One town in Africa is so picture perfect it was chosen as the backdrop for Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
With desert landscapes and impressive architecture, this Moroccan film spot has such stunning scenery that reportedly 20 to 50 foreign film and television productions are shot there every year.
Ouarzazate, otherwise known as Ouarzawood, isn’t just for movie lovers, now drawing tourists who want to venture out of bustling Marrakesh to take in all Morocco has to offer.
As Morocco welcomed 17.4 million international tourists in 2024, a 20% increase on 2023, it was the most-visited country in Africa according to UN Tourism data, so now is the time to go before Ouarzazate gets firmly put on the tourist trail.
To take a step back in time, the fortified town of Aït Benhaddou is well worth a visit. With dramatic architecture reminiscent of bibical times and ancient battles, you can look over the Ounila River from its red mud walls.
It’s easy to get lost in a labyrinth of passages connecting 300 rooms with fascinating mosaics at the expansive maze of Kasbah Taourirt, the official residence of the Glaoui family who owned valuable trade routes.
To tick something off the quintessential Morocco list, the desert landscape around Ouarzazate is ideal for quad biking, finished off with a sample of traditional sweetened mint tea.
For those drawn in by the film making prowess of the area, Atlas Studios is the largest movie studios in the world in terms of land area, with movies shot here including The Mummy, and epics Hanna and Babel, and even the series Prison Break.
