High Atlas Road Trip + Map: A Guide to Crossing Morocco’s Kasbahs 🚗
This is my favourite kind of road trip: you leave Marrakech with a coffee and a plan, and by lunch you’re climbing into the High Atlas with the road doing that dramatic ribbon thing through the mountains. A couple of hours later, the colours shift, the air dries out, and suddenly you’re in kasbah country, all clay walls, palm groves, and doors that look like they’ve got secrets. The best bit is it links up properly as a loop, so you’re not doing that “drive 6 hours back the same way” sulk at the end. If you want Morocco that feels cinematic but still doable, this is the one. 😄
Map route overview (loop):
Marrakech → Tizi n’Tichka Pass → Telouet → Aït Benhaddou → Ouarzazate → Skoura → Dadès Valley → Todra Gorge → Nkob → Draa Valley (Agdz/Zagora) → Ouarzazate → Marrakech
High Atlas Road Trip Morocco
🚗 Quick Trip Facts
✅ Trip length: 6 days (easy to stretch to 7 if you like slower mornings)
✅ Start/End: Marrakech (loop route, no backtracking drama)
✅ Road vibe: Mountain pass hairpins, desert plains, palm oases, gorge roads
✅ Top kasbah hits: Telouet, Aït Benhaddou, Kasbah Taourirt, Skoura’s kasbahs
✅ Driving style: Confident but chill driver wins. Take it steady on bends and don’t rush the pass.
✅ Best time: Spring + autumn for comfy temps. Winter is gorgeous but the High Atlas can get snow.
✅ Car: A normal car is fine for the main route. Higher clearance helps if you add rougher detours.
✅ Booking bits: Sort your car hire early, then lock in nights on Booking.com Morocco
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Download offline maps before you leave Marrakech and grab an Airalo eSIM. In the mountains, signal can be moody and your playlist deserves better. 📶
🚗 Recommended Car Rental: DiscoverCars
The Itinerary 🗺️✨
Day 1: Marrakech → Tizi n’Tichka Pass → Telouet → Aït Benhaddou
The first day is the “wow, Morocco is massive” day. You climb out of Marrakech and into the High Atlas, with viewpoints that make you pull over “just for a second” five times. Telouet is the detour I beg people not to skip, because it feels like you’ve found a half-forgotten film set. Then you roll through the Ounila Valley towards Aït Benhaddou, and it’s all warm light and mudbrick silhouettes by late afternoon.
📍 Things to do
- Stop at viewpoints on the pass for photos and fresh air (and to un-clench your hands from the steering wheel)
- Explore Kasbah Telouet (crumbling in the best way)
- Arrive for golden hour at Aït Benhaddou and wander the ksar lanes
- If you’re tired, don’t be a hero. Check into a kasbah-style stay via Booking.com
👉 Good to know: Aït Benhaddou is famous for a reason, but it still feels properly atmospheric when you’re there early or late.
🚗 Recommended Tour to get you started: Marrakech Hot Air Balloon Flight
🗺️ Related Article: 13 Must-Visit Attractions in Marrakech, Morocco
Day 2: Aït Benhaddou → Ouarzazate → Skoura → Dadès Valley
This day is basically “kasbah greatest hits” with snacks. Start with a last look at Aït Benhaddou before the day-trippers fully wake up, then swing into Ouarzazate for its big kasbah energy. After that, Skoura is your palm-oasis palate cleanser, with classic fortified buildings tucked into greenery. You end in the Dadès Valley where the landscape starts doing that red-rock canyon thing that makes you forget emails exist. 😅
📍 Things to do
- Quick return stroll at Aït Benhaddou (morning light hits different)
- Visit Kasbah Taourirt in Ouarzazate
- Stop in Skoura and tour Kasbah Amridil
- Overnight in Dadès (lots of lovely guesthouses)
💡 Fact: Skoura is an oasis area known for palm groves and kasbah architecture, so it’s a brilliant contrast to the mountain pass day.
🗺️ Recommended Read: 7 Most Beautiful Cities in Morocco (Beyond Marrakech)
Recommended Tours and Tickets From Get Your Guide
Powered by GetYourGuide
Day 3: Dadès Valley → Dadès Gorge → Todra Gorge (Tinghir area)
Today is your scenic-driving flex. Dadès Gorge is twisty and dramatic, and yes, the famous switchbacks are worth the stop. Then you continue towards Tinghir and Todra Gorge, where sheer cliffs squeeze the road and you suddenly feel very small (in a good way). It’s also a great day to do a proper walk, stretch your legs, and reset after a couple of heavy driving days.
📍 Things to do
- Drive up into Dadès Gorge and stop at viewpoints for the classic road shots
- Short hikes in Todra Gorge (even a 30-minute wander is satisfying)
- Find a cosy place to sleep near Tinghir (again, Booking.com does the heavy lifting)
🔹 Pro tip: Pack a small picnic today. Gorge cafés exist, but a roadside tea with a view is peak Morocco energy. ☕️
🗺️ Tips for visiting: 12 Essential Morocco Travel Tips – Don’t Learn These The Hard Way!
Day 4: Tinghir → Alnif → Nkob (Jbel Saghro vibes)
This is the day the crowds thin out and the road starts feeling like yours. You’re heading into the Jbel Saghro area with rugged mountains and little towns that feel properly local. Nkob is a brilliant overnight because it’s calm, it’s scenic, and it breaks up the drive perfectly. Also, the stars can be ridiculous out here if the sky is clear. ✨
📍 Things to do
- Drive the changing landscapes slowly (this is not a “race the sun” day)
- Stop for mint tea in small towns and stretch your legs
- Overnight in Nkob, ideally somewhere with a terrace and a tagine situation (hello, Booking.com Nkob)
👉 Good to know: This stretch is where Morocco starts feeling extra vast. Have water and snacks in the car and you’ll feel like a genius.
Day 5: Nkob → Draa Valley (Agdz/Zagora) → Ouarzazate
The Draa Valley is palms for days. You’re following an old-feeling route lined with greenery, villages, and that slow desert rhythm. Zagora makes a fun stop for the “we’ve made it to the edge-of-the-desert vibe”, then you swing back towards Ouarzazate for a comfy base. If you’re keen, this is also a great day to book a guided add-on like a desert-style experience without committing to a full Sahara mission.
📍 Things to do
- Cruise the Draa Valley and stop for photos in palm groves
- Grab a simple lunch in Agdz or Zagora (fresh bread + olive oil + everything)
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Keep some cash on you today. Smaller places are not always card-friendly, and ATMs can be a bit “try again later” about life.
🗺️ 6 Ancient Sites in Morocco That You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Day 6: Ouarzazate → High Atlas → Marrakech
Last day is the return over the pass, and honestly, it feels different the second time because you know what’s coming. You’ll probably stop more (confidence does that), and you’ll notice tiny villages you somehow missed before. Roll into Marrakech by late afternoon, hand the keys back, and immediately crave a shower and a rooftop dinner like you’ve earned it. You have. 😄
📍 Things to do
- Leave Ouarzazate with daylight on your side
- Scenic stops on the pass for photos and fresh air
- Celebrate the finish with a proper Marrakech meal
🔹 Pro tip: If winter temps are low, start a little later so you’re not driving the iciest bits at dawn.
Access to the map
No sign up required and totally FREE. Literally just using Google Maps to plot your route! Saves you messing! We don't gatekeep here! Enjoy.
Map will be located under "YOU" and then under "MAPS".
ℹ️ Add the map to your Google Maps app.
After opening Google maps, click YOU and then scroll down to MAPS. It should be located there. Any issues, just get it touch, it’s no problem!
Pit Stops & Side Detours 🚗✨
- Extra Telouet time: If you love faded grandeur, linger longer. It’s a gem detour off the main flow.
- Atlas viewpoints: Pull over where it’s safe and just take it in. The scale is bonkers.
- Skoura slow stop: Add a second kasbah or just wander the palm groves if you want a quieter hour.
- Extra gorge time: If you’re a walker, build in more time around Todra.
🍽️ Local Eats Worth Chasing
- Chicken tagine with preserved lemon + olives (order it at least once, it’s basically the law)
- Berber omelette (best when it arrives sizzling and slightly chaotic)
- Fresh khobz bread with amlou (almond-honey spread that disappears fast)
- Harira soup (especially good on colder evenings)
- Mint tea at viewpoints (because it just tastes better with altitude)
🎶 Road Trip Playlist
- Tinariwen
- Bombino
- Oum
- Nass El Ghiwane
- Hindi Zahra
- Ibrahim Maalouf (for driving-at-sunset mood)
- A couple of “desert blues” mixes for the long straight stretches
👉 Good to know: Download offline. Mountain signal can be patchy and your playlist deserves better. 📲
🎙️ Podcasts to Queue Up
- The Travel Diaries
- Stuff You Should Know
- You’re Dead to Me
- 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Road Trip Essentials (All Year Round) 🎒🚗
- Layers you can actually drive in: Even if Marrakech is warm, the High Atlas can flip the temperature on you fast.
- Comfy shoes + a “gorge walk” outfit: Todra/Dadès stops turn into “just a quick wander” situations… and suddenly you’ve walked 8,000 steps.
- Offline maps downloaded + car charger + power bank: Signal can be patchy in mountain stretches and you do not want to navigate by vibes.
- Water + snack stash: Mountain roads and long valleys = surprise hunger. Bring nuts, fruit, biscuits, the lot.
- Sunglasses + SPF: Desert sun doesn’t care that it’s “not summer”.
- Microfibre cloth + tissues: Windscreen dust happens. Also, life happens.
- Small first-aid kit + basic meds: Plasters, painkillers, rehydration salts. Boring but elite when needed.
- Cash in small notes: Rural stops aren’t always card-friendly, and you’ll want easy change for snacks/tea.
- Head torch: Late check-ins, dark riads, “where is the keyhole?” moments.
- A light rain jacket: Spring showers and surprise mountain weather are very much a thing.
🔹Tinker’s Tip: Pack a little “front seat kit” (charger, wipes, sunglasses, snacks). Saves you rummaging in the boot like a raccoon at every stop 🦝😅
Rent a Car
Access to the map
No sign up required and totally FREE. Literally just using Google Maps to plot your route! Saves you messing! We don't gatekeep here! Enjoy.
What to know How to Plan or Save for a Trip? Here are our best:
FAQs
Is this route doable without a 4x4?
Yep, the main loop is on standard roads. A 4×4 only becomes handy if you start chasing rougher valley tracks and remote shortcuts.
How long should I spend at Aït Benhaddou?
Half a day is perfect for most people. Overnighting is even better so you can explore when it’s quieter.
Is winter a bad idea?
Not bad, just different. You can get snow on the High Atlas pass, so build in flexibility and avoid rushing early morning drives in freezing temps.
What’s the one stop I shouldn’t skip?
Telouet. It’s got that “how is this real?” feel, and it breaks up the pass drive brilliantly.
Travel Planning Resources
Ready to book your next trip? These trusted resources have been personally vetted to ensure a smooth travel experience.
Book Your Flights: Kick off your travel planning by finding the best flight deals on Trip.com. Our years of experience with them confirm they offer the most competitive prices.
Book Your Hotel: For the best hotel rates, use Booking.com . For the best and safest hostels, HostelWorld.com is your go-to resource. Best for overall Hotel ratings and bargains, use TripAdvisor.com!
Find Apartment Rentals: For affordable apartment rentals, check out VRBO. They consistently offer the best prices.
Car Rentals: For affordable car rentals, check out RentalCars.com. They offer the best cars, mostly brand new.
Travel Insurance: Never travel without insurance. Here are our top recommendations:
- EKTA for Travel Insurance for all areas!
- Use AirHelp for compensation claims against flight delays etc.
Book Your Activities: Discover walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more on Get Your Guide. They have a vast selection of activities to enhance your trip. There is also Tiqets.com for instant mobile tickets.
Book The Best Trains: Use Trainline to find the most affordable trains or Rail Europe for rail passes!
Travel E-SIMS: Airalo Worldwide! Use your mobile phone anywhere!
Need More Help Planning Your Trip? Visit our Resources Page to see all the companies we trust and use for our travels.
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🔹 Tinker’s Tip: If you can, drive Grossglockner on a weekday and enter early. Same views, fewer “who parked this bus here?” moments. 😄
🚗 Recommended Car Rental: DiscoverCars
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Nick Harvey
Hi, I am Nick! Thank you for reading! The Travel Tinker is a resource designed to help you navigate the beauty of travel! Tinkering your plans as you browse!
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