Erg Chegaga Dunes
Two nights in the sand where the road ends — camels, tamarisk shade, and the biggest sky you will ever sleep under.
- Route length
- 4 days · 340 km
- Best season
- November – February
- Where you base
- Desert camp, M'hamid
The route
Four days into the sand
Most of the driving happens on the first and last days. The middle of the trip is still, deliberately so: a camel hour at dawn, a long afternoon of shade, and a fire once the temperature drops.
We camp two nights minimum. Water and everything else is carried in by vehicle and carried out again.
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Day 1
Marrakech to Zagora
The long run south through Ouarzazate and Agdz — about eight hours with stops. First night in a kasbah, early to bed, alarm set for the tarmac ahead.
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Day 2
Zagora to M'hamid, then into the erg
The tarmac ends at M'hamid and a 4x4 takes over. Camp under the great dunes at Erg Chegaga, where the sand rises a hundred metres above the plain.
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Day 3
A day in the dunes
Walk the ridge at sunrise, read the wind lines, drink tea in the shade of a tamarisk. The only thing you hear out here is the sand moving.
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Day 4
Erg Chegaga to Marrakech
Camels back to the track, 4x4 to M'hamid, then the road home. Everything you brought is packed out again — nothing is left behind.
Where you sleep
Tents under the stars
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Desert camp, Erg Chegaga
Two nights minimum — tents or a mattress under the stars, with a fire, a tagine and no light pollution for miles.
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Riad, M'hamid
Thick walls and a courtyard pool: a real shower and a soft bed before the long drive home.
What to pack
Warmth and water
- Warm layers — 20°C by day, close to freezing at night in January
- A scarf or shemagh for sand and sun
- A headlamp; there is no other light out there
- A refillable bottle — the camp carries the water in
- Sandals for the dunes and boots for the drive
- A cotton bag for everything you bring; nothing plastic stays behind
Plan this route
Tell us your dates and how many nights you want in the dunes. We will arrange the 4x4, the camels and the camp.
Plan this tripOther guides