Rust-coloured grains of sand between my toes. Vast, rippling dunes all around. A fiery sun setting on the horizon. The Kingdom of Light shines with truly magical moments when you arrive at the gateway to the Sahara desert. I am in the south of Morocco, now more easily reached by a new direct air service to Ouarzazate from Stansted.
My accommodation for the night awaits a few dunes away – a bivouac run by locals in which we would stay amid a (minor) sandstorm. Experiencing the capricious desert is a big part of the appeal of visiting the south of Morocco, but certainly not the only one.
Camels and dunes in the Sahara desert in Morocco (Getty Images)From the moment I landed at Ouarzazate airport, my senses were ignited – touch, hearing, sight, smell and taste picking up things I’d never experienced before. The feel of the walls of kasbahs made of rammed earth and mud-brick. The calls to prayer. The breathtaking red, orange and warm brown shades of the rocks and earth. The smell of rose water produced in the region. The flavours of tagine and couscous. It was all new and oh so worth the three-hour flight from the UK.
Moroccan Hollywood
It is impossible to talk about Ouarzazate without talking about the movie industry. “I was actually an extra in the last Ben Hur,” our guide told me on our first day. Many locals in Ouarzazate have similar claims to fame. A lot of them have appeared in Gladiator, The Mummy, Prince of Persia or Game of Thrones.
Ouarzazate is a favourite for directors on the lookout for desert-like landscapes and North African, Egyptian and Middle Eastern scenes. Temperatures were reaching 27C when we visited the Atlas Studios, built in 1983, which were used for those movies and by the likes of Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson and Nicole Kidman.
Inside the dreamy hotel with a huge infinity pool right over a lagoon
Russell Crowe in Gladiator (Getty Images)We walked through different movie sets and learnt about how each was built locally and subsequently used by Hollywood crews. The set which resonated the most with me was built for Sir Ridley Scott’s Gladiator – the place where Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, is held and trained after becoming a slave.
We later visited the unmissable Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a stunning fortress and village on a hill, which was also the background for these scenes and for Game of Thrones segments involving Daenerys Targaryen.
Back to Gladiator, a word which was on everyone’s lips during our four-day stay as filming for the sequel was just about to start. A new arena had been built and stunt crews were staying at our hotel, preparing for their scenes during the day, cooling down by the pool in the evening.
On our last day at the hotel, my friend and I almost choked on our respective mint tea and white wine as Ridley Scott himself walked past as he headed to one of the banquettes to sit in the shade. To borrow from Maximus, that moment echoes in eternity! We later realised we must have missed Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal by just a few weeks.
Rock the kasbahs
When we joined a tour on the second day, we were told we would see part of the Road of 1000 Kasbahs, a scenic drive across the High Atlas mountains taking in Berber villages and the fortified buildings. We only covered a small portion as the full experience would take days, but the “thousand kasbahs” is not an exaggeration.
While the landscape in southern Morocco is mostly arid, you’d be surprised to see just how many palm and olive trees there are – and there we were, on a sunny morning, driving along a dirt road through a former oasis and tiny hamlets, on our quest to see fabulous fortresses.
Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco (Shutterstock / Ivan Soto Cobos)Kasbahs used to be inhabited by rich families or governors. The most famous is the aforementioned Ait Ben Haddou, which is a UNESCO site. There are still some people living there, although most have moved to the cities. Once in the Skoura area, the kasbahs did not disappoint. Some were in ruins – and looked like biscuits, a friend told us – others were in a much better shape.
A tents night in the desert
Our road trip continued, and our terminus was Merzouga and its Erg Chebbi, a sea of sand dunes considered the gateway of the Sahara. The five-hour drive there was worth it in itself as we saw the snowy peaks of the Atlas, drove through villages which are rarely visited by tourists and stopped at Kalaat M’Gouna to visit the flower distilleries which produce soaps and beauty products based on rose water and oil.
We also discovered the spectacular Dades Gorges and its narrow, slithering road. As we were approaching Merzouga, a small town close to the Algerian border described as Morocco’s “desert theme park’’, the wind picked up and the visibility became ever poorer. Our driver parked and there we were: the door to the Sahara.
Souvenir shop in Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou near Ouarzazate in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco (Getty Images/iStockphoto)We left the car park to explore the arid wilderness and eventually sat on a dune to watch the sunset – which you can do with a guide either on foot, on a camel or on a quad bike. Once the sun went down, our guide took us to the Xaluca Belle Etoile bivouac for our much-anticipated night in the desert.
World's most expensive hotel room is £83K a night but millionaires stay for free
So what can you expect from a bivouac in the desert? The answer is luxury. Sturdy tents as large as hotel suites, comfortable king size beds, electricity, heating and aircon, your own shower and toilet – and a night of traditional live music, dancing and delicious Moroccan food. A must for your bucket list.
Hotel R&R
While south Morocco is perfect for road trips and adventures, sometimes you just want a quiet day back at the hotel to relax and recharge. And after two long days exploring everything Ouarzazate and Merzouga have to offer, an afternoon by the pool of the Hotel Berbere Palace – a glass of Moroccan white wine in one hand, a book in the other – was just what I needed.
My suite was bigger than my flat and included a lounge area, a large bedroom, the comfiest bed and a modern bathroom with everything you could need. On site was also a restaurant with two menus – one Italian, one Moroccan. I highly recommend the couscous and the delicious Moroccan patisserie. Make sure you arrive hungry.
Atlas Film Studio. Ouarzazate, Morocco (Shutterstock / Lizavetta)Book the holiday
- Ryanair flies from Stansted to Ouarzazate, Morocco, from £120 return ryanair.com
- Rooms at the Hôtel Berbere Palace in Ouarzazate start at around £64 a night. berberepalace.com
- Tents at Xaluca Belle Etoile in the Sahara desert, southern Morocco, cost from around £81 per person, per night. xaluca.com
- More info at visitmorocco.com
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