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Essaouira to Erg Chegaga desert tour 5 days – overview:
Wouldn’t the perfect Moroccan holiday be to combine a relaxing beach vacation with a desert adventure?
On this one, you travel south along the Atlantic, walk along Taroudant’s massive ramparts, visit the local, government-run saffron museum in Taliouine and watch Berber rug making in Taznakht,
At the luxury camp, there is a camel ride into the dunes, and later Berber and nomad music around a campfire. The following day is an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wild and still untouched desert of Erg Chegaga.
In Tamgrout, you have a chance to learn about the unique techniques of the local pottery as well as the unique history of the Qoranic school and library of exquisite manuscripts.
One of the most spectacular visits of this trip is to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kasbah Aït ben Haddou, and later Kasbah Telouet; the two most famous Kasbahs in the country.
Depending on your further schedules, you can choose to end this desert tour in Essaouira and we can adjust the itinerary accordingly. Let us know!
Essaouira to Erg Chegaga tour – highlights:
- Travelling along the Atlantic Coast and through traditional Berber villages all along the way
- Touring the massive ramparts of Taroudant and visiting the local saffron museum in Taliouine
- In Taznakht learning about the ancient art of Berber rug weaving passed from mother to daughter
- Going on a full day’s camel trek in the dunes to appreciate the wild desert of Erg Chegaga
- Learning about the special techniques at the local pottery with its iconic green glaze in Tamegroute
- Visiting Kasbah Tamnougalte which is still partially inhabited for hundreds of years
- Visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kasbah Aït ben Haddou and Kasbah Telouet
What is included in this desert tour from Essaouira:
- Transport in a private air-conditioned vehicle; 4×4 Toyota Prado TX and fuel
- Pick-up from your hotel in Essaouira and drop-off at your riad in Marrakech
- Experienced local English/French/Spanish/Italian-speaking Berber and nomad drive-guide
- Accommodation in air-conditioned rooms/suites with private bathroom
- Two nights in a luxury desert camp in Erg Chegaga with a private toilet and shower
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
- Full-day camel trekking around the dunes of Erg Chegaga
- Luggage service to the camp and all accommodation
- Berber drumming and music
- 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 when and where you wish
- Entrance fees and local guide
- Tea, coffee, and mineral water in the desert
What is not included:
- Drinks
- Tips
- Extras
Know before you go:
- You can customise this desert tour from Essaouira to Erg Chegaga to suit your interests better
- According to weather conditions from May to the end of September, it may be necessary to find an alternative to the second day of trekking in the dunes
- Here is a downloadable packing list to help plan for your Moroccan desert tour
- We require a 30% deposit of the total price to confirm the booking while the balance is paid to us in the office in Ouarzazate
- We offer a 25% discount for all children under 12, while, in any one family, one child below 3 can travel free of charge
- The balance is payable through PayPal, bank transfers in Europe, by credit card, or cash (USD, euro, GBP, or MAD)
- To start this tour from Marrakech, please visit From Desert to Sea 5 days
- 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 |
|---|
| 645 € * |
| 1290 € * |
| 3 Persons |
|---|
| 615 € * |
| 1845 € * |
| 4 Persons |
|---|
| 585 € * |
| 2340 € * |
| 5 Persons |
|---|
| 545 € * |
| 2725 € * |
| 6 Persons |
|---|
| 545 € * |
| 3270 € * |
Essaouira to Erg Chegaga desert tour – itinerary:
1st day: Essaouira – Taroudant
Your desert tour from Essaouira to Chegaga Desert will start with the driver fetching you from your hotel at 8.30 in an air-conditioned 4×4 car. You drive south past isolated Atlantic Coast beaches and traditional Berber villages towards Agadir, one of Morocco’s best-known beach resorts. From here you continue eastwards going inland to Taroudant. You will travel along the Souss River Valley with all its argan trees growing on the hilly slopes at the side of the road.
Upon your arrival in Taroudant, known as the “The Little Marrakech”, you have an opportunity to explore its beautiful walled medina and photograph its massive ramparts. At night, a beautiful riad offers a traditional dinner and a relaxing night’s rest.
2nd day: Taroudant – Chegaga dunes
After breakfast in your riad, you continue to Taliouine, the most well-known saffron growing area in Morocco. Here, you can visit the government-run and interesting little museum dedicated to explaining all about the cultivation of this “golden” crop. The scent of saffron as you enter is strong, even though the precious pistils are enclosed in small glass jars. Later you will cross the two passes of Tizi-n-Tighatine and Tizi-n-Ikhsane, arriving in Taznakht, where you can learn all about Berber women’s rug-making.
From Taznakht, you turn south driving past fascinating rock formations and wider, flatter fields as you approach the edge of the Sahara Desert. As you drive further and further, the excitement mounts as to when exactly you will get to the desert. Finally, there it is, the last village before the desert, Foum Zguid, and you set off out into a new, exciting and unknown world – the vast Sahara.
First of all, you need to cross the now dry Lake Iriqui where you can stop to hunt for fossils, if so inclined. Then, the itinerary takes you past the various features of the desert; dunes, stony desert with larger stones, getting gradually smaller as you drive further into the sea of sand.
At the Erg Chegaga dunes the spectacle of the sunset from the top of the dunes is quite amazing and memorable sight; a highlight of your desert trip. Back again at the foot of the dunes, you have dinner and spend the night in a camp of luxury tents. First, though there is a nomad and Berber drumming and music around a fire camp.
3rd day: Erg Chegaga
After breakfast at the camp, you have a unique opportunity to join a guide on a full-day desert trek to explore the wild and expansive dunes of Erg Chegaga. You are accompanied by camels, which you can ride should you wish. They will carry everything needed for your lunch to be prepared out among the dunes by your camel man. Many say this is the best meal during the whole of their Moroccan adventure.
Your nomad guide and camel man will help you navigate the varying landscapes of the Sahara Desert, “hamada – flat desert”, “erg – dunes”, and oases. And who better to explain about the life of desert nomads as they themselves grew up in this environment? Urban dwellers will be full of awe at how people survive this harsh environment. You will not meet a single nomad who does not long for these dunes, their peace, calm and exquisite beauty.
You will walk for about three hours in the morning to reach the oasis where you will stop for lunch. In the afternoon, another three-hour camel trek through the rolling dunes leads to the highest dunes of Erg Chegaga.
Back at the campsite, you can enjoy your well-deserved dinner under the starlit sky of the Sahara Desert. Once again you will share a relaxing evening of Berber music and drumming with the nomads and other guests. Later at night, your private luxury tent offers a well-earned night’s repose.
Weather conditions and temperatures in South Morocco are rarely stable. Should it become too hot from May through to the end of September, we may have to advise you not to attempt the trekking in the dunes. We can discuss an alternative stay elsewhere.
4th day: Erg Chegaga – Ouarzazate
If you get up early, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight.
After breakfast, the itinerary crosses another 60 km of the desert road to arrive in M’hamid, the first village at the very edge of the desert and the beginning of the paved road north. After a tea break, you continue to drive up the Dra’a Valley, the longest valley in Morocco.
In Tamgrout village, you have a chance to learn about the unique way local clay is treated and can visit the kilns used for this unique pottery, which is famous throughout the country. The Quranic Library is a fascinating place to visit and absolutely one of a kind with its wonderful manuscripts and long history as a Quranic school.
Lunch is scheduled in Zagora, the largest oasis in the Dra’a Valley, particularly famous for its 44 different types of dates. Afterwards, you follow the ancient route of the caravans travelling by fortified Kasbahs and green oases as far as Agdez. Here, you will visit Kasbah Tamnougalt with a local guide. It is the oldest kasbah in the Dra’a Valley and is still inhabited by a few families.
Then you cross the Anti-Atlas Mountains and Tizi-n-Tinfifite pass to arrive in Ouarzazate where you have dinner and spend the night in an authentic riad.
5th day: Ouarzazate – Marrakech or Essaouira
After breakfast, the road takes you to Kasbah Aït ben Haddou, one of Morocco’s eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the film set for many Hollywood cinematic works. It is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and some of the buildings date back to the 17th century, so is a must-see on any desert trip to the south. You can explore the kasbah on your own but to understand more of its significance, it is recommended that you go with a local guide. He can explain its interesting history whilst you photograph its adobe-built housing.
From here, you drive north along the beautiful and inspiring Ounila Valley, full of Berber villages and gardens, as well as fortified Kasbahs. You continue to Kasbah Telouet, situated right in the midst of the mountains and once the seat of the last Pasha of Marrakech, El Glaoui.
The kasbah now stands in ruins exposed to the wind and the rain, having been abandoned and plundered after the last Pasha’s property was confiscated for his having plotted the King’s exile. Wait to be pleasantly surprised by the traditional interior decoration as you reach the farthest end of the Kasbah.
Regrettably, the entire Kasbah is now closed because of the harm from the earthquake in Morocco in September 2023. However, it’s well worthwhile looking at the outside with a local guide to learn about its interesting history.
At the end of the afternoon, you cross the High Atlas Mountains and the much straightened out Tizi-n-Tichka pass with its fantastic views and finally, arrive in Marrakech. Your Erg Chegaga Desert tour from Essaouira comes to its end when your driver escorts you to your hotel.
It is possible to end the tour in Essaouira instead and to adjust the itinerary accordingly. Let us know if this is important to you.
