Are you looking for the true Sahara desert, remote from villages and mass tourism? Then this 4-day desert tour from Marrakech to Erg Chegaga is absolutely the one for you. It takes you to both the Erg Lihoudi and the Erg Chagaga dunes for a full and unique desert adventure.
Are you looking for the true Sahara desert, remote from villages and mass tourism? Then this 4-day desert tour from Marrakech to Erg Chegaga is absolutely the one for you. It takes you to both the Erg Lihoudi and the Erg Chagaga dunes for a full and unique desert adventure.
Enjoy the views of the High Atlas around every bend in the road. The Anti-Atlas Mountains from Ouarzazate to Agdez is remarkable for its rock formations. From here, the Dra’a Valley, the longest valley in the country, with its ancient Kasbahs, green oases, fields and date palms reveal more of the rural way of life.
The two most famous kasbahs in Morocco; Telouet and Kasbah Aït ben Haddou are prime examples of local adobe architecture; cool in summer, warm in winter. Kasbah Tamnougalte in the Dra’a Valley shows a more modest Kasbah existence.
In Tamegroute you can visit the green pottery co-operatives and the old Quranic library. In Taznakht, there is an opportunity to discover Berber carpet craftsmanship.
The desert experience in Erg Chegaga is enhanced by a camel ride and later a night’s sleep in comfortable tents in a luxury desert camp at the foot of the most expansive Moroccan dunes.
The Highlights of The Tour :
- Crossing the High and Anti-Atlas Mountains and the famous pass of Tizi-n-Tichka
- Exploring Kasbah Telouet, Kasbah Aït ben Haddou and Kasbah Tamnougalte near Agdz
- Viewing the Dra’a Valley’s palm trees, Kasbahs and oases along the ancient caravan route
- Visiting the green pottery co-operative and the ancient Quranic library in Tamgroute
- Two nights in the beautiful tents of luxury desert camps in Erg Lihoudi and Erg Chegaga
- Riding camels to the tops of the dunes to watch the spectacle of the sunset (300m)
- Enjoying dinners under a starlit sky, followed by an evening of music round a camp fire
- Sleeping in your own private and luxurious tent set amongst the dunes of the Sahara Desert
- Searching for fossils in Iriqi lake and discovering the weaving of Berber rugs in Taznakht
Itinerary of 3-days from Marrakech to Merzouga
1st day: Marrakech – Ouarzazate
Morning departure at 8.30 from your hotel or riad in Marrakech to cross the High Atlas Mountains.
After the Tichka pass, the highest in North Africa at 2260 m, you leave the main road to Kasbah Telouet. This was the seat of the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family. The palace was abandoned and plundered after the last Pasha’s property was confiscated for his having plotted the King’s exile.In Aït ben Haddou you stop for a welcome lunch. Energised by this you will visit this UNESCO World Heritage site, which is also a backdrop to a large number of Hollywood blockbusters. Once in Ouarzazate about 45 minutes later, you will stop for the night in a riad or guest house.
2nd day: Ouarzazate – M’hamid
After the Tizi-n-Tinfifte pass south of Ouarzazate, you will notice the wide oasis and large number of palm trees stretching out below. This marks the head of the Dra’a Valley which produces an amazing 44 varieties of dates. The date harvest begins in September lasting over a couple of months. The souk in Agdez offers the freshest and best.
Kasbah Tamnougalte is the oldest Kasbah in the Dra’a Valley, from where you follow the ancient caravan road for a while. On the way, we pass many villages and gardens, indicative of oasis life and subsistence. Shortly before the police check-point in Tansikht, the driver can show you the dinosaur footprints in the rock at the side of the road. In Tinsouline you can drive about a kilometre outside the village to the fascinating rock carvings of animals. These 4000 year-old carvings at Foum Chenna depict animals that have been extinct in Morocco for a very long time.
You will have lunch in Zagora, the largest town in Dra’a Valley. Shortly after the town you reach Tamgroute, well-known for the green glaze of its ceramic products. You may have already seen them in the south in Marrakech and certainly frequently in the south. The ancient Quranic library in the town with exquisite hand-written Arabic texts is famous throughout the country. Many of them have now been transferred to the National Library in Rabat.
You will drive about another 45 minutes to the dunes outside M’hamid on the edge of the Sahara. You have dinner and spend the night at a luxury camp with private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings and lamps tastefully arranged to enhance your enjoyment of the silence and beauty of the dunes.
3rd day: M’hamid – Chegaga Dunes
After breakfast and in the village itself, you will visit the old village across the now frequently dry Dra’a River. It is typical of desert dwellings in adobe and with covered streets; protection against the intense mid-summer desert heat.
In the afternoon, you leave for the Erg Chegaga dunes (300m) about 60km off-road. This route passes characteristic desert features; “erg” (dunes) and “hammada” (stony desert), plus the occasional oasis. These dunes are far away from any settlements and where nomadic life is tough; exposed to the wind, sandstorms, and sparse rainfall.
Here a camel ride leads to the highest dune for an unforgettable sunset. The silence and the expanse of the dunes are quite overwhelming. Dinner and the night will be in a luxury camp with all the amenities of the first desert luxury camp you enjoyed in in Mhamid.4th day: Chegaga Dunes – Marrakech
After breakfast, another 90km of leads to the dried-up Lake Iriqi, once a source of water for wild animals and bird, as well as fishes to be caught by local nomads. At the edge of the desert in Foum Zguid, a stop for coffee or even lunch will be welcome. The driver has an opportunity to free the car’s filter system for the Saharan sand.
From Foum Zguid, you travel north with incredible rock formations at the sides of the road. As the road reaches the main east-west highway, you arrive in Taznakht, which is most well-known for its iconic Berber carpets and rugs. If it interests you, this is an opportunity to visit one of the town’s many co-operatives to see the innumerable patterns and designs used.
Once again, we go over the High Atlas on a slightly different route before arriving at the Tizi-n-Tichka pass. We reach Marrakech at the end of the afternoon.
- Transport in a private air-conditioned vehicle; 4×4 Toyota Prado TX and fuel
- Pick up from and drop-off at your hotel or riad in Marrakech
- Accommodation in air-conditioned rooms / suites with private bathroom
- The night in a luxury camp in Erg Lihoudi and Erg Chegaga with private bathroom
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options all available
- A camel ride with a guide. If you wish for sandboarding, just speak to the camp staff!
- Luggage service both to the camp and all accommodation
- Berber drumming and music round a camp fire in the desert
- Free time to explore the sites such as Aït ben Haddou, for walks, photos, and tea/coffee breaks
- The opportunity to ask the driver to stop whenever and wherever you wish
- Tea, coffee and mineral water in the desert
Excluded from this tour:
- Beverages
- Lunches
- Entrance to monuments (Optional)
- Leaving a tip (Optional)
Travel Tour Map
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