Morocco 2023 : Part 7 : Ouarzazate

 Saturday 25 February 2023

Marrakesh to Ouarzazate, Morocco.

We got off to an early start and took the N9 towards the High Atlas Mountains.

Tizi n Tichka is the highest mountain pass in Morocco at 2260m. The snowy scenery was spectacular in the sunshine. There had been a snow storm on Thursday night but luckily for us the roads had been cleared and the pass reopened.

Ait Benhaddou ( a Unesco site ) is an historic fortified village ( ksar) on the old caravan route from Marrakesh to the Sahara and one of the best examples of Moroccan earthen clay architecture.

It had been used as a set in many movies over the last 60 years and most recently in Game of Thrones. 

Le Petit Riad is a lovely spot to stay in Ouarzazate.

We took a little stroll through the old ksar and visited a 400 year old Jewish Berber Synagogue.

We had dinner at Restaurant Douyria.

We got to try a few interesting local dishes like camel tagine ( delicious and a lot like beef ) and argan oil ice- cream ( not that delicious.)

Pastilla is a pie filled with either savoury or sweet filling but always coated with icing sugar and cinnamon. We tried pigeon pastilla which was actually really good.

And if you are ever in Ouarzazate I recommend this place.

Sunday 26th February 2023

Day trip to Skoura, Morocco

We started out with a visit to the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouazazate. This kasbah has been given Unesco Heritage status and is undergoing a massive renovation. Here's a warning about independent travel in Morocco. Wherever you go you will get pestered by guides. We paid our entrance fee at a dodgy looking window in a courtyard but they wouldn't show us the entrance to the kasbah. Neil gave up at this point. Stephen and Vivienne took the guide and I followed them to the entrance. Unmarked and no ticket check so entrance is free if you knew where to go! It's not about the money, I just prefer to discover a place by myself in my own time. If I want any more information I'll read up about it later. I loved clambering up the staircases and ducking through the doors then popping out on a terrace with a view with the place to myself. 

Coffee done and we drove out to Skoura. All along the road you see kasbahs, some in ruins, some renovated and some converted into hotels. Caravan trains used this route for trade between the desert and the coast.

We stopped at Kasbah Amridil. What a pleasure not to be harassed by a guide here. You can explore like a child on an adventure! Soaking up the sun on the terrace of their hotel, we enjoyed more coffee and biscuits. 

Neil drove us off road through the nearby farms.  Skoura is a huge palmaraie and oasis area and we were able to see the date plantations and ancient irrigation system.

After a local lunch we returned to Ouarzazate for a visit to the Museum of Cinema. This is the centre of Morocco's film industry and loads of movies have been made here  over the years. The museum is a rather shabby collection of sets with a hall full of old camera equipment and some costumes and props. No Hollywood glitz here.

We had dinner at our riad and an early night.