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Ait Benhaddou

Travel Guide Africa Morocco Ait Benhaddou

Introduction

Ait Benhaddou

Aït Benhaddou (Berber: Ath Benhadu, Arabic: آيت بن حدّو‎) is an amazing place in the mountains near Ouarzazate. Home to a very old and amazingly preserved Kasbah, this quiet town sees some day trippers, but not much overnight traffic. Staying overnight will let you watch the sun set and rise against this amazing backdrop of history and architecture.

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Sights and Activities

The Kasbah, or old Moroccan style fortress, is open to the public and has a small entrance fee. It is reached by crossing the seasonal river, which may or may not be flowing. If it is flowing, local men with donkeys and camels will offer to take you across the river for a fee. Negotiate and don't be afraid to take your shoes off and get wet. Simply taking your shoes off should lower the price if you don't really want to walk.

The fortress is more of a town sitting on the side of a hill, and you can climb your way through and up to the top for the terrific views of the surrounding mountains. A few artists have small shops in the town, and a few people still live there. The film Gladiator was filmed here, and can be credited for much of the restoration of the Kasbah, although the arena constructed for the film has been torn down.

A few hours walk up river and down river are two other towns. Up river is another town with an equally impressive Kasbah with a surrounding garden area, although it is smaller. Downriver, the town sees hardly any tourists. The locals are extremely friendly and welcoming, although the Kasbah here is in a sad state of disrepair.

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Getting There

By Plane

Ouarzazate has the nearest airport. You will need a bus or car from this point.
Currently, Atlas Blue flies directly to Paris, Regional Air Lines flies to Agadir, Casablanca, Laayoune and Marrakech and Royal Air Maroc flies to Casablanca, Barcelona and Paris. Spanair serves Barcelona as well, and Hamburg International has seasonal flights to Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.

By Train

Marrakech has the nearest train station, you will need a bus or car from this point.

By Car

Ait Ben Haddou is about 10 kilometres from the turnoff to the main Marrekech-Ouarzazate highway. The town is the only thing on this road, and if you miss it (only if you are blind) you will cross a small bridge and end up in another town where the paved road ends.

By Bus

In Marrakech take a bus to Ouarzazate, or from Ouarzazate take a bus to Marrakech, and tell the driver you want to be let off at the intersection to Ait Ben Haddou. This is a busy intersection with shops and a few hotels. Here there will be taxi drivers waiting. You can take your own car or try to wait for other people to share a car. Negotiating your price is important. The drive only takes 10 minutes, and if you are in really good shape, have little baggage, and the weather is good you could walk if you had to. For the return trip, buses come somewhat frequently, so get a car back to the main highway and flag one down. Often the local people will be doing the same thing, and your hotel in Ait Ben Haddou might be able to give you a schedule of Marrakech - Ouarzazate bus services.

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Getting Around

There is no public transportation, but the town is very small. You can hike to a few nearby towns as well, although it is best to make a day trip out of it.

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Eat

A few of the main hotels in the middle of town have restaurants. They are very good, but a bit overpriced compared to the rest of Morocco. Some have great views of the Kasbah.

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Sleep

Several hotels are right in the middle of town, and some have great views of the Kasbah out their back windows across the river. Some are cheaper than others, and prices change depending on the season and tour schedules. It is always good to shop around and negotiate.

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