The red rock walls of the Todra gorge rising over the riverside road, a few walkers below

Couple questions: Romantic places

Is Skoura worth an overnight on the way to the Sahara?

Yes, and for honeymooners it is one of the best stops on the road south. Skoura is a large date-palm oasis about 45 minutes east of Ouarzazate, with old earthen kasbahs among the palms and several restored kasbah retreats with gardens, pools and candlelit dinners. A night there turns a long drive into part of the trip.

Ask us your question

Answered by the Morocco Honeymoons team. Checked October 2026.

The short answer

The Erg Chebbi dunes after sunset, a sharp ridge in the foreground and a rose and violet sky — Erg Chebbi after sunset, MerzougaPhoto: Mike Prince, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized and colour-graded)

In more detail

Our 10-day honeymoon itinerary crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka, stops at Aït Ben Haddou, and spends the night at a kasbah hidden among the palms of Skoura. The next day runs through the Rose Valley and the Dadès.

The oasis is flat and shaded, watered by old underground channels fed by Atlas snowmelt, so it is easy to explore by bicycle or on foot between the kasbahs. The 17th-century Kasbah Amerdil stands at its heart and can be visited at leisure.

Rolling dunes in low golden light, their crests lit and their hollows in shadow — Golden hour on the Merzouga dunes, Erg ChebbiPhoto: Mustang Joe, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

Spring and autumn are the best months. In May the road from the east passes the rose fields of Kelaat M'Gouna, harvested for rosewater; in October the date harvest fills the roadside stalls. Rather than passing through in two hours, a night in a restored kasbah among the palms, with a private dinner and the quiet of the oasis, turns Skoura from a stop on the road into a highlight. It also breaks the long drive to the dunes into two easier days.