Erg Chegaga Desert Trekking from Marrakech – 8 days

Sahara Desert Trekking in Morocco 8 days:

Embark on an enchanting expedition as you depart from Marrakech and transition gracefully from the city’s hustle and bustle to the heart of the Sahara Desert. The highlight of this odyssey is a captivating four-day camel trek through diverse desert landscapes. With about four to five hours of trekking both in the morning and afternoon, your nights are a dream under the starry Saharan sky.

But this tour is more than just landscapes; it’s a cultural voyage. Immerse yourself in the history of Kasbahs, witness the artistry of a pottery workshop, delve into the pages of a Quranic library, and marvel at the intricacies of carpet and rug making. As you traverse your path, you might chance upon nomadic camps and even unearth geological wonders like fossils at Lake Iriqui.

This journey is an immersive adventure that unveils the mesmerising beauty and rich culture of the Sahara Desert.

Highlights:

• Travel through the scenic landscapes of the Atlas Mountains and beautiful Berber villages
• Tour ancient Kasbahs: Kasbah Teleout and, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou
• Desert trekking for four days and three nights from M’hamid to the Erg Chegaga dunes
• Spend two nights in authentic nomad camps in M’hamid and Erg Chegaga dunes
• Drive through the Draa Valley with its fortified kasbah, huge palm groves and green oases
• Learn about pottery crafts in Tamgroute village and visit a carpet cooperative in Taznakht

What is included:

• Transport in a private air-conditioned & comfortable 4WD vehicle
• Experienced English-speaking nomad driver-guide
• Pick-up from and drop-off at your hotel in Marrakech
• All meals: breakfast lunch & dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
• Accommodation in comfortable hotels with air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms
• Two nights in a nomad desert camp in M’hmid and Erg Chegaga under private & comfortable tents with bathrooms and shower
• Desert trekking for four days and three nights to discover the Sahara Desert
• Berber drumming & music in the desert camp
• Hiking amid beautiful scenery and free time to explore the sites of interest
• Tea/ coffee in the desert

Not included:

• Entrance fees
• Tipping

Itinerary:

1st day: Marrakech – Agdz

Morning departure from your hotel in Marrakech at 08:30, heading south on your desert trekking adventure. You travel across the magnificent Atlas Mountains and through beautiful Berber villages. From these mountains, the views over the valleys and the Berber villages perched on the mountainsides, sometimes barely distinguishable from the mountains themselves, are spectacular.

After crossing the Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2260 m), the highest peak in North Africa, you take a side road to Kasbah Telouet. The Kasbah was the seat of the El Glaoui family, thus sometimes also called the Palace of Glaoui.

From here, you continue to descend the mountains until you finally reach Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, which you will visit after lunch. This is the most famous kasbah in all of Morocco and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Kasbah is also renowned for its use as a filming location for many Hollywood blockbusters including “Alexander the Great”, “The Mummy,” “The Jewel of the Nile,” and “Kingdom of Heaven”.

Having crossed Ouarzazate, you travel south over the Anti-Atlas Mountains as far as Agdz, an oasis town well-known for the variety of palm dates. As you start to descend the Tizi-n-Tinfifite pass (1660m), you will be amazed by the splendid views of the extensive green oases and the innumerable palm trees, all indicating the beginning of the Dra’a Valley.

You will spend the night in a beautiful guest house at the edge of the valley.

2nd day: Agdz – M’ahmid

Agdz is situated on the ancient Caravan Road, which historically transported goods from Mali and Niger across the Sahara Desert. Today, its palm groves yield an impressive 44 varieties of dates.

We briefly depart from the main road through the Dra’a Valley, passing villages to better understand local life near the oases. We stop at Kasbah Tamnougalte, the Dra’a Valley’s oldest Kasbah. Some parts of it are still inhabited, while others, especially the Jewish quarter, have deteriorated since its residents left for Israel in 1963.

Continuing our desert trek from Marrakech, we follow the Ancient Caravans road south to Zagora, the last significant oasis for lunch. Near Zagora, we explore local green pottery cooperatives and an old Quranic library in Tamgroute village.

In the afternoon, our desert adventure goes further south to M’hamid, the Sahara Desert gateway and the end of the paved road.

We drive 45 minutes to an hour to the dunes outside M’hamid on the Sahara’s edge. There, we have dinner and spend the night in a luxury desert camp in a private tent equipped with modern amenities.

3rd day: M’ahmid – Erg Zahar dunes

Departure from the fixed bivouac with the camel team. We will walk to the rhythm of the camel caravan, leaving the palm trees behind us. It is the sea of ​​the desert which begins. We will cross some sites of ancient dwellings, where you can find pieces of pottery and traces of the ancestral civilizations that inhabited the desert.

After this hike in the desert, lunch will be taken under the shade of the tree, accompanied by tea. In the evening, we will visit the mausoleum of the marabout Sidi Naji, an opportunity to discover local history and customs.

The bivouac will be set up between the dunes.

4th day: Erg Zahar dunes

Today, we will leave for the orange dunes of Erg Zahar. As we progress through the heart of the desert, the tamarisk trees become rarer, and the view becomes more and more spectacular. We will visit the old nomadic market. It was formerly the place of commercial exchanges between the Nomads and the caravans which arrived from Africa.

After lunch in the shade of a tamarisk, we will reach the spectacular dunes of Erg Zahar, with their unique shapes drawn by the wind. But it is when you reach the top that you will be struck by the beauty of the view of the surrounding dunes.

Our bivouac will be set up in the heart of the dunes for a night under the stars.

5th day: Erg Zahar dunes – Erg Smar dunes

We will continue towards Erg Smar, characteristic dunes in shades of orange and golden colours. We will cross a plateau then the Draa Valley. This valley, dried up since the construction of the Ouarzazate dam, is the longest in Morocco. It was the main water supplier for M’Hamid Sahara.

The lunch break will take place in the shade of a tamarisk accompanied by a nomadic tea. In the evening you can take a walk to the well where our camels will go to drink. This will be an opportunity for a natural shower to cool off.

Traces of ancient nomadic dwellings in Erg Smar can be visited on the way back.

6th day: Erg Smar – Erg Ait Ounir

We leave Erg Smar, to join Erg ait Ounir. We will cross a hilly plateau with only a few dunes. After a few hours of walking, the landscape changes when arriving at Erg ait Ounir. Between the large Tamarisks, the vegetation is enriched.

This evening, the dromedaries will make a feast of all the edible plants, while the Nomads will prepare the bread which will cook on the sand for our treat.

The magnificent dunes of Erg Ait Ounir will be the setting for our bivouac.

7th day: Erg Ait Ounir – Erg Chegaga dunes

Like the Nomads, rising with the sun. We will leave towards Erg Dwib. We will have the essential tea break and lunch at Bo Rabra where it will be possible to meet some camels near the well. After lunch, we will resume our walk to Erg Dwib where we will set up the bivouac.

To finish this stage, we will share a last evening in the desert in a nomadic atmosphere, between simplicity and sharing.

8th day: Erg Chegaga – Marrakech

If you wake up early enough, you can witness the serene spectacle of the sunrise, as it gracefully bathes the dunes in an enchanting array of colours. You will also have time to wonder about the dunes and enjoy some moments of pure peacefulness in this magical setting.

Back at the camp, breakfast is served. Then your adventure continues through another 90km of the Sahara Desert with varying scenery: Lake Iriqui, where you are likely to experience a vast mirage in the heat, the mountains, with the opportunity to look for fossils.

From here, you travel west following the old track of “Rally Paris-Dakar” as far as Foum Zguid, the first village after the desert and the venue for lunch. Then, you drive north along paved roads and past fantastic rock formations to the small town of Taznakht, famous for its Berber carpets and rugs. If interested, you can visit a display room with looms and women at work.

After a tea break in Ouarzazate, you cross the Atlas Mountains via a different road. You will stop at panoramic viewpoints for photos and stretch your legs along the way. You arrive in Marrakech by the end of the afternoon.

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