Can you do it in one day?

Not without spending most of the time in the vehicle. Ouarzazate is about 200 km from Marrakech via the Tizi n'Tichka (2,260 m), roughly four hours of driving with stops; Agdz is about 70 km further. A round trip to Agdz therefore means more than ten hours behind the wheel for two or three hours on the ground. Plan two days and one night in Ouarzazate, in Skoura or in a guesthouse in the valley. If all you want is the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, our guide to excursions from Marrakech compares the day-trip options.

Suggested 2-day itinerary

Day 1: leave Marrakech early, stop at Aït Ben Haddou, have lunch in Ouarzazate, then spend the afternoon at the Taourirt Kasbah or the film studios. Night in Ouarzazate.

Day 2: the morning in the Draa Valley as far as Agdz and Tamnougalt, or in Skoura if you prefer palm trees to mountains, then back to Marrakech late in the day (about four and a half hours from Agdz).

The Fint oasis

Fint is an oasis about ten kilometres south of Ouarzazate, made up of small mud-brick villages gathered around a palm grove. You come for a quiet walk among gardens, irrigation channels and houses, often with tea at a family's home. The tracks that lead there are poor: without a 4x4, go by taxi or with a guide who knows the way, and leave in the morning to avoid the heat. Fint is hard to reach by public transport.

The Draa Valley and the Tamnougalt kasbah

Jebel Kissane and the Agdz palm grove

The Draa, Morocco's longest river (about 1,100 km), is born where the Dadès and Imini wadis meet. Its valley is a ribbon of date palms and mud-brick villages: Agdz marks its entrance, overlooked by Jebel Kissane. A few kilometres from Agdz lies the ksar of Tamnougalt, where the large Aït el-Caïd kasbah can be visited: its kitchen, painted wooden ceilings and terraces show how a family of southern notables lived. Opening hours and prices vary with the caretaker; ask the price before going in and keep some small change. Beyond Agdz the road continues to Zagora, but that is another day.

Skoura and the Amridil kasbah

The Amridil kasbah in Skoura

Skoura is not in the Draa Valley but in the Dadès Valley, about 40 km east of Ouarzazate on the N10. Its palm grove holds tens of thousands of trees (date palms, olives, figs, pomegranates), with kasbahs hidden among them. The best known is the Amridil kasbah: a 17th-century ksar to which a tall kasbah was added in the late 19th century, and which appeared on the 50-dirham banknote. Entry costs about 20 dirhams per person, with a guide available at the gate (posted hours: roughly 8 am to 7 pm, to be confirmed on the spot). Skoura combines well with the Dadès Gorges, a day further along the road to Merzouga (see our guide to the desert from Marrakech).

Getting there

  • By car: the N9 over the Tizi n'Tichka to Ouarzazate, then the N9 to Agdz or the N10 to Skoura. A rental car lets you stop wherever you like; our guide to car rental in Marrakech gives useful precautions. The mountain road is winding, and snow can close the pass for a few hours in winter. You can compare car rentals before you go.
  • By coach: coaches link Marrakech and Ouarzazate, see train and bus from Marrakech. On arrival you then need a taxi for Fint, Tamnougalt or Amridil.
  • On a tour: two-day tours to Ouarzazate go via Aït Ben Haddou and sometimes Fint; check the included stops before paying. We found no specific partner offer for Skoura or the Draa at the time of writing.

When to go

Spring (March to May) and autumn (October to November) bring mild days. In summer it often exceeds 40 °C in the valley. In winter the nights are cold and the Tizi n'Tichka pass can be snowed over.

Going further

Carry on to the dunes with Zagora from Marrakech or the Merzouga desert. For another great kasbah in the region, see Telouet.