The Hollywood of Africa and its Ancient Atlas Kasbahs: Private Guided Day Tour from Marrakech

Viewers in America and elsewhere in the world may not know it but they have seen a lot of Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou in the past years. Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Prince of Persia and more recently Hologram for a King starring Tom Hanks were all filmed here.
For this private day trip to Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou departing from Marrakech, your friendly multilingual driver/guide will pick you up from your hotel in Marrakech at 7am.
A scenic drive from Marrakech over the highest mountain pass of North Africa (2,260 meters) Tizi-N-Tichka, where you will have a fascinating view of the High Atlas walls whose snowy peaks blend into the clouds.
Shortly before the desert capital Ouarzazate, you'll have the opportunity to visit the famous Kasbah Aït Ben Haddou, the fortified clay city with its ksars and kasbahs listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your majestic camel will be waiting to carry you like an Arabian king testing your camel riding skills in a festival of laughter (option). After this you will have a lunch break in a typical Aït Ben Haddou restaurant (option).
Venture off into the edge of Ouarzazate and discover one of Morocco’s most spectacular historical legacies of wealth and power. The Taourirt kasbah, a former residence of the Atlas lords, the powerful Pacha Glaoui family with its 300 clay rooms, true maze of passageways and a lavish decoration with geometrical patterns within an immense structure that only connects to the outside world through a narrow entrance doorway.
Continue your tour with a guided visit to the famous Atlas Cinema Studios at your own pace. On a studio tour, you can wander through a crumbling stone marketplace or a faux Medina, or enter an old world synagogue, or even visit the Bible “stage” with its vast red columns and epic interiors with old stone floors. You can enter an Egyptian house with walls colored a deeper red than the desert, windows that are narrow slits letting the golden sunshine filter down from above, and with walls decorated with ornate carvings like a Pharaoh’s tomb. Sets like these have served as backdrops for hundreds of Hollywood films. Enjoy free time for mint tea or juice (not included in the price) before returning to Marrakech.

Return to Marrakech and drop-off at your hotel at the end of the tour.