The Mummy Returns Filming Locations: Morocco Guide

Hollywood needed an ancient Egyptian desert and found it in southern Morocco. The Mummy Returns filming locations run from the Sahara around Erfoud to the desert gateway of Ouarzazate and the kasbah road between them.

Yes — The Mummy Returns was filmed in Morocco. Principal photography began in the Sahara around Erfoud, with the Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga standing in for Egypt’s desert, before production moved to England. This guide covers each location and how to visit it.

Ouarzazate and Atlas Studios — The Hollywood of Africa

Ouarzazate sits below the High Atlas and earned a nickname: the “Hollywood of Africa”. The Atlas Studios Ouarzazate filming locations are one of Morocco’s easiest film sets to visit — a working backlot about 5 km from town.

Guided visits run daily from around 08:30 to sunset, with no advance booking. Tickets cost roughly 80 MAD, or 110 MAD combined with a second set; under-fives go free. Routes change during active productions, and CLA Studios next door opens when filming allows.

What you can see at the studios:

• Egyptian temple sets: walkable temple scenery, the reason fans come.
• Roman facades and biblical cities: the backlot’s other standing worlds.
• The studios’ filmography: it lists The Mummy (1999); this sequel’s temple interiors were rebuilt in England.

Base yourself in Ouarzazate to pair the studios with the kasbah road.

The Merzouga Dunes — Erfoud and the Egyptian Desert

The Mummy Returns Morocco filming locations begin in the Sahara around Erfoud, the oasis town that was production base for this sequel and for The Mummy (1999). Dwayne Johnson, in his film debut as the Scorpion King, later recalled ending up in Erfoud.

Roughly 48 to 60 km south of Erfoud, the Erg Chebbi dunes around Merzouga are reported to be the film’s Egyptian desert. This amber dune sea doubled for the Sahara of the story.

Highlights of the Merzouga dunes:

• Camel treks: the classic way across the sand sea to a camp.
• 4x4 dune rides: faster circuits to the high ridges at sunset.
• Desert camps: nights under the stars on the sand that played Egypt.

That is the appeal: the dunes you ride are the same sand sea the production framed as ancient Egypt.

Ait Benhaddou and the Kasbah Road

The road east from Ouarzazate passes Ait Benhaddou, a fortified earthen ksar and a UNESCO World Heritage site about 30 km from town. The Ounila valley road that leads there is a sight in itself. It is one of Morocco’s most photographed film backdrops — but the credit belongs to The Mummy (1999) and Gladiator, not this sequel.

Those walls doubled for Hamunaptra in The Mummy (1999) and for Zucchabar in Gladiator, so the attribution matters if you want accurate film history. Families still live inside the ksar, and a small entry fee of around 10 MAD helps maintain it.

Morocco was not the whole film. Second-unit crews shot the gorges at Petra in Jordan and a railway station near Amman. Pyramid and temple interiors were rebuilt at Shepperton Studios, while London’s British Museum and Tower Bridge covered the city scenes.

Planning the Drive — Marrakech Over the Tizi n’Tichka Pass

Start in Marrakech, the gateway to the Ouarzazate film locations Morocco is famous for. The Tizi n’Tichka pass climbs to 2,260 m — about 3.5 to 4 hours and 185 to 200 km with photo stops — before the road drops to Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou.

Highlights on the drive:

• Tizi n’Tichka pass: switchbacks and valley viewpoints at 2,260 m.
• Ait Benhaddou: the ksar detour, about 30 km past Ouarzazate.
• Dades and Todra gorges: cliff roads east toward Erfoud.
• Erfoud and Merzouga: the Sahara finish, about 8 hours from Marrakech.

Sleep in Ouarzazate rather than day-tripping: the Marrakech round trip runs 11 to 13 hours door to door. Two nights split between Ouarzazate and a Merzouga camp keep the pace easy, and a private driver handles the mountain roads.

Design Your Morocco Film Itinerary

Film-location trips work best when the driving is solved and the days stay flexible. A private itinerary turns Erfoud, Ouarzazate, Ait Benhaddou and the Erg Chebbi dunes into one easy loop. Your guide knows which gates and viewpoints to use — the real Morocco behind the screen.

Our 4-Day Morocco Desert Tour from Ouarzazate — Merzouga & Cultural Highlights links the studios with the Todra gorges, Erfoud and the Erg Chebbi dunes.

The 4-Day Guided Morocco Tour: Ouarzazate to Marrakech runs the same film road in reverse, from Atlas Studios and Ait Benhaddou over the Tizi n’Tichka pass to Marrakech.

We can customize a tour to match your needs — design your perfect itinerary