While Ouarzazate has plenty of film locations and film-based activities and sights to visit. It is also one of Morocco’s most important desert cities. And a great place to spend some time in and get a bit more of a local feel for. If you are in Ouarzazate for the weekend you are in luck! Not only is there the weekly Tabounte market but the weekly Ouarzazate market as well.
As with all Moroccan markets these are some of the best places to stock up on fruit and vegetables. But even more so to get a real feel for the bustle and liveliness of rural Moroccan culture.
Here is everything you need to know before visiting the wonderful weekly Tabounte market in Ouarzazate.
All about the market in Tabounte, Ouarzazate
- When is the weekly market in Tabounte?
- When is the weekly market in Ouarzazate?
- About Tabounte Market
- What to wear
- Costs, cash or card?
- Does it feel safe?
- Location
- Parking
- Weekly markets in Morocco
When is the weekly Tabounte market? And what is the best time to visit?
The Tabounte market is a weekly souk near Ouarzazate. Tabounte is a smaller town literally just across the river from OUarzazate. The Tabounte market is held every Saturday. We first saw signs for the market in Tabounte on the highway heading from Zagora to Ouarzate. There are signs for Souk Hebdomadaire at the main roundabotus in the town.
It is best to arrive in the morning to the markets in Morocco. However, don’t panic about missing breakfast to get there too early. The weekly Tabounte market is a typical local Moroccan market where vendors arrive to set up their produce and wares at sunrise. But the market is in full swing and best to visit mid-morning.
Approaching Tabounte
The liveliness and colours of Tabounte market begin even before you arrive at the marketplace just outside of the town. As soon as you cross the bridge over the river from Ouarzazate and head towards the souk you will see the first signs of the market.
There are women walking with trolleys ready to stock up a week of vegetables. There are donkeys pulling carts laden with stock feed or brightly coloured detergents or even empty carts heading in the opposite direction. The entire road heading towards Tabounte market is abuzz with marketgoers and you can feel assured you are heading in the right direction.
Visiting the market
Before you even cross the road from the parking lot opposite the main entrance you can see the overflowing colour of vegetables spilling almost literally out of the iconic souk gate.
There are green beans and oranges from further down the valley. There are bananas from south on the coast. And rows of aubergine and courgetti and potatoes by the truck load. (By the truckload, literally). It’s an amazing marketplace to walk through with fruit and vegetables laid out on huge tarpaulins. And wooden boxes of local apples and oranges overflowing on the backs of old trucks. It had us imagining the ridiculously overpriced farmers markets back home that try so hard to achieve this look. And here in Tabounte at the market it all looks so vibrant and effortless.
Don’t forget to bring a bag. Grab the small plastic buckets and add your fruits and vegetables to be weighed. It’s great shopping and truly a great experience.
Livestock, animals, eggs, and chickens.
On the opposite side of the road (by the parking) are the huge livestock trucks and seemingly overloaded hay trucks balanced precariously. There are goats and sheep for sale. And cows being loaded and unloaded for purchase and inspection. There are even roosters and chickens and birds we couldn’t even recognize (they must be some type of chicken?).
It’s another incredible scene that in many ways looks largely unchanged as it must have been for generations.
Clothes, teapots, mats, and homewares
The Tabounte market has a huge area of homewares and clothing for sale. Interestingly we didn’t see the secondhand clothing area this time. But under many shaded stalls and laying on low tables are all sorts and sizes of jaleba and jackets, scarves and hats and underwears.
What to wear visiting the weekly Tabounte market
The marketplace is quite modest as far as dress. Remember, it is a local market. It is respectful to have your shoulders covered and wear long trousers or a skirt. Ouarzazate is one of Morocco’s popular tourist destinations but the weekly market in Tabounte is a local market.
How much does it cost?
The entire market is cash only. Vegetables are set at a fixed price per kilo. One kilo of strawberries costs 20Dh ($2 USD). And a decent sized bag of dates is around 20Dh too.
It definitely pays to be prepared and bring some smaller notes for fruits and vegetables. Purchasing anything larger you can negotiate a price that everyone is happy with. Go into it knowing what you are happy to pay and ideally with that amount of money in your hand. (It won’t work as well haggling something down to 10Dh and then pulling out a 200Dh note to pay with).
The weekly Tabounte market is about 1km out of town. There is no ATM onsite.
Can you buy water and snacks?
Some of Morocco’s weekly markets have small kiosk cafes and pop-up food stalls. But we did see those or any stalls selling water at the Tabounte market. We were however pleasantly surprised with the many stalls selling fresh popcorn all around the market. A small bag of popcorn is only 1 Dh (10c) and absolutely added to the atmosphere (and delicious smell) of the marketplace.
Does it feel safe at the local markets in Morocco?
It absolutely feels safe walking around the weekly Tabounte market as a tourist. As with all over Morocco and the weekly markets, people are friendly and proud of their wares and produce. Make sure to ask before taking photos of people. The Tabounte market is not far from Ouarzazate which is a popular tourist destination in Morocco. So even the weekly market in Tabounte and the weekly souk in Ouarzazate are used to tourists visiting. And of course, do remember that they are local markets, and these people are here to sell and buy their local produce.
Where exactly is the Tabounte market?
Tabounte market is every Saturday and only a ten minute drive across the river from Ouarzazate.
The location online is listed as:
- Souk Hebdomadaire de Tabounte
Once you arrive in the town of Tabounte you can see the signposts (and follow the women with trolleys) for Souk Hebdomadaire.
Getting to Tabounte Market
If you are driving yourself or in Ouarzazate with a motorhome it’s easy to find the Tabounte market on a Saturday. Otherwise, it only costs 10Dh ($1 USD) to get a shared taxi from Ouarzazate over the river to Tabounte to the marketplace.
Where to park
Parking is directly opposite the main entrance to the souk. Look for the parking warden in the high-vis vest and he will guide you to a good parking spot for your visit. There doesn’t seem to be any listed price for parking, but we gave the warden 10Dh ($1 USD) for the 1.5 hours we spent at the market.
Enjoy your Saturday morning at Tabounte market in Ouarzazate
What a great experience! We highly recommend a visit to the bustling Tabounte market on a Saturday morning. Take your bags to stock up on any fresh fruit or vegetables. And if you are just passing through then don’t forget to buy some hot, fresh popcorn for a great start to your Saturday!
What about other weekly markets in Morocco?
We can’t rate the weekly markets in Morocco highly enough! It is a fascinating way to get a glimpse of traditional, rural and weekly life in Morocco. And obviously a good place to stock up on fruit and vegetables or souvenirs and handicrafts.
There are weekly markets in Morocco that take place all over the country. Here are some of our favourites:
- Zagora Weekly Market
- Tabounte Weekly Market
- Sidi Ifni Weekly Market
- Guelmim Camel Market
- Ouarzazate Weekly Market
More useful links for your travels in Morocco and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Make sure you have travel insurance before riding those trains in India!
Read more about travel in Morocco
- Taking the vehicle ferry from Spain to Morocco with your motorhome.
- Driving in Morocco: Everything you wanted to ask.
- Crossing the Morocco Mauritania border from Dakhla.
- Motorhome services in Morocco: What is it like?
- A guide to campsites in Morocco.
- Visiting the famous Guelmim Camel Market.
- Buying a SIM card in Morocco (and how to get unlimited data!).
