 65 km south, on the edge of the Mezguita oasis, Agdz has guest houses and riads with views over the palms. It makes a calm first stage if you are heading down the Draa Valley.
For something different, a night with a family in Fint is a simple way to see village life at its own pace. Wherever you stay, tell us the name of your hotel or riad in your request so the team can confirm pickup details where they apply.
Planning tips
- Keep rides for the morning or late afternoon in the hot months. Our guide to the best time to visit Ouarzazate covers each season.
- Leave at least one evening free. The town is calm after dark, a good moment to walk along Boulevard Mohamed V.
- Send your dates and group size early through the booking page; we confirm availability and the final price in writing before anything is fixed.
- For every option sorted by time available, see things to do in Ouarzazate.
Places in this guide
Ait Ben Haddou
A fortified village of packed earth from the seventeenth century, on the old caravan road and on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987. Thirty kilometres from Ouarzazate.
Skoura Oasis
A large palm oasis on the N10 east of Ouarzazate, with seventeenth century kasbahs, irrigated gardens, a Monday souk and guest houses run by local families.
Fint Oasis
A date palm oasis 12 km south of Ouarzazate that stays out of sight until the track drops into its valley. Village life, a river and easy walks.
