Ouarzazate · Ouallywood
Atlas Film Studios Tour in Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate is 'Ouallywood', Africa's film capital. Walk the standing backlot sets — an Egyptian temple, a Tibetan monastery, a Roman amphitheatre — with a local guide who knows which production left which trace. A private half day, paced around you, that pairs perfectly with the real Aït Ben Haddou locations.
The short answer
An Atlas Film Studios tour in Ouarzazate is a private, guided half day inside the standing sets of one of the largest film studios in the world, on the edge of a town nicknamed 'Ouallywood' for the productions it has hosted since the 1960s. You walk a backlot of full-scale sets left from decades of films — an Egyptian temple, a Tibetan monastery, Roman walls and amphitheatre, a grounded aircraft fuselage — while a local guide explains how each one was built and which production used it. Where access allows, you can add the nearby CLA Studios. It pairs naturally with Aït Ben Haddou, 30 km away, where so many of the same films were shot on location. Every itinerary on this page is privately operated by a local driver-guide and fully customisable, with studio admission included, from $220 per person.
Length
Easy half day
Admission
Included + guide
The place
Ouarzazate 'Ouallywood'
Style
100% private
What's included
What you get on a private studio tour.
No coaches, no fixed group, no commission stops you didn't ask for. Just the short drive to the lot, the standing sets, and a guide who knows the films behind them.
The real tours
4 private itineraries from Ouarzazate.
These are genuine, bookable itineraries — each with a day-by-day plan, a route map, live dates and a real price. The Ouallywood studio half day is the headline; the others are the real filming locations it pairs with. Click any tour for the full details.
12hOnly hereCinema · Ouarzazate → Ouarzazate
Atlas Film Studios & CLA — Ouallywood Half Day
Ouarzazate is nicknamed 'Ouallywood' for good reason. A private half day inside the standing sets of Atlas Studios — Egyptian temples, Tibetan monasteries, Roman streets — with a guide who knows which scene was filmed where.
1 dayBestsellerKasbahs & Ksour · Ouarzazate → Ouarzazate
Aït Ben Haddou — UNESCO Ksar at Dawn
A private full day at Aït Ben Haddou — the earthen ksar of stacked towers that has stood on the old caravan road for centuries. We arrive early, climb to the agadir at the top, and read the mud-brick architecture with a local guide before the crowds.
1 dayGuest favouriteKasbahs & Ksour · Ouarzazate → Ouarzazate
Taourirt Kasbah & Fint Oasis 4x4
Morning in the Taourirt Kasbah — once the seat of the Glaoui in Ouarzazate — then a 4x4 run out to the palm-shaded oasis of Fint, hidden in a volcanic-rock valley where few coaches reach.
1 dayKasbahs & Ksour · Ouarzazate → Ouarzazate
Ounila Valley & Telouet — The Old Kasbah Road
The scenic back road that the caravans used before the Tizi n'Tichka was paved: up the Ounila Valley from Aït Ben Haddou through earthen villages to the Glaoui palace-kasbah of Telouet, and back — a loop few day-trippers take.
On the backlot
What do you actually see?
The short drive to the studios
Pickup at your Ouarzazate hotel and a quick run to the edge of town, where the studios sit against the desert that drew the first crews here. No long transfer — you are on the lot within minutes.
The standing sets
A guided circuit of full-scale sets left from decades of productions: an Egyptian temple complex with painted hieroglyphs, a Tibetan monastery built for Scorsese's Kundun, Roman walls and an amphitheatre, a grounded aircraft fuselage, and rows of props weathering in the open.
The films, scene by scene
Your guide reads the lot like a filmography — how plaster and polystyrene become stone on camera, and which films and series used each backlot, from the era of Lawrence of Arabia through Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, The Mummy, Babel, Prince of Persia and Game of Thrones.
Photo time & the CLA option
Open backlot photo time at the best light, and — where access allows — a look at the CLA Studios sets nearby. Then back into Ouarzazate by lunchtime, free to add Taourirt Kasbah or push on to the Aït Ben Haddou locations.
Who it suits
Is this tour right for you?
A great fit if you…
- Love cinema, behind-the-scenes detail or set design
- Want the 'only here' Ouallywood story, told well
- Prefer a private guide and a flexible pace to a packed coach
- Are a keen photographer drawn to the open backlot
- Want an easy half day you can build an afternoon around
Make it a fuller day if you…
- Want to pair the studios with the Aït Ben Haddou locations
- Hope to add the nearby CLA Studios backlot
- Would like to fold in Taourirt Kasbah or the Fint Oasis
- Want to follow the Ounila road to the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet
- Are travelling with film-loving children or prefer a gentle rhythm
Want the full story first? Read our guide to the Atlas Film Studios, pair it with the Aït Ben Haddou day trip from Ouarzazate, or explore the Ouarzazate region destinations to build a longer film-locations route.
Practical notes
Before you set off.
- Best light: Arrive at opening for the emptiest sets and the softest light. By mid-morning the tour groups arrive and the unshaded backlot radiates heat; a good guide times the walk correctly.
- Admission: Your Atlas Film Studios admission and a guide are included in the tour. Opening hours and the standalone ticket price are set by the studios and can change seasonally — we confirm the current timing when we plan your day.
- Two studios: Atlas Film Studios is the large landmark lot on the edge of town; CLA Studios sits nearby and can be added where access allows. Across town, the Musée du Cinéma is a quieter, hands-on complement if film heritage interests you.
- Group size: Itineraries run 1–6 travellers privately. Larger groups and families are easy to arrange — just ask.
FAQ
Ouarzazate film studios — your questions.
What films were made in Ouarzazate?+
An extraordinary number across more than fifty years. The tradition began with Lawrence of Arabia in the early 1960s; Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, The Mummy, Kundun, Babel, Prince of Persia and scenes from Game of Thrones followed, along with many more. Most used the standing sets at the studios for built scenes and the surrounding kasbahs and desert — above all Aït Ben Haddou — for exteriors, which is exactly why a studio visit pairs so naturally with the locations themselves.
Can you visit the Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzazate?+
Yes. Atlas Film Studios is open to visitors and our tour is a guided walk through the standing backlot sets with a local guide who knows which production left which trace. Your studio admission and the guide are included in the tour. The nearby CLA Studios sets can be added to your quote if you'd like to see both. Opening hours and the standalone ticket price are set by the studios and can change seasonally, so we confirm the current timing when we plan your day.
How long is the film studios tour?+
It is an easy half day from Ouarzazate. Pickup, the short drive to the studios on the edge of town, a guided circuit of the standing sets with photo time, and you are back in town by lunchtime — which leaves the afternoon free to add the Taourirt Kasbah, a kasbah lunch, or the Aït Ben Haddou ksar for a fuller film-locations day.
What will I see on the studio backlot?+
Full-scale sets left standing from decades of productions: an Egyptian temple complex with painted hieroglyphs, a Tibetan monastery built for Scorsese's Kundun, Roman walls and an amphitheatre, a grounded aircraft fuselage, and rows of props and statues weathering in the open. Your guide times the walk to the light and explains how plaster and polystyrene become stone on camera.
Is the Atlas Film Studios tour worth it?+
If you love cinema, behind-the-scenes detail or photography, yes — it is genuinely 'only here' and the scale of the standing sets surprises most visitors. It makes the most sense paired with the real filming locations rather than visited alone: seeing the built sets and then the earthen kasbahs of Aït Ben Haddou, where so many of the same films were actually shot, is what makes the day land. If you have no interest in film, the kasbahs themselves may suit you better.
What is included and how much does it cost?+
Our Ouallywood film studios half day from Ouarzazate starts from $220 per person and is 100% private: your own driver-guide, a comfortable vehicle with fuel and parking, hotel pickup and drop-off in Ouarzazate, Atlas Film Studios admission with a guide, bottled water on board and a 24/7 WhatsApp concierge. The nearby CLA Studios sets are an optional add-on. International flights, travel insurance and tips are not included. See the real tours below for each price.
Ready when you are
Let a local design your Ouallywood day.
Tell us your dates and group, and whether you want the studio half day alone or paired with Aït Ben Haddou, the CLA Studios or a kasbah afternoon. We'll send a written itinerary and a transparent quote within 24 hours.