An oasis on the edge of the great Sahara plains, Ouarzazate is in full expansion. Indeed, the exotic landscape, dry desert climate and crystalline skies have made this former French Foreign Legion outpost a favorite with movie directors and producers from all over the world. The recently renovated kasbah of Taourirt serve a a set for Bernardo Bertolucci's film The Sheltering Sky. In addition, an international airport now puts Ouarzazate within a few hours from all major European cities. A spectacular road links the town over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech and to the rest of the picturesque kasbah trail.

Half day

Visit kasbahs of Taourirt, Ait Ben Haddou and Tifoultout, all nestled within crenellated walls of ochre-colored mud.

Visit Skhour, a fortified village in the oasis of palms

Full day

Drive along the narrow road which hugs the Draa Valley and the Draa River, lined with kasbahs framed by almond trees and green pastures all the way to the Sahara outpost of Zagora, which, a famous signpost in town claims, is only 52 days away from Timbuctu by camel! A little further south, the ancient library of Tamegrout holds centuries-old manuscript written on gazelle skin. (Overnight stays can include a romantic, star-studded evening under a Berber tent in the Sahara sand dunes!)