Collectif Taxi to Aït Ben Haddou
The local's route from Ouarzazate city centre to the UNESCO ksar — two shared grand taxis, one unforgettable destination, for less than the price of a coffee back home.
Aït Ben Haddou needs no introduction. This fortified ksar of rammed earth and sun-bleached towers — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, backdrop to Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Lawrence of Arabia, and dozens more — sits just 30 kilometres west of Ouarzazate. Most tourists hire a private taxi or join a guided tour. But there is another way: the collectif grand taxi, the same rattling, full-to-bursting shared taxi that locals have used for generations to cross the desert valleys of southern Morocco.
What Is a Collectif Taxi?
Morocco's transport network runs on two types of taxis that most guidebooks mention but rarely explain well. The petit taxi is the small coloured city cab — metered, for short urban journeys only, and forbidden from leaving city limits. The grand taxi is the intercity workhorse: typically an ageing Mercedes 220 with six seats, operating fixed routes between towns at fixed per-seat prices.
A collectif (also called taxi collectif or simply grand taxi partagé) is a grand taxi operating in shared mode: it fills all six seats before departing, with each passenger paying a set per-seat fare. It is slower than a private taxi — you wait until the car is full — but it costs a fraction of the price and gives you a window into how most Moroccans actually travel across their country.
Insider tip: If you are in a rush or travelling in a group of 3–6, you can affréter the taxi — buy all remaining seats yourself to leave immediately. For the Ouarzazate–Tabourhate route, buying the full taxi costs around 60–100 MAD total. Still cheaper than most private transfers.
The Route: Two Legs, One Destination
The journey from Ouarzazate city centre to Aït Ben Haddou is not a single direct taxi — it is done in two legs, with a change at the village of Tabourhate, a junction on the N9 highway 22 km west of Ouarzazate where the road to Aït Ben Haddou branches south.
Head to the Grand Taxi Tabount station in central Ouarzazate — it is the main intercity grand taxi rank, known locally as the station des grands taxis. Ask any petit taxi driver or pedestrian for "le taxi collectif pour Aït Ben Haddou" and they will point you there. The station is slightly west of the main boulevard, easy walking distance from most riads and hotels.
Look for taxis calling out "Tabourhate!" or "Aït Ben Haddou!" — drivers and their touts will often spot you before you spot them. Take a seat in the Mercedes, agree on the price per seat before settling in, and wait for the remaining seats to fill.
The taxi takes the Route N9 westward — the main road between Ouarzazate and Marrakech — through a landscape of low ochre hills, dry riverbeds, and the occasional cluster of earth-coloured houses. After about 22 kilometres, you reach the Tabourhate crossroads: a small junction village where the paved Route P1506 branches right (south) towards Aït Ben Haddou.
Tell the driver "Tabourhate" clearly when you board, and remind him again as you approach if needed. He will drop you at the junction. From here, Aït Ben Haddou is just 9 kilometres away.
At the Tabourhate junction, you will find a second pool of grand taxis waiting to fill up for the final leg. The road south winds between rocky outcrops and dry palmeries, with the Ounila river valley opening ahead. After 9 kilometres, the towers of the ksar appear on the left bank — first as a silhouette against the red hills, then in full terracotta detail.
Taxis drop passengers near the entrance bridge and the main car park, where the short walk to the ksar itself begins. Cross the Ounila on the stepping stones or the footbridge, pay the small site entrance fee, and you are inside one of Morocco's greatest ancient monuments.
Prices & Payment
Collectif taxi fares on this route are not officially metered but are well-established by local custom. Expect to pay:
| Option | Price (approx.) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Collectif (per seat) Budget | 10–20 MAD/person total | Solo or 2 travellers happy to wait |
| Full taxi (buy all 6 seats) | 60–100 MAD total | Small groups, no waiting time |
| Private petit taxi (Ouarzazate only) | Not applicable — city limit rules | — |
| Private grand taxi (negotiated) | 150–250 MAD return | Families, tight schedule, luggage |
| Guided day tour (from Ouarzazate) | 300–600 MAD/person | First-time visitors, context & history |
Always agree on the price before you get in. Say "C'est combien par place jusqu'à Tabourhate?" (French) or "Shahal had seat l-Tabourhate?" (Darija). The fare is per seat, not per person per taxi — a small but important distinction when negotiating. Do not pay until you arrive.
Practical Tips for the Journey
- Go early. Morning departures (before 9am) tend to fill fastest, as locals commute and traders travel. Midday waits can stretch to 45+ minutes in quieter seasons.
- The front seat is the most comfortable. It fits one passenger next to the driver — worth requesting if you are tall or prone to carsickness. The back seat fits four across, which is cosy.
- Luggage goes in the boot or on your lap. Oversized backpacks may require paying for an extra seat — agree in advance rather than discover this at the destination.
- A few words of Darija go a long way. Locals will appreciate shukran (thank you) and la bas? (how are you?). You will get smiles, conversation, and possibly dates or bread shared from someone's bag.
- The ksar is open daily 8am–7pm. Plan to be at the Tabount station no later than 9am to arrive with full morning light — the best time for photographs and cooler temperatures.
- For the return journey, the same system runs in reverse. Taxis wait near the ksar car park for the Tabourhate junction, where you change again for Ouarzazate. Last reliable taxis back are around 5–6pm.
- Bring water. The road is dusty and the ksar involves an uphill walk. A 1.5-litre bottle from a Ouarzazate épicerie costs 5 MAD and is essential in summer months.
Aït Ben Haddou: What Awaits You
The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou rises from the left bank of the Ounila River in a cascade of pisé towers, blind alleys, and decorated doorways. Inhabited since at least the 11th century during the Almoravid period, it served for centuries as a key waystation on the trans-Saharan caravan route connecting Marrakech with the Sahara — a road for salt, gold, slaves, and spices.
Today, four families still live within the ancient walls. The rest have moved to the new village on the opposite bank, where tourist infrastructure has grown around the site's fame as a filming location. The ksar itself is remarkably well-preserved, its mud-brick architecture maintained and partly restored by UNESCO and local authorities.
The climb to the top is straightforward, the views are extraordinary, and the silence between the tour groups — if you time it well — is genuinely ancient.
— Visitor review, Google Maps
The Ounila Valley Beyond
If you have time, the Ounila Valley stretching south from Aït Ben Haddou hides a string of lesser-visited ksour — Ksar Itlouan, Ksar Aït Mézzane, and the ruins above Tamdaght — all reachable on foot or by short taxi hop. Far fewer tourists, far more authentic encounters with the living Amazigh communities of the valley.
Coming from Marrakech? A Smarter Route
If you are travelling from Marrakech rather than staying in Ouarzazate, there is an option that saves you 40 kilometres of backtracking. CTM and Supratours buses from Marrakech to Ouarzazate pass through the Tazentout / Tabourhate crossroads on the N9 — the exact junction where Leg 1 of the collectif route ends. Some travellers ask their bus driver to drop them here, then take a single collectif the 9 km to Aït Ben Haddou.
Note: This shortcut is not guaranteed — CTM drivers are not obliged to stop at non-official stops, though many will if asked politely at the time of boarding. Confirm with the driver before departure, not mid-journey. This option is one-way: the return to Marrakech requires going via Ouarzazate to catch a bus.
Why Take the Collectif?
In an age of private transfers, app-booked cars, and package tours, the collectif taxi is an act of small defiance — a choice to travel at the pace of the place you are visiting, alongside the people who live there. The Mercedes will be slightly battered. The suspension will have seen better decades. Your knees may touch a stranger's. The driver will have music on that you do not recognise but will somehow find yourself nodding to by the end.
And when the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou appears on the horizon — rising from the desert floor like something that grew there naturally — you will have earned the view in the best possible way.
Twenty dirhams. Two taxis. One of the most beautiful places on earth.
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