I really wasn’t sure if Fint Oasis (also spelled Finnt Oasis) would be worth a visit. I tried to search online for photos or others’ thoughts, but I really couldn’t find much. In the end, I did end up going to Fint Oasis. It was much larger than I expected from what little I found online beforehand, so I’ve decided to put together this Fint Oasis travel guide to pay it forward for anyone else who’s wondering what to expect.
THIS FINT OASIS TRAVEL GUIDE INCLUDES:
- What is Fint Oasis
- How to Get to Fint Oasis
- Things to Do at Fint Oasis
- How Much Time to Spend at Fint Oasis
- Is Fint Oasis Worth It
WHAT IS FINT OASIS
Fint Oasis is exactly what it sounds like, a lush, green paradise in the middle of the dry, Moroccan desert. It is made up of four villages, and around 100 people live in Fint Oasis in total. Like nearby Ait Ben Haddou and Atlas Studios, Fint Oasis has been the set for several Hollywood blockbusters, such as Prince of Persia, Kingdom of Heaven, and Babel. Though, as you walk around, it’s hard to imagine a whole film crew there. The oasis, still sheltered from tourism, is so calm. The loudest noises will be your own footsteps and the gentle running of creek water over rocks.
HOW TO GET TO FINT OASIS
Fint Oasis is located 7.5mi (12 km) outside of Ouarzazate. Ouarzazate is a popular stopping-off point between Marrakech and excursions in the Sahara. Several coach buses a day from Supratours and CTM travel between Ouarzazate and Marrakech through the dizzying Tizi n Tichka Pass in the Atlas Mountains. Buses cost 80 MAD each way, with luggage an additional 5 MAD. The journey takes 5 – 5 ½ hours (with a 15 – 20 minute snack and bathroom break).
From Ouarzazate, you will need to take a taxi to Fint Oasis. Expect to pay 300 – 500 MAD for this round trip drive, depending on supply, demand, and your haggling skills. The drive to Fint Oasis will take around 45 minutes, as the driver must go slowly over the very rocky terrain. Once you arrive at Fint, your driver will wait for you until you are finished and ready to head back to Ouarzazate (be sure to clarify this point before agreeing on a price).
Related reading: Easy DIY Beach Day Trip from Marrakech: Essaouira
THINGS TO DO AT FINT OASIS
So what exactly does one “do” at an oasis? Well, I recommend following the route I describe for you below, starting from the makeshift parking lot at the entrance to the oasis.
It will be tempting to simply continue straight on the main path after crossing the small bridge from the parking area, but detour left instead. Follow the creek as it bends towards the mountains. Eventually, you will reach an area of the creek where large stepping-stones have been placed to create a bridge. Cross over the creek using these, and continue until there is another area of green palm trees. Walk past these, and follow the path up the hill.
This will lead you through one of the four villages of the oasis. You will get very close to people’s personal residences, so remember to keep in mind that you are in someone’s home as you explore. Once you reach the top of this hill, you will be rewarded with the most spectacular view of Fint Oasis in its full glory.
Descend the hill in the opposite direction as you came, and walk towards the oasis below. Women will be washing clothes by hand in the creek, and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped through a time machine back to simpler times. (Be careful not to photograph from up close and avoid including faces.) Cross back over the creek, and walk through the main path that continues. It will hit another main road, on which you should make a right to loop back to your cab driver.
Had it not been for an Oasis local approaching us after we arrived and leading us around, we would have never found the route described above and never experienced Fint Oasis in the way that we did. He was not pushy, did not ask for payment, and expressed much gratitude when we voluntarily tipped him after our impromptu tour. If a friendly local approaches you upon your arrival, consider not writing him off. You might see or learn something unexpected like we did.
HOW MUCH TIME TO SPEND AT FINT OASIS
Budget 1.5 hours for exploring Fint Oasis itself. If you would like to find a shady spot under a palm tree to relax, maybe add another 30 minutes to that budget. With the 45 minute drive each way from Ouarzazate, this whole excursion should take 3 – 3.5 hours.
IS FINT OASIS WORTH IT?
Visiting Fint Oasis is a chance to see something truly unique. It’s a real life oasis in a desert, tucked away from the mass tourism that other destinations in Morocco experience. It really feels like stepping back into time, and there’s something so relaxing about walking around. If you are in the Ouarzazate or Ait Ben Haddou area for two or more days, I would say, yes, Fint Oasis is worth your time.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Will you be adding Fint Oasis to your Morocco itinerary? Do you need more details on how to get here? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll respond.
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14 Comments
Peter de Gans
April 19, 2022 at 4:38 AMMe and my daughter will go for 4 day (first) visit to marokko/Marrakech, and i intend to do a 2 day tour outside the tourist buzz. So my first idea was a roadtrip by rental car including
– oarzazate
– Aït-Ben-Haddou
– Telouet Kasbah
– Skoura Oase
Now i am not sure what to do: go to Flint Oase or ride furter to visit Skoura oase and the Gorge du dades?
We like to stay in a as less as possible accomodation on our way: do you have a suggestion?
Thank you in advance for your reply,
Peter from the netherlands
That Travelista
April 19, 2022 at 11:32 AMHi Peter!! I’m so excited for your trip!
I’ve never been to Telouet (but it looks very cool!), and I haven’t explored the Dades Gorge either. I think I may have seen the palm grove near Skoura on my first visit to Morocco, but I am not sure because it was only a meal stop on a tour between Marrakech and the Merzouga. So I unfortunately can’t give suggestions on what is better to see than the others!
But I would say that if you were already planning to see Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou, Telouet, and Skoura/Dades within two days, adding in Fint Oasis would only add about 3 or 4 more hours of your time roundtrip from Ouarzazate. So I think you can fit in Fint without subtracting something else. I will also say that I do not recall there being much to do or see in Ouarzazate itself. My understanding is that it is just a base to visit all the things around it. So I do not think you need to budget much time to Ouarzazate and you can just plan to sleep there both nights.
If you are OK with rushing a bit, maybe you can do something like:
Day 1: Leave Marrakesh as early as possible (like 6:00 in the morning). Arrive at Ait Ben Haddou 10:00 in the morning and explore for 2 or 3 hours (depends if you only want to walk and take pictures or also have a restaurant meal, shop souvenirs, etc.). Leave Ait Ben Haddou between 12:00 and 13:00 for Telouet. Arrive at Telouet between 13:00 and 14:00 and explore for 1 or 2 hours (I have no idea myself, just guessing from the internet lol). Leave Telouet between 14:00 and 16:00 for Fint. Arrive at Fint between 16:30 and 18:30. Explore Fint for 1 to 1.5 hours. Leave Fint by 30 minutes before sunset for Ouarzazate and check into your Ouarzazate hotel around sunset.
Day 2: Depart in the morning from Ouarzazate and make a day trip to Dades and Skoura. Sleep in same Ourzazate hotel.
I know that first day is very jam-packed! If you feel too tired or behind schedule by the time you leave Telouet, you can always cancel Fint. As you can see from my pictures, it does not have any interesting, old buildings like some of the other destinations. It is just the nature of the oasis and also observing the way the people live.
Hopefully some of that helps!!
Peter de Gans
April 20, 2022 at 10:18 AMThank you very much for your long reply ! I hope to see something more of marocco than Marrakesh alone. And after reading your remarks, aside from visiting historic buildings at Telouet and Ait Ben Haddou, we surely want to include Fint Oasis as you say “It is just the nature of the oasis and also observing the way the people live”
So we decided to skip Gorge du Dades and Skoura oasis. It will take lots of extra traveltime and as you did: it is a known route from Marrakech to Merzouga and i expect more coach busses on that way/more tourists. Same reason we skip Ouarzazate, as you say it is more a base for starting trips.
So we ended up with something like:
day one:
9.00 start in Marrakech, (road N9)
after passing Tizi N’Tichka, leaving main road to Telouet Kashbah (road P1506)
(2,5 hour drive)
11.30 12.00 visit Telouet Kashbah
Continue road P1506 to Ait Ben Haddou (1 hour drive)
13.00-15.00 visit Ait Ben Haddou and lunch
Road N9 to Ouarzazate and road P1509 to Fint Oasis (1 hour drive)
18.00 arriving in hotel Fint Oasis for diner and sleep
Day 2:
Morning: walking Fint Oasis, with local guide, or based on your website directions 🙂
Afternoon: Strait back to Marrakech again (road N9) (4 hour drive)
That’s 8 to 9 hour daytime activity’s including 4 to 4,5 hours drive. That leaves us with enough time to soak up all and room to let us surprise along the way. What do you think?
That Travelista
April 20, 2022 at 11:23 AMI think splitting the destinations that way between the two days sounds very logical and a lot more enjoyable/relaxing! 🙂
And if you are curious about Ouarzazate, you can also quickly drive through it after leaving Fint to decide if it’s worth a walk around or not, or at least see it from the car to have an opinion.
I hope you and your daughter have a fantastic time on your Morocco trip! I would love to know how the trip went and your thoughts on each stop after you return! 🙂
Amy
January 16, 2020 at 8:48 PMOhh this looks so cool! I am dying to go back to Morocco!
That Travelista
January 19, 2020 at 10:37 PMMorocco is definitely a repeat-visit kinda destination!
josypheen
January 16, 2020 at 2:31 PMOooh this looks amaaaazing! I have never been to a real Oasis like this, it is pretty amazing to see how green it can be in the middle of the desert. I’m glad you mentioned to be careful not to photograph people from up close and avoid including faces – I think a lot of people forget that kind of thing (it was similar in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco)
p.s. I LOVE that donkey with its head popping out the window photo!
That Travelista
January 19, 2020 at 10:36 PMI had never been to a real oasis either! It was definitely cool to see.
The donkeys were so cute!!
Miranda
January 15, 2020 at 8:30 PMYour pictures are so great! Makes me want to visit Morocco even more!
That Travelista
January 19, 2020 at 10:33 PMThanks so much, Miranda!
LAUREN BETH MONITZ
January 15, 2020 at 9:05 AMThanks for getting off the beaten path and showing us a place not many hear about!
That Travelista
January 19, 2020 at 10:32 PMI try…! 🙂
paula
January 15, 2020 at 8:45 AMFint Oasis looks incredible! I would love to see it one day. I definitely add it to my Morocco itinerary!
That Travelista
January 19, 2020 at 10:31 PMI definitely think you should!