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I Finally Walked Ait Benhaddou Kasbah and Packed All Wrong
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items Planning a day trip from Ouarzazate to Ait Benhaddou sounds simple until you show up in the wrong shoes, no sun protection, and zero idea where to eat after. I sweated through my first visit with blisters and a dead phone battery. This is everything ...
Sections
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What to Wear Walking Ait Benhaddou Kasbah
Gear That Saved Me on the Kasbah Walk
Where to Eat Near Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate
Booking the Walk and Getting to Ait Benhaddou
What to Wear Walking Ait Benhaddou Kasbah
The kasbah looks flat in photos. It is not flat. I wore canvas sneakers and my feet were screaming by the second terrace. The red clay gets slippery too, especially near the river crossing.
Swap out your regular sneakers before this walk. The clay paths near the river crossing got slippery after morning dew, and I watched two people in Converse basically ice skate down a hill. These gripped everything. If you overpronate or have wide fe...
Shop Moab 3 Hiking Boots & Shoes Online
Wrap this around your neck or head when the Ouarzazate sun hits around 11am. I got sunburned on the back of my neck in twenty minutes because I thought my hat was enough. Weighs nothing, dries fast, and you can soak it in the river before the climb.
CoolNet® Neckwear
Zip the legs off once it heats up. I wore jeans my first visit and genuinely considered abandoning them on the trail. These breathe, dry in minutes if you wade through the shallow river, and have deep pockets for your phone. For anyone who runs hot, ...
Men's Silver Ridge Convertible Pants
Grab this instead of a baseball cap. The back flap saved my neck from a brutal burn that would have ruined the next three days of my trip. Packable enough to stuff in a daypack, and the brim keeps your sunglasses from sliding down your sweaty nose.
Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure UPF 50+ Hat
Toss your cotton socks before this trip. I got blisters within an hour wearing regular athletic socks on the uneven kasbah paths. These stayed dry through the river crossing and I wore them two days straight without any smell. Worth every penny for a...
Men's Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks
Gear That Saved Me on the Kasbah Walk
My phone died at the best viewpoint. My water was warm soup by noon. I forgot sunscreen and bought some sketchy tube in the parking lot. Here is what actually worked after I learned from round one.
Keep this in your pocket so your phone survives the full walk. I hit 8% battery right when I reached the top viewpoint with the Atlas Mountains behind me. Charges fast enough that ten minutes plugged in got me through another hour of photos. For anyo...
Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo)
Fill this with ice before you leave Ouarzazate. My plastic water bottle turned into bath water by 10am. This kept my water cold past noon in 40C heat. The wide mouth fits ice cubes from your riad, which sounds small but felt like a life hack out ther...
32 oz Wide Mouth Bottle
Slather this on before you leave, not at the parking lot. I made that mistake and missed my ears completely. The reflection off the pale clay walls basically doubles your UV exposure. Reapply at the top when you stop for photos. Your future self with...
Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Moisturizing Lotion
Bring a real daypack, not a tote bag. I watched someone's canvas bag rip on a stone wall and their camera almost went tumbling down a terrace. This sits close to your back so you stay balanced on uneven stairs, and the hip belt keeps it from swinging...
Daylite
Get polarized specifically. The light bouncing off the clay walls and river is intense, and regular tinted lenses barely help. I squinted through half my photos before switching to these. If you wear prescription glasses, clip-on polarized lenses wor...
Original Wayfarer Classic Polarized Sunglasses in Black
Where to Eat Near Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate
Every restaurant at the kasbah parking lot looks the same and charges tourist prices for mediocre tagine. I ate at three forgettable spots before locals pointed me toward places that were actually worth sitting down at.
Walk past the first row of tourist restaurants and find this one closer to the river. I almost defaulted to the first place with a menu board, but the lamb tagine here was slow-cooked and falling apart. Ask for the roof terrace table if it is open. T...
Guide to Ouarzazate and Kasbah Ait ben Haddou
Stop here on your drive back to Ouarzazate. It has been open since the 1920s and the walls are covered in movie memorabilia from every film shot nearby. Try the kefta tagine. Not the cheapest spot in town, but the history alone makes it worth lingeri...
Restaurant Chez Dimitri Ouarzazate - Bières
Snag a table here if you want traditional Moroccan without the tourist markup. I found it by wandering off the main road and following two locals. The couscous on Friday is the move. For anyone tired of tagine by day three, they do great brochettes t...
Restaurant Douyria
Grab breakfast pastries here before your kasbah visit. I tried to eat at the kasbah parking lot and regretted it immediately. Their msemen with honey and almond croissants gave me enough fuel for the full walk. Go early, the good stuff sells out by 9...
Bakery Pastry Café Restaurant Habous
Try this for dinner the night before your Ait Benhaddou day. The harira soup warmed me up after a surprisingly cold desert evening. Portions are huge so split a starter. For anyone traveling solo, the staff is friendly and the terrace seating never f...
La Kasbah des sables
Booking the Walk and Getting to Ait Benhaddou
I wasted an hour figuring out the river crossing, almost hired an overpriced guide at the gate, and had no idea shared taxis existed. A little planning beforehand saves real money and frustration.
Book this if you do not want to negotiate with taxi drivers at 7am. I tried arranging my own transport and spent forty minutes haggling before giving up. The guided version includes the river crossing explanation, a local guide who actually grew up t...
Day Trips from Ouarzazate
Use this if you want to go independent and save money. Walk to the grand taxi stand near the bus station and wait for one heading to Ait Benhaddou. It costs a fraction of a private driver. Downside: you wait until the taxi fills up, which can take th...
Place des Grand Taxis
Keep small bills ready. There is no official ticket counter, but there is a donation box for preservation and some families still living inside accept small tips for showing you rooms. I fumbled for change at the worst moment. Having 20 and 50 dirham...
Donation boxes at museums | Open Forum
Stay overnight here instead of doing a rushed day trip. I did the day trip first and regretted not seeing the kasbah at sunrise when it glows orange with zero crowds. This riad is walking distance, the rooftop breakfast faces the kasbah directly, and...
Riad Maktoub
Bring cheap sandals for the river crossing and switch back to hiking shoes on the other side. I watched someone remove expensive boots, cross barefoot, and step on something sharp. Any basic sport sandal with a strap works. Teva or even five dollar m...
Vehicles