What can you do in Ouarzazate in one day?

Ouarzazate calls itself the 'door of the desert' and the 'Hollywood of Africa', and one well-planned day captures both identities. Most travellers pass through here on the road between Marrakech and the Sahara, so I build a day that makes the stop worthwhile rather than just a fuel break. Start at the Atlas Film Studios on the edge of town — one of the largest film studios in the world, where Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones and countless others were shot. Wandering the standing Roman, Egyptian and Tibetan sets in the morning light is genuinely fun, and you understand why this stark, sunny landscape has doubled for half the ancient world on screen.

Back in town, the Taourirt Kasbah is the must-see: a sprawling 19th-century fortress of the Glaoui family, all rammed-earth towers and intricate geometric mud-brick detail. It's the best-preserved kasbah you can actually explore room by room, and a local guide brings its history of caravans and warlords to life. The town itself is modern and unremarkable, so I don't linger in it.

The real reason to be here, though, sits 30 minutes up the road, and I always save it for the afternoon: Aït Benhaddou. This UNESCO-listed ksar — a tiered city of earthen kasbahs rising from the riverbank — is one of the most photographed places in Morocco for good reason. Cross the river, climb up through the lanes to the granary at the top, and time it so you're there as the low sun turns the whole hillside molten gold. It is unforgettable.

One day genuinely suffices for Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou together, which is why I almost always fold it into a desert tour rather than treating it as a standalone destination. If you're driving from Marrakech, the journey over the Tizi n'Tichka pass is half the experience — leave early, and you'll arrive with the whole afternoon free for the kasbahs.