Why You Shouldn’t Day Trip From Marrakech To Ait-Ben-Haddou

Ait-Ben-Haddou is one of those places that just blows you away and it easily ranks as one of the best places I have seen in the world. I’m certainly not writing this to tell you to avoid this amazing and exotic destination. Day Trip To Ait Ben Haddou & Ouarzazate

I instead want to encourage you to consider other options for visiting that will allow you to fully appreciate and enjoy this world class destination. It is absolutely one of the best places to visit in Morocco and deserves a spot on everyone’s itinerary! 

Day Trip From Marrakech to Ait-Ben-Haddou

A day trip from Marrakech to Ait-Ben-Haddou involves crossing the Atlas Mountains twice, which makes for a rather long and uncomfortable journey of at least 4 hours each way.

A day trip from Marrakech to Ait-Ben-Haddou is tempting due to the convenience and beautiful pictures in the brochures. You need to ask yourself however, would you prefer convenience at the risk of disappointment, or a guaranteed once in a lifetime experience? 

There are several amazing guest-houses on site with great views of Ait-Ben-Haddou and which also offer an excellent retreat from the relentless bustle of Marrakech. You can bask in the peace of the desert before waking up to surreal views like below! You will find our top picks for accommodation at the bottom of the article. 

Check out the following options for some ideas of how you can see Ait-Ben-Haddou without booking a day trip from Marrakech. Day Trip from marakech

4 Alternative Ways to Visit Ait-Ben-Haddou From Marrakech

Option One: Self Drive – Day Trip To Ait Ben Haddou & Ouarzazate

This is the option we chose as it allowed us to easily include several other desert stops on our 10-day Morocco itinerary. I’m not going to lie, I had some apprehensions about driving in Marrakech, however we chose a rental place near a main road exiting the city and the drive was far easier than expected. We always use this search tool to book our car rental in Marrakech as it is an easy and hassle-free experience. 

Having a car also made crossing the mountains an amazing experience as we were able to stop for photos wherever we wanted. No day trip from Marrakech will offer that kind of flexibility! Day Trip To Ait Ben Haddou & Ouarzazate

If you’re not keen on crossing the mountains twice (like us) then you can drive one way and drop the car off in Ouarzazate. Day Trip To Ait Ben Haddou & Ouarzazate

Day Trip From Marrakech To Ait-Ben-Haddou