Our Destinations
This 4-day private trek reaches Erg Chigaga the slow way. After a night in Tagounite you ride about three hours by camel from M’Hamid across the Oued Draa and into the dunes, sleep in a nomad tent among them, and return by the old Paris–Dakar rally track via Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou. Erg Chigaga is also spelled Chegaga.
Tour highlights
- About three hours by camel across the Oued Draa and into the desert
- A chance to meet nomads and their animals along the way
- Lunch among dunes and large tamarisk trees
- A night in a nomad tent in the Chigaga dunes, with dinner and entertainment
- Tamegroute’s Koranic library and underground kasbah
- The old Paris–Dakar rally road to Foum Zguid and across Lac Iriqui
- Taznakht, home of a well-known women’s carpet cooperative
- Ait Ben Haddou and the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet on the last day
Good to know
- The tour starts at your Marrakech hotel early on day 1 and ends back in Marrakech in the late afternoon of day 4.
- It is a private tour: your own driver and 4×4, with camels for the desert crossing.
- Part of the Draa Valley drive on day 1 leaves the tarmac.
- Night 1 is in a hostel in Tagounite, night 2 in a nomad tent, night 3 in a hotel in Ouarzazate.
- Nights in the desert can be cold in winter and days hot in summer, so pack layers, a scarf and sun protection.
- Send us your dates and group size and we will get back to you with availability and a quote.
Short on time? The 3 day Erg Chigaga tour covers the same dune field in three days. Want longer in the desert? Try the 5 day nomad desert tour or ask us to tailor a route. You can also read what past travellers say or get in touch.
Included and Excluded
- Private tour with your own driver and 4×4
- Hotel pick-up in Marrakech on day 1
- About three hours by camel from M'Hamid on day 2
- Night 1 in a hostel in Tagounite, with dinner
- Night 2 in a nomad tent at Erg Chigaga, with dinner and entertainment
- Night 3 in a hotel in Ouarzazate, with dinner
- Anything not listed here – please confirm meals, drinks and entrance fees with us when you book
Tour route
- Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Draa Valley – Tamegroute – Tagounite – M'Hamid – Erg Chigaga – Foum Zguid – Taznakht – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Telouet – Marrakech
Itinerary
A 4×4 collects you at your Marrakech hotel early in the morning for the climb over the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with lunch on the way. The route then drops into the Draa Valley, a corridor of palm groves and old kasbahs where part of the drive leaves the tarmac. Past Zagora you stop at Tamegroute to see its Koranic library and underground kasbah, and the day ends in Tagounite with dinner and a night in a hostel.
After breakfast at the hostel you drive on to M'Hamid, the gate of the desert. From here you cross the Oued Draa by camel, about three hours through open desert landscape, with luck passing nomads and their animals. Lunch is at a pretty spot among dunes and large tamarisk trees. The afternoon brings you to the Chigaga dunes, where you sleep in a nomad tent and have dinner with entertainment.
After sunrise over the dunes and breakfast, the 4×4 follows the former Paris–Dakar Rally track toward Foum Zguid and crosses the Iriqui lake bed. Lunch is at Taznakht, home of a well-known women's carpet cooperative. The journey continues through the Fint oasis toward Ouarzazate, where you have dinner and spend the night in a hotel.
After breakfast in Ouarzazate you visit Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO World Heritage ksar. Next comes the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet, where lunch is served, and the road then crosses the Atlas to reach Marrakech in the late afternoon.
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