AIT BEN HADDOU

AÏT BENHADDOU – TELOUET

The extensive plains and lonely mountain ranges in the South of the High Atlas harbour one of the most captivating places in Morocco, Kasbah Ait Benhaddou (left), declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001, and the Telouet Kasbah (right), both of them fortified buildings of the ancient warlords who gave shelter to the caravans.

99 km from Marrakech the road begins to climb breathtaking curved slopes, before accessing Tizi n’Tichka Pass (2260m altitude, highest asphalt road in North Africa).

We will descend through Zat Valley, where time seems to have stopped, in order to go along a narrow path towards Telouet.

Telouet Kasbah (c. XVII) was the residence of El Glaoui (Berber tribal chief), former Governor of Marrakech and supporter of the French during the colonisation). Since Morocco’s independence the Glaoui family was dispossessed and since then this fortification has remained uninhabited and is currently quite ruined.

A road full of narrow oasis of fluvial valleys bordered by remains of kasbahs, gorges filled with curves and ancient fortified villages of adobe will take us to Ait Benhaddou, the best example of kasbahs’ architecture of Morocco.

Cinema lovers will recognize this famous kasba for being the scene of films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, etc. If you go up by the kasba you will reach an agadir (fortified granary) in ruins with magnificent views of the palm groves and the relentless hammada (stone desert).

Pick up at the Riad at 8 AM 

Arriving to Marrakech at around 8 pm.

From Marrakech to Ait Ben Haddou