The Ounila is the valley Aït Benhaddou sits at the bottom of, and it is the reason the ksar exists. Before the French built the Tizi n’Tichka road in the 1930s, every caravan between Marrakech and the Sahara came down this narrow red corridor, paying tolls to the Glaoui at Telouet on the way through.
The road that follows it — the P1506 from Aït Benhaddou to Telouet — is now surfaced the whole way and is, for our money, the finest two hours of driving in Morocco. It passes cave dwellings cut into the cliff, almond terraces, the kasbah of Tamdaght with its storks nesting on the towers, and a string of villages where nobody is trying to sell you anything.
Top things to do at Ounila Valley
Drive or ride the P1506
About 40 km between Aït Benhaddou and Telouet. Allow two hours minimum — you will stop constantly. A private driver or a private tour is the practical way to do it; almost no group tour includes it.
Stop at Tamdaght
Six kilometres north of Aït Benhaddou, this crumbling Glaoui kasbah has storks nesting on its towers and appeared in Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. It is usually completely empty.
Walk a stretch of the old caravan path
Between Tizgui and Anmiter the old mule track still runs beside the river through walnut and almond gardens. An hour on foot here tells you more about pre-road Morocco than any museum.
How to get to Ounila Valley
- By car: the P1506 leaves the N9 just north of Aït Benhaddou and rejoins it at Telouet. Ordinary cars manage it easily now.
- By tour: only private tours and a few 2-day itineraries include the valley — group day trips take the fast N9.
- By taxi: a grand taxi from Aït Benhaddou to Telouet and back can usually be negotiated for a half-day rate.
Insider tips
- Fill the tank in Ouarzazate or Aït Benhaddou — there are no fuel stations along the valley.
- Go north to south (Telouet → Aït Benhaddou) in the afternoon and you drive with the light behind you.
- The valley floods briefly after heavy rain in spring. Ask locally before setting off in March or April.
Best tours & tickets for Ounila Valley
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Ounila Valley and the surrounding valleys:
Private tour from €195 Marrakech: 2-Day Private Trip to Aït Ben Haddou & Ouarzazate
The version to book if you want the ksar at golden hour with nobody hurrying you back to the van. Private transport means you set the pace, add Telouet or the Ounila back road, and stay the night where the day trips have already left.
- Your own vehicle, driver and guide
- Stop wherever the light is good
- Overnight in Aït Ben Haddou or Ouarzazate
Day trip from €20 From Marrakech: Aït Ben Haddou & Ouarzazate Full-Day Trip
A well-priced small-group run over the mountains with a driver-guide who builds in the viewpoints most coaches skip — argan cooperatives, Berber villages and the long red descent into the Ounila valley.
- Scenic stops on the Tizi n’Tichka road
- Guided visit to the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou
- Ouarzazate, the "door of the desert"
