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Our Moroccan road trip had been more exciting and full of surprises than we could have anticipated. We’d been awed by the sheer beauty of Morocco in places like Volubulis, El Jadida, Chefchaouen, and Essaouira.
We’d been overwhelmed at the chaotic energy of the Marrakesh food stalls, the Berber market in Azrou, and the Fez souk, but our next stop had us all sitting on the edge of our seats as we drove, or should I say careened, through the steep, winding roads for an amazing High Atlas mountains day trip to Ksar Ait Benhaddou.
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Game of Thrones City in Morocco
This was our goal, Ait Benhaddou, or nowadays thanks to Game of Thrones, it might be better known as Yunkai. Actually, the city has been featured in many other full-feature films as well. How could anyone, let alone a movie producer, not want to go here?
It’s one of those places that doesn’t seem real, a place of make-believe and dreams. Can real people still live here? As it turns out there’s not many who still live in the old part of the city, but they certainly do go there to sell souvenirs and run small cafes.
Getting here was definitely part of the fun. Many people do this in conjunction with camel trekking in the Sahara, but we didn’t want to risk the cold. We had about a six hour drive from Essaouira, so we got on the road early, stopping to see some amazing sights along the way, arriving in late afternoon. Perfect.
Our Ksar Ait Benhaddou Hotel
We like to get our hotel set up as soon as we arrive, so we headed straight to Kasbah Isfoula and verified that we would love to have dinner there as well. The hotel was a comfortable boutique style complete with towels curled up into swans on the foot of our bed, so we knew that we would be well taken care of while we were there.
Decorated in rich Moroccan furnishings, the dining room was full of warm orange and reds, with kilims and hand woven textiles. Our dinner of chickpea soup, traditional chicken pastilla, paired with a vibrant Moroccan Merlot was amazing, but we had all that to look forward to after heading out to the Ksar Ait Benhaddou, the old city.
A “Dangerous” River Crossing
We drove down the road, easily following the signs, and parked the car. There are no vehicles in the ksar, because there is no bridge that crosses the Ounila River. This is probably one of the main reasons that Ait Benhaddou has been able to keep its old-world charm intact.
First, we had to cross the river which had rocks with sand bags covering them, making a path that you had to step from the one to the next to cross. The river, although not deep, was rushing by with a bit of a current, so to make some money the local children walk in the water holding your hand to help you across for a small tip.
No matter how you feel about children begging or working in these capacities, they had smiles on their faces, and this small act also lent more credence to that colonial feeling where the tourist, all dressed up in safari gear, is waited on hand and foot.
I’m not condoning it, but I have to say I don’t think it’s going to change any time soon, and as the tourist who was being helped, you look like a complete heartless git if you let them help you and not tip. It was definitely one of those many times when no matter what your feelings or your ethics, you kind of just have to go with the flow and accept it.
The High Atlas are physically intimidating, hard to cross mountains that brood over the desert like a slumbering giant. Add to that the imposing fortress, the Ksar Ait Benhaddou, it’s many towers bristling like sharp teeth, and you can’t help but feel awed in this magical setting.
After we walked through the gate with lots of hawkers, we immediately started to climb, and climb, and climb. The uneven walkways and staircases are all narrow, and the buildings being made of clay, straw, and wood have a rough-textured exterior. There were some handrails, but of course they weren’t everywhere.
Since we were there in winter, it wasn’t hot at all, in fact it was a bit windy and chilly so the climb was exhilarating, but I would imagine how difficult it would be if the temperature was much warmer.
Climb To The Top For the Best Views
As we climbed, we marveled at the ancient pre-Saharan architecture, where for over 500 years people have been living and trading in the ksar. Ait Benhaddou was one of the mid-points of the trading caravans that trekked from the Sudan to Marrakesh.
The ksar, or group of dwellings, is surrounded by high walls with towers on the corners which were built to defend the residents. The houses within are everything from small and modest to luxurious and grand; some of them are open to visitors for a very small fee and well worth the visit.
As we wound our way up the hill to the top of the crenelated walls and towers, we were rewarded with amazing views of the fortified city and the Ounila Valley. There were plenty of opportunities to stop and buy souvenirs as well, everything from local handicrafts, postcards, to rugs. The ksar still lives up to its trading heritage.
We made it to the top a little before the sun started to set, where we were beckoned through this mysterious door to an open-air cafe so we could warm up and enjoy the views with a great glass of Moroccan tea. Being so high up, the winds were starting to scream through the valley and warm tea was just the remedy we were looking for before we had had enough and headed down to the car.
Ait Benhaddou is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have been. Not only is it completely different with its amazing history and architecture, but it feels so magical and mysterious, from a time long past. If you haven’t gone, I would highly suggest you make a plan to get here before it is forever changed.
How to Do Atlas Mountains and Ait Ben Haddou on a Day Trip from Marrakesh
We know not many people will feel comfortable driving on unknown roads for hours to do a day trip. We’ve included that info below, but there are some easier ways to get to this far-flung Moroccan must-do.
The simplest and most convenient way to do a day trip from Marrakesh to the beautiful spots in the Atlas Mountains is to take a tour.
We’ve found three great tour options for you:
Firstly, Marrakech: Day-Trip to UNESCO Kasbahs and Ouarzazate Tour – This is a 12 hour day trip, where of course someone else is doing the driving, and you can see both the world heritage site of Ait Benhaddou and the film studio sets in Ouarzazate. The drive through the Atlas Mountains is stunning in its own right, so you’ll have plenty to see along the way.
Our second choice, the Private Day Trip to Telouet & Ait Ben Haddou, is similar to the first tour. It’s only a 10 hour day, which is a bit easier to handle, but it doesn’t go to the film sets.
Our third choice is one that gives you the opportunity to spend the night in the Zagora Desert and have a camel ride as well as visiting Ksar Ait Benhaddou. The best part is, for a night’s accommodation and the extras, it really doesn’t add much to the overall cost. If you have two days instead of just one, I think it’s a fantastic offer. The tour name is Zagora: 2-Day Desert Trip from Marrakech.
More Info about a Day Trip of the High Atlas Mountains
Ait Benhaddou is located in the Ouarzazate province in southern Morocco, and you have to make it through the High Atlas mountains to get there from pretty much anywhere else in the country. We came from Essaouira, however most people make it in a day trip from Marrakesh.
How to Get There on Your Own
Getting to Ait Benhaddou from Marrakesh: Travel in Morocco can be slow and difficult, and one of the most popular ways to get here, and probably the easiest and least time-consuming is by taking one of the many Marrakesh desert tours that are offered. A trip to Ouarzazate is usually combined with a camel trek or desert overnight or some Atlas Mountain hiking and of course the tour companies take care of getting you there. We passed only two vans full of tourists, so it’s not a bad way to go.
You can also take a bus from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate, which is a little past Ait Benhaddou, but you can take another bus from there or hire a taxi or driver. It depends on how much flexibility you want. Check schedules and prices at the CTM website.
Of course, we drove. It was part of our two weeks in Morocco road trip, and if you love to be in charge of where you go and when you stop it was really not all that bad. The biggest issue was making sure to be off the road at night. It’s dark; people wear dark clothes, and anything could be in front of you. It was just safer that way.
Where to Stay and Where to Eat
As I mentioned above, we stayed at the Kasbah Isfoula which I can highly recommend, but there are plenty of hotel choices in the area. There are not many places to eat other then very small cafes, so it certainly is convenient to find a place that has meals offered as well.
Conclusion
All those filmmakers couldn’t be wrong, Ksar Ait Benhaddou is an amazing place to visit in the High Atlas Mountains and you can certainly do and see everything in one day. Climb to the top of the mud, clay, and straw city to take in the amazing views and pretend that you are Daenerys Targaryen.
I love your blog
Well, thank you Deidre!
Wow, these are some impressive mountains. I did not know that parts of Game of Thrones were filmed in Morocco. Learn something new every day. 😉 Loved seeing the snow topped mountains.
Melody, The Atlas are impressive; such great sights and sounds. We loved the whole trip. Have you been to Morocco?
Love this post! What a fabulous country to explore!
Lisa, It was a great trip!
Morocco has always been a source of great fascination for me. But I was not much aware about Ait Bennhadou. We see many posts and articles about Marrakech but not about this place. I can see that it was a totally unique experience starting with the crossing of the river which itself sounds like an adventure.
Sandy, Just getting to Ait Benhaddou is an adventure…the Atlas Mountains are pretty interesting, but yes, Morocco can offer you some things that most people are not aware of. I hope you go.
Fantastic photos, and it looks like you had a great time! I have not been to Morocco yet but I know I will be going here if I do. I just love exploring ancient ruins / cities like this.
Damien, It’s well worth the tromp! I hope you do!
Marteen, It was pretty tame, actually but fun. I love the buildings and their decorations as well.
The vision of the castle, with the river below is surreal. It was fascinating to see the beautifully shaped fossils, what a great souvenir they make! Everything about Ait Benhaddou is so exotic and magical. Certainly a destination to add to the Morocco itinerary.
Punita, It is! I loved every minute of it, but sipping the tea at the top was my favorite.
I had no idea they shot part of Game of Thrones here, so cool! Even more reason to visit lol
It is cool, very cool. They’ve actually shot many, many films there…why not? Right?!
Wow! Just wow! Your first photo of the Ksar of Ait Benhaddou had me wanting to visit, even before I went on to read the post. I had no idea that the Atlas Mountains of Morocco contained such treasure, and had always assumed they were more about the mountain landscape… plus as a GoT fan, of course I’m keen to visit Yunkai!! Your recommendation of Kasbah Isfoula appeals too, it looks gorgeous. This is going straight onto my To Do list!
Kavita, And I’m sure you will make it there. I’m sure you will love it.
Ryan, Thank you. It is a great spot. It’s hard to say what is happening when you are only there a very short time.
Holly, Petra is a beautiful place as well, but completely different. In Petra there really aren’t any man-made dwellings, the people live in the caves. In Ait Benhaddou they built the houses from clay, hay, and wood. Both are fascinating destinations!
Holly, Yes, so true. It’s wonderful to sit, relax, sip tea, and maybe even talk with some locals. I agree!
Danik, I’m sure you would love it. It’s enough off the beaten path to still be very special! I hope you get there.
How is this place even real? No wonder it’s appeared in so many films and shows – it really captures the imagination and visually takes you back a few hundred years. The travel piece has always been of interest for us when it comes to Morocco – so I especially appreciate those travel tips, mixed in with your gorgeous photos 🙂
Luke and Meagan, Thanks! It really is a throw back to the way past. It’s such a surreal location. I think you would love it.
Oh wow, I haven’t made to Morocco yet, but loved this post so much. Your photos of the souvenir shop is just stunning and I would love to see myself as one of those tourists crossing the river, stepping across on those sandbags.
Lyn, It’s quite a bit off the beaten path but very doable. It’s such a great destination. I hope you make it there.
I loved Ait Benhaddou. I bought a rug there but it wasn’t exactly what I expected (remember – never take your eyes off the rug once you strike a deal).
Rhonda, Oh how true! Not many people have been there, such a great place!
Wonderful photos! I’d go here in a shot but sadly my husband is less keen!
Emily, Oh, that’s too bad. Morocco is an amazing destination, and Ait Benhaddou one of my favorites!
Wow, your photos are out of this world. What a spectacular place! I went to Morocco earlier this year but didn’t see anything like this. Guess I’ll have to go back… 🙂
Kay, I hear you. This often happens to me. I go someplace, have a great time, go home. Then I read an article of this great place to go…yes, I plan on returning. At least now I know I’m not alone. I hope you do make it to Ait Benhaddou. It’s pretty darn cool.
Morocco has never been on our bucket list (mainly because they’re not really LGBT friendly…), but now that we’ve read your post and seen your beautiful pictures, we’re about to change our mind!
Hi, I do think Morocco is a great destination, but I hear you. It’s hard to support a place that doesn’t support you. Let me know if you go, so I can pay attention to your thoughts and experiences there!
Oh my! Your pics look straight out of a movie! Ahhh, I wanna go everywhere but the world is so damn big! How long have you been trekking though Africa? I wanna try that tea in the pics!
Rocio, I love Africa and go whenever I can. It’s an amazing place!
Wow, this place looks incredible. I love Old Cities like that.
Michelle, It’s one of the most “different” places I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. I highly recommend it.
Brilliant post and photos Corrine. Have been to Morocco, but never made it to the high Atlas mountains. Hope to get there someday.
Madhu, It’s so beautiful. I hope you do get there.