Marrakech to Erg Chigaga Desert Tour

Your Marrakech to Erg Chigaga Sahara desert tour will start at 08h00 AM with a pick-up from your Marrakech hotel / Riad.

Departing Marrakech, you’ll wind through the High Atlas Mountains over Tichka Pass, where the views are pretty splendid. You will make a few stops to enjoy the scenery and snap some photos. We’ll arrive at Ouarzazate for lunch before continuing to Zagora, crossing the Draa river, which has given life to a vast oasis spreading for about 200 Km at the foothill of the anti-Atlas mountains. Several Palm groves will bring their shades between Kasbahs and fortified villages dotted with fields of corn, barley, vegetables, and henna plantations. Dinner and overnight at your Zagora hotel.

After breakfast, we’ll head to M’hamid (where the paved road ends). On the way, we’ll pass through the village of Tamagroute. We’ll have the chance to pay a visit to one of the oldest Quranic libraries in Morocco. We’ll also stop at the nearby kasbah, famous for its potters’ factory.

Lunch will be served in M’hamid at leisure. In the early afternoon, we’ll depart for Erg Chigaga dunes. Along the way, we’ll cross different features of the desert, including ‘Erg,’ ‘Reg,’ and ‘Hammadas oases.

The Erg Chigaga dunes are far away from any civilization, and the silence of the sand is overwhelming. You’ll ride your camels across the dunes and enjoy one of the most dramatic sunsets over the constantly changing colors of the sand dunes.

You’ll have a splendid dinner under the stars next to the campfire while being entertained by local nomads playing traditional music. Finally, you’ll spend the night at your Sahara desert camp.

The road today will take us through the desert for another 90km after breakfast, with varying scenery. First, we’ll cross the flat and dry salty lake of Iriqui and the volcanic peaks of the Anti Atlas mountains, following the “Rally Paris Dakar” dirt tracks. Then we’ll get to Foum Zguid for lunch. From here, we will continue to the Berber village of Taznakht on a paved road. This region is famous for its Berber carpets and rugs.

Finally, we’ll arrive at Ouarzazate late in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Ouarzazate.

After breakfast, we can enjoy a visit to the film studios located just outside Ouarzazate, which is known as the Hollywood of Africa. We then continue to visit the world heritage site of Kasbah Ait Ben Hadou. It has been used as a set for more than 20 Hollywood blockbusters, including “Gladiator,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” Enjoy a walk to explore the traditional Moroccan style of architecture in which the Kasbahs are built.

We continue our way to Marrakesh through the High Atlas Mountains and Tizi n’Tichka pass. Depending on the time, lunch can be served in Ait Ben Hadou or en route in Atlas mountains towards Marrakech.

Arrival at Marrakech by 17h00 PM. Your desert tour from Marrakech to Erg Cheggaga will end with a drop-off at your Marrakech hotel or Riad.