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Ouarzazate desert tour to the Erg Chegaga dunes – overview:
Booking this tour ensures immersing yourself in the heart of the Sahara, where an unforgettable camel ride awaits you in the vast Erg Chegaga dunes. You will spend the night in luxurious private tents nestled among the dunes, surrounded by the serene and majestic expanse of the desert.
Your journey begins with a drive over the stunning Anti-Atlas Mountains to Agdez, situated at the head of the Dra’a Valley. Here, you will visit the largest Kasbah in the valley, Kasbah Tamnougalte. Then, you will follow ancient caravan routes, passing numerous historic Kasbahs and lush oases, typical of this beautiful region of Morocco.
In Tamegroute, you will have the opportunity to explore the famous green glaze pottery workshops and the exquisite manuscripts of the Quranic Library. As you enter the Sahara Desert, you will encounter many distinctive desert features and can hunt for fossils at the edge of the dry Lake Iriqui.
You will visit small Berber villages, gaining insights into life in the oases both on your way to the dunes and on your return journey. On the way back to Ouarzazate, you will learn about the ancient art of Berber rug-making, an essential local craft and source of income.
Desert tour from Ouarzazate to the Erg Chegaga dunes – highlights:
- The Anti-Atlas Mountains, the extraordinary Tizi-n-Tinfifte pass, and beautiful Berber villages
- Discovering the Kasbah Tamnougalte and the Dra’a Valley with its palm groves and oases
- Exploring Tamegroute village’s green glaze pottery workshops and the historical Quranic Library
- Trekking on camels, sandboarding, and taking photos of your group as you enjoy the sunset
- Dinner under the starlit sky, followed by an evening of Berber music, and a night in a luxury tent
- Searching for fossils in Lake Iriqui and learning about the craftsmanship of Berber rug and carpet-making
What is included in a Ouarzazate tour to Erg Chegaga 3 days:
- Transport in a private air-conditioned vehicle; 4×4 Toyota Prado TX and fuel
- Experienced local English/French/Spanish/Italian-speaking Berber and nomad driver/guide
- Two nights in luxury camps with private toilet and shower, lamps, traditional handmade Moroccan furnishings in M’hamid & Erg Chegaga
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available.
- A camel ride with a guide. And if you wish to do some sandboarding, just speak to the camp staff!
- Option to go to and return from the camp by 4×4
- Luggage service to the camp and all accommodation
- Berber drumming and music
- Free time to explore the sites such as the Dra’a Valley, Kasbah Tamnougalte, 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
Good to know about Erg Chegaga desert tours from Ouarzazate:
- To visit Merzouga desert, please visit Ouarzazate Desert Tour To Erg Chebbi Dunes 3 days
- Activities such as a full day’s trekking or an extra day in the Erg Chegaga dunes can be added to this Ouarzazate desert trip
- You can always consult your driver about skipping some places 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 the driver or to us in the office in Ouarzazate
- We accept payment through PayPal, bank transfers in Europe, by credit cards, or cash (USD, Euro, GBP, or MAD)
- We offer a 25% discount for all children under 12, while, in any one family, one child below 3 can travel 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
3-day tour from Ouarzazate to the Erg Chegaga desert – itinerary:
1st day: Ouarzazate – M’hamid
Departure at 8.30 by 4×4 setting out south on your 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga, travelling over the Anti-Atlas Mountains and the Tizi-n-Tinfifte pass. On the far side lies Agdez, which is where the Dra’a Valley starts. Shortly after this small town, you stop to visit Kasbah Tamnougalte, the oldest Kasbah in the Dra’a Valley, before taking the ancient caravan road between the river and the mountains for a short while.
On the way, we pass many Berber villages and oases, which indicate how people make their living. Soon after the police checkpoint in Tansikht, a turn off the road at the village of Tinsouline takes you to the fascinating rock carvings of animals long extinct in Morocco at Foum Chenna, which is some 4000 years old.
In the afternoon, you arrive in time for lunch in Zagora, the largest town in the whole area. The next larger village is Tamegroute with a stop for the potteries run by four local families. The ancient Qoranic library with exquisite hand-written Arabic texts are a source of admiration and wonder.
Further south lies M’hamid, known as the gate to the desert, marking the end of the asphalted road. The enormous and mysterious Sahara starts right here.
You have dinner and spend the night at a luxury camp right on the edge of the dunes from where you can watch the sun slowly go down in the far distance.
2nd day: M’hamid – Erg Chegaga dunes
Start your day early with a sunrise view from the dunes, followed by free time to roam the tranquil desert. After breakfast at the camp, you head out to discover the region.
You cross the now frequently dry Dra’a River to visit the old village of M’hamid, where houses are constructed entirely of adobe. This excellent building material keeps out the summer’s searing heat due to the walls’ thickness. You will explore the village and learn about life in this harsh but equally beautiful environment.
In the afternoon, the Erg Chegaga dunes (300m) await after 60km of off-road driving. This route passes different features of the desert; “erg” (dunes) and “ hammada” (stony desert), as well as oases. Out in the full desert, these dunes are far away from any conurbations.
The few nomads remaining lead a desperately hard life, subjected to the vagaries of the wind, sandstorms and sparse rainfall. However, the silence, the expanse of the sand and the magic of this place are all quite awe-inspiring. Here you will enjoy a camel ride to watch the sunset.
Dinner and the night will be in a luxury camp again, equipped with all the amenities of the first desert night in Mhamid.
In the summer months from mid June to early September, it can get very hot in Chegaga and so we advise you to take the trip to Erg Chebbi outside Merzouga instead.
3rd day: Erg Chegaga dunes – Ouarzazate
If you get up early, you will witness an amazing sunrise, with the colours of the dunes and the play of the shadows in the emerging light providing an unforgettable sight. You will also have the opportunity to explore the dunes and enjoy the peacefulness of this magical place.
An additional 90 km of stony desert leads you across the now dried-up Lake Iriqui. In the middle of this lake, you are likely to experience a mirage but only if it has been raining very hard, which is rare, but this water is not real. At the lake-side, you can search for fossils; some lying ready to be picked up whilst most are firmly fixed into the rock.
From Foum Zguid, the first village at the desert’s very edge, we drive north to Taznakht, famous for its Berber rugs and carpets, where we stop for lunch. Turning back east we arrive in Ouarzazate at the end of the afternoon.
Your 3-day tour from Ouarzazate to the Erg Chegaga dunes tour comes to an end around 18:00.
Map of desert tour from Ouarzazate to the Erg Chegaga dunes:
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