I stayed in Ait Benhaddou this January, so understand that my review will be from a winter aspect.Ait Benhaddou is a fortified city, a Unesco Heritage site and has been used in the following films:Lawrence of Arabia (1962)The Man Who Would Be King (film) (1975)Jesus…Read More

I stayed in Ait Benhaddou this January, so understand that my review will be from a winter aspect.

Ait Benhaddou is a fortified city, a Unesco Heritage site and has been used in the following films:

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Man Who Would Be King (film) (1975)
Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
The Living Daylights (1987)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
The Sheltering Sky (1990)
Kundun (1997)
The Mummy (1999)
Gladiator (2000)
Alexander (2004)


Having taken a bus across the plains of Morocco from Inezghane to Ouarzazate we were left with the question of whether to stay in Ouarzazate or Ait Benhaddou, we decided on Ait Benhaddou, the guide book we were using at the time (Lonely Planet Africa on a Shoestring) was inaccurate is in so many cases on that trip. Grand taxis only run between Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou during the day and even then sparsely in the winter, taxis were quoting ridiculous figures and although we bartered them down to a low price by simply walking away, it was still on the high side.

We were determined to get there and headed back in the direction that the bus had arrived and started hitchhiking cars, despite the fact there were no street lights and it was very dark - cars somehow managed to see us and weren't going particularly fast. After a few minutes a truck going to Agadir (400km) stopped and in the right direction for about 10km before the split in the road but I couldn't explain to him in my rubbish French that we would like to be dropped off at the junction and we just decided to go with the next car...which fortunately for us was just a few more minutes later, this time a wealthy Casablancan couple in a brand new Beetle. Dropped off at the correct junction, there was even less traffic there but an opportunistic local came over to us and asked if he could take us up there for a small fee.

We agreed and visited what seemed somewhat surreal, an enormous ksar with an amazing kasbah but with no atmosphere at all. The locals could be counted on one hand, the visitors on one finger and we checked various hotels to try and get a good deal. We stayed in the 3rd hotel on the right as you enter the slightly more inhabited side of the town (I can't recall the name), I definitely recommend it - it's cheap and comfortable, best sleep I've had in years.

When it comes to food, the town was also a bit of a letdown.. canteen style food which looked like it had been there since the previous tourist season and once again high prices (undoubtedly the most expensive place in Morocco) The river has no bridge and boys on donkeys or camels charge to get you across, it's just a little too deep to paddle across. The two vendors with a workshop were rather pushy as they were claiming not to have sold anything for 3 weeks, when it was clear we didn't want to buy anything they were interested in swapping things. Frankly, I didn't want a silver walking stick or a chair, it's not ideal for backpacking.

It may have a completely different feeling in the summer but I was quite happy to leave to better places. Bit of a tourist trap but the kasbahs are impressive.Close