22 Best Sights in The Great Oasis Valleys, Morocco

Midway between Erfoud and Rissani, this private museum is hard to miss—just look for the giant replica dinosaurs standing outside. Take a peek inside at the interesting, well-presented collection curated by Moroccan paleontologist Brahim Tahari; it includes fossils, bones, minerals, flints, crystals, and assorted oddities.

There’s a shop attached if you want to purchase your own bit of prehistory.

In most cases your hotel is your best bet for an organized tour of Erg Chebbi. Every auberge near the dunes is there because it's a prime jumping-off point for a sunrise or sunset journey, either on foot or by camel. Most auberges have their own permanent bivouac in the dunes, often not far from others but generally fairly well concealed—which lets you pretend no one else is around even if they are. Most bivouac areas are organized into series of small tents for couples and larger groups, so you don't have to share with everyone. If you want to be utterly private, make sure your auberge doesn't share a tented site with any other, or ask to camp in the dunes on your own.

The splendid Erg Chigaga dunes are the principal reason why visitors make the trek south to M'hamid. Wild, remote, and largely unspoiled, they’re only accessible by heading west out of the village on 50 km (31 miles) of dusty and stony pistes. The journey takes three hours in a 4x4 vehicle or three days on a camel, though hurried jet-setters bound for Erg Chigaga’s luxury bivouac camps sometimes come by helicopter direct from Marrakesh. Morocco’s highest dunes, rising almost 1,000 feet, are approached by crossing smaller dunes, hammada (rocky Martian-like terrain), and flat expanses, which are sometimes flooded in winter. A few nomadic families still live in the region, herding their camels and goats through the pasture, which can be surprisingly lush.

About 20 km (12 miles) outside of town, heading south via Tarmigte, the picturesque Fint Oasis is a popular destination for day-trippers. The track leading to it is rough but can be handled in a standard vehicle if you drive with extreme care. Head off-road toward the dark, rocky escarpment and the track eventually meets the river, where palm trees spring into view. You can walk through Amazigh villages along the riverbed and stop for a simple lunch at one of the few local inns.

Many agencies in Ouarzazate can arrange half- or full-day guided visits to the oasis.

To better understand and appreciate how water is obtained in the desert, it's worth stopping to see the traditional underground water channel system. The channels, known as "khattarat," are an important part of this region's history. This is also a great stop to see baby camels. You'll be offered tea and a tour by someone from a local family upon arrival. There's no set price, but you should tip about 50 DH for their time and effort. 

Just north of the Zaouia of Sidi Mohammed Ben Naceur is a 17th-century medersa that still lodges 400 students preparing for university studies. The accompanying Koranic library once held the largest such collection in Morocco, with 40,000 volumes on everything from mathematics, philosophy, medicine, and astronomy to linguistics and Berber poetry. The remaining tomes are plenty impressive: a genealogy of the prophet Mohammed, manuscripts adorned with gold leaf, a medical book with afflictions written in red and remedies in black, and hand-illuminated manuscripts penned in mint (green), saffron (yellow), and henna (red) on gazelle hide. Ask for a look at the 13th-century algebra primer with Western Arabic numerals, which, though subsequently abandoned in the Arab world, provided the basis for Western numbers. There is no official admission charge, but a small donation is expected (20 DH).

Skoura's weekly souk is one of the largest in Morocco and takes place every Monday. It's the perfect spot to get a glimpse at local life as people from the surrounding villages come here to pick up their fruits, vegetables, and meat. It's also a good place to pick up snacks, souvenirs, and various household items. This souk doesn't see as many tourists as the ones in cities like Marrakesh and Fez, so it's best to dress conservatively out of respect for the more conservative rural culture.

Lining virtually the entire Drâa Valley from Agdz to Zagora are some two dozen ksour and kasbahs on both sides of the river. Perhaps the most amazing ksour in this region are at Tamnougalt, 6 km (4 miles) south of Agdz—the second group of red-pisé fortifications on the left. The resident Amazigh tribe, the Mezguita, governed its own independent republic from here until the late 18th century; the crenellated battlements and bastions were a necessary defense against desert nomads. For a deeper understanding of the tribe’s traditional way of life, peruse the displays of farming and household implements in Tamnougalt’s Kasbah des Caids du Mezguita museum. Occupying a restored 16th-century edifice, it is run by Hassan Aït el Caid (a descendant of the original caids who controlled the trade caravans passing through the region). Hassan can also take you on a walking tour through the village and the oasis, and explain the local Amazigh tribes and their origins en route. Donkey treks and picnics can be arranged as well.

Three kilometers (2 miles) south of Zagora, Amezrou is famous for its Jewish silversmiths, who made decorative jewelry in this small village until the creation of the Israeli State in 1948, when all but 30,000 of Morocco's 300,000 Jews left for Israel. Craftsmen continue the tradition in the Mellah here. It's a worthwhile stop if you don't mind the clamor of children eager to be hired as your guide. You may also be able to find some interesting Jewish antiques if you ask.

If you're looking for things to do in Ouarzazate, visit Atlas Studios—Morocco's most famous studios—next to the Hotel Oscar. Guided tours start every 45 minutes, and the price is discounted if you're a guest of the hotel. It isn't Universal Studios, but you do get a sense of just how many productions have rolled through town—including Hollywood blockbusters like The Mummy and Gladiator, and classics like Cleopatra and Lawrence of Arabia.

Ask for Mohammed Brad Pitt as your tour guide.

For another angle on the Ouarzazate film industry, check out the rather grand-looking kasbah off to the right just out of town on the way to Skoura. One enterprising local producer, frustrated by the increasingly expensive charges being levied on film crews wanting to film around real kasbahs, decided to build his own and undercut the competition.

Morocco is a magnet for fossil fans, and much of the activity centers on the town of Alnif, on Route 3454/N12 between Rissani and Tazzarine. About 13 km (8 miles) west of Alnif is Auberge Kasbah Meteorites where you can enjoy a simple lunch, a dip in the immaculate pool, and a two- to three-hour excursion with a guide who'll show you the best places to hunt for fossils and ancient stone carvings. Bedrooms are clean and bright should you decide to stay over so you can explore the region in greater detail.

Don't miss Tamegroute's ceramics cooperatives at the south end of the library, medersa, and slave quarters. The characteristic rough, green-glazed pottery sold here is all handmade. Other brightly colored and patterned objects are invariably from other regions and may have been mass-produced.

Check the underside of items to see the markings that identify their true origin.

Near the dunes, this seasonal salt lake is a surprising sight—sometimes you see pink flamingos in early spring.

The wonderfully panoramic oasis Route 6956/R108 (which becomes 3454/N12 after Tazzarine) is one of the safest, fastest, least crowded roads in Morocco, and it offers unparalleled views up into the Djebel Sarhro Massif and all the way over to the Tafilalt date palmery. Count on four hours for the 233-km (140-mile) trip from Route P31/N9 (the Ouarzazate–Zagora road) to Rissani, in the date palmery.

The town's promontory, capped by an 11th-century Almoravid fortress, is an excellent sunset vantage point—it overlooks the Drâa palmery with the distant Djebel Sarhro Massif to the north and the Tinfou Dunes to the south. Djebel Zagora is reached via the first left turn south of the Kasbah Asmaa hotel; there's also a twisting footpath up the 3,195-foot mountain from the hotel itself. Most hotels in town will arrange for you to do the trip by camel, and it makes a nice sunset trek.

The largest kasbah in Skoura, this 17th century fortress appeared in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia and used to be featured on the Moroccan 50 dirham note. Kasbah Amridil still functions as a family home, but a portion of it is open to the public as a museum showcasing traditional architecture and tools such as a bread oven and an olive press. 

Once a Glaoui palace, the Kasbah Taourirt is the oldest and finest building in Ouarzazate. This rambling edifice was built of pisé (a sun-dried mixture of mud and clay) in the late 19th century by the so-called Lords of the Atlas.

It is worth hiring a guide at the entrance to take you around for about 100 DH. Be sure to negotiate the rate beforehand.

Deep within the evocative alleys of the Ksar Tissergate—a 17th-century fortified village—this fascinating museum displays local costumes, agricultural implements, domestic utensils, jewelry, and other artifacts. Unlike most museums in southern Morocco, exhibits here have explanations in English. You access it through the Kasbah Ziwana and they can supply you with a guide for a small tip.

The ruins of the ksar Ksebt el-Allouj, dating from the Saadian dynasty, lie across the Drâa riverbed on the other side from the village from M'hamid, about 2 km (1 mile) from the town center. The ksar is uninhabited and is interesting to explore.

This outcropping is one of the most prominent natural features in Agdz. The name itself means "glasses" in Arabic, referring to the shape of Moroccan tea glasses. There are paths that can be walked to the summit. The real show comes at sunset when the face of the mountain changes with shades of yellow, orange, purple, and pink.

This small but ambitious community-oriented spot is well worth a stop if you're driving east from Tinerhir toward Merzouga. Housed in the 19th-century ksar of El Khorbat, it contains old maps, photos, antiques, and exhibits that document the traditional lifestyle of the southern oasis, with proceeds going to development and educational projects in the village. You can also buy locally made items at the craft workshop, and then enjoy a meal or spend a night in the atmospheric El Khorbat guesthouse—both are part of the same tourism initiative.

Look for the turnoff to the Cascades du Drâa (known in English as the Tizui Waterfall) on the left, 30 km (19 miles) south of Ouarzazate and 10 km (6 miles) before Agdz. Over thousands of years, the water has carved out natural pools that are ideal for a refreshing dip. The waterfalls are not huge—not on the scale of Ouzoud—but if you want to see palm trees, figs, and oleander flowers springing from the rocks, and dip your toes (or all of you) in cold water, they are still worth a detour.