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Desert tour to Erg Chegaga and Zagora – overview:
The unusual rock formations of the Dades Gorge, the Zagora with unmistakeable desert features, and the majestic expansive dunes of Erg Chegaga all beckon the traveller on this 5 day Marrakech desert excursion.
An insight into rural Berber oasis life is given over the High Atlas Mountains where the ancient Kasbahs Telouet and Aït ben Haddou are located. Skoura Oasis and the beautiful Kasbah Amredhil showcase life in a multi-generational Berber home.
The Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs with its organic Damascene roses in Klaat Mgouna, the barren Saghro mountains, the Dra’a Valley with its elongated oases of date palms, the extent of the dunes in Erg Chegaga showcase the enormous differences in this south-eastern landscape.
Other delights are the green pottery co-operatives and the Quranic Library of exquisite manuscripts in Tamgroute, or the rug making co-operatives in Taznakht
Our unique range of Marrakesh desert tours can be discovered here. Your journey’s itinerary is set out below!
Dades Gorge, Zagora, Erg Chegaga – highlights:
- Stunning views driving over the Atlas Mountains and the famous Tizi-n-Tichka pass
- Wandering round the two famous Kasbahs: Telouet and Kasbah Aït ben Haddou
- Visiting Skoura Oasis and the beautiful multi-generational Kasbah Amredhil
- Driving past the multitude of date palms in the oases the length of the Dra’a Valley
- Exploring the pottery co-operatives and the Quranic Library in the Tamgroute
- A luxury desert camp in the Erg Chegaga dunes with an evening of nomad music
- Searching for fossils at Lake Iriki and witnessing Berber rug-making in Taznakht
What is included in this Erg Chegaga desert tour 5 days:
- 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
- Experienced local English/French/Spanish/Italian-speaking Berber and nomad driver/guide
- Accommodation in air-conditioned rooms /suites with private bathroom
- Overnight in a luxury camp in the Erg Chegaga dunes in private & comfortable tents
- Berber drumming and music round a camp fire after dinner
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
- A camel ride with a guide. If you wish to do some sand-boarding, speak to the camp staff!
- Luggage service to the camp and all accommodation
- Free time to explore the sites for walks, photos, and tea/coffee breaks
- The opportunity to ask the driver to stop whenever and wherever you wish
- Entrance fees and local guides at the named sites
- Tea, coffee and mineral water in the desert
What is not included:
- Drinks
- Tips
- Extras
Good to know about this 5-day tour to Erg Chegaga:
- This Marrakech desert tour can be customised to be more personal and special
- You can always consult your driver about skipping some spots to spend more time elsewhere
- Here is a downloadable packing list to help plan for your Moroccan desert tour
- We require a 30% deposit of the total price to book the car, while the balance is payable to us in the office in Ouarzazate
- We accept payment through PayPal, bank transfers in Europe, by credit card, or cash (USD, Euro, GBP or MAD)
- We offer a 25% discount for children under 12, and one child under 3 per family travels free of charge
- These prices are liable to fluctuation according to the current exchange rate
- Our prices can be subject to an increase over the busy season, and, in particular, the Christmas and New Year’s Eve period
Prices per person
| No Days | Meals |
|---|---|
| All-inclusive | |
| Total price | |
| 2 Persons |
|---|
| 675 € * |
| 1350 € * |
| 3 Persons |
|---|
| 645 € * |
| 1935 € * |
| 4 Persons |
|---|
| 615 € * |
| 2460 € * |
| 5 Persons |
|---|
| 595 € * |
| 2975 € * |
| 6 Persons |
|---|
| 595 € * |
| 3570 € * |
Marrakech to Erg Chegaga desert tour 5 days – itinerary:
1st day: Marrakech – Dades gorges
Your morning departure is at 8.30 from your riad in Marrakech to cross the High Atlas Mountains to reach the Berber south of Morocco. This part of the country is marked by the Tichka pass, the highest pass in Africa.
After the main town in the area, Ouarzazate, you continue to the Skoura Oasis. The gardens and fields produce olives, almonds, lucerne, barley and diverse fruit trees. Many abandoned and ruined kasbahs stand amongst the palm trees, but the most famous one, Kasbah Amredhil, has been beautifully restored.
From here, you will pass through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, where you will find many shops offering the nationally treasured cosmetic articles made from the local Damascene roses. On arrival in the Dades Valley, you will spend the night in a lovely guest house.
2nd day: Dades gorges – Zagora
After breakfast, we travel south over the Tizi-n-Tazzazert pass at 2283 in Saghro mountain range. (“Saghro” in Tamazight, the Berber language, means “drought” to which the rocks and soil bear witness). Annual rainfall is only 100 mm in the southern slopes and 300 mm at the summits.
You reach Nqob on the other side of the mountains in time for lunch. Your route takes you to the Dra’a Valley, which you join at Tansikht, to turn south along the main road to Zagora. This road follows the ancient route used by the camel caravans between the Dra’a River and the mountains. Local life in the valley is clearly visible in the small villages and the oases.
We stop just south of the town in a local riad.
3rd day: Zagora – Chegaga dunes
The next morning the road leads further south to M’hamid and Erg Lihoudi, right at the edge of the Sahara desert. Lunch will be in M’hamid itself, and later you will have an opportunity to visit the old “ksar” of Mhamid. This is built entirely in adobe and some streets are covered over to shield the inhabitants from the mid-day heat.
Another 60km through the varying features of the desert; ‘erg’ (dunes) and ‘hammada’ (stony desert) brings you to the Erg Chegaga dunes. These are the most expansive dunes in Morocco and are approximately 300m high and 35km long. A camel ride is scheduled to watch the sunset from the top of the dunes.
Dinner and the night are at a luxury camp with a private bathroom, large beds, Moroccan furnishings and lamps all tastefully arranged, adding to the relaxation in the silence and beauty of the dunes.
4th day: Chegaga dunes – Ouarzazate
After breakfast, the road out of the desert traverses a further 90km of the desert, passing over the dry Lake Iriqui. At the edge of the lake it is possible to search for fossils.
As you leave the desert you come to Foum Zguid. “Foum” means “mouth” – so designates the mouth/source of the Zguid River. You travel north past unusual rock formations and oases of palm trees until we reach Taznakht, a small Berber town, well-known for its knotted and woven rugs. This is where you have lunch before travelling west and on to Ouarzazate for the night in a riad.
5th day: Ouarzazate – Marrakech
After breakfast, you continue your trip to the desert to visit the famous Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou. This site has frequently been used as the backdrop to memorable scenes of film masterpieces, such as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Gladiator”. It is also one of Morocco’s nine UNESCO World Heritage sites.
After visiting the Kasbah, you drive north along the beautiful Ounila Valley, full of gardens and fields down below the road as it follows the river bed. At the end of the valley, you reach Kasbah Telouet, the palatial residence of the one-time Pasha of Marrakech, Thami Glaoui. After Glaoui’s property was confiscated after his support of the French plan to exile the King, the Kasbah was plundered and abandoned.
Sadly, the entire Kasbah is presently closed due to the destruction caused by the earthquake that hit Morocco in September 2023. Nonetheless, you can still enjoy the exterior with a local guide to uncover its fascinating history.
The drive back to Marrakech crosses the Tizi-n-Tichka pass again. You reach the city at the end of the afternoon, bringing your Marrakech to Erg Chegaga desert tour 5 days to a close!
