| Duration: | 5 Day(s) - 4 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Desert Tours |
Day 1 Marrakech - M'hamid
Pick up in Marrakech and transfer to M'hamid, where the road ends and our camel trekking adventure starts. Today we will depart Marrakech early morning cross the High Atlas Mountains, Draa Valley palm tree line oasis to reach the desert of Morocco. Night in tents by Erg Lihoudi (D)
Day 2 - 4 Erg Chegaga
Spend the 4 days in the desert of Erg Chegaga. Walk or camel ride this surrealistic region of mountains made from fine sand, the water source oasis. Get away from the world of phones and computers and merge yourself into the solitude of the desert (B, L, D)
Day 5 M'hamid - Marrakech
Transfer back to Marrakech
Explore More About Erg Chigaga:
This erg made of beautiful dunes is located in the Drâa-Tafilalet area about 45 km west of the small rural oasis town of M'Hamid El Ghizlane, itself located about 98 km south of the town of Zagora. Some dunes are over 50m above the surrounding landscape and with an area of approximately 35 km by 15 km, it is the largest and wildest erg of Morocco.
The north border is represented by Djebel Bani, the east border is represented by M'Hamid Hammada. In the southeast, it is located the Erg Smar adjacent to Erg Ezzahar. To the west it is located the Iriki Lake, a dried lake now set in Iriqui National Park since 1994.
Because it is relatively difficult to access, Erg Chigaga remains significantly less visited than Erg Chebbi. For this reason, Erg Chigaga is considered more romantic and overall reputed as a beloved set by purists and artists like landscape painters and fine art photographers.
Starting from the oasis of M'Hamid El Ghizlane it is possible to reach the dunes area, by off-road vehicle, by camel, and by off-road motorbike along an old caravan trail, however, the approach route is not obvious unless you have a GPS navigation system and relevant waypoints you are advised to engage a local guide.
Erg Chigaga has a greater surface area but its dunes are not as tall (62 meters (200 feet) vs. 150 meters (500 feet)). Although, since the dunes gradually get taller this difference in altitude is hardly noticeable, unless you compare panoramic views of both places.
The main difference is accessibility—and therefore the amount of tourist traffic—due to the distance from the closest town: Merzouga in the case of Erg Chebbi, is only a few meters away; M’Hamid, in Erg Chigaga’s case is, 50 km (30 miles) away and the access road is unpaved, so only a 4×4 can reach this area and tour operators don’t usually even consider it.
