3-Day Private Desert Tour: Marrakech to Erg Chigaga
- Duration
- 3 Days / 2 Nights
- Tour type
- Private
- Tour category
- Desert Tours
- Availability
- To be confirmed by MTT operations.
- Languages
- English
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About this tour
3 Days / 2 Nights from Marrakech to Erg Chigaga (M'Hamid and Draa Valley). From EUR 285 per person.
Tour highlights
- An off-road 4x4 run over erg, reg, hammada and oases to the dunes of Erg Chigaga
- Camel trek over the Erg Chigaga dunes at sunset
- A night at the Erg Chigaga desert camp, with a Moroccan dinner and music round the fire played by local nomads
- Camel ride at sunrise on Day 3
- M'Hamid, the point where the paved road stops and the Sahara starts
- 90 km of shifting desert, taking in the dried salt lake at Iriqui and the old Paris-Dakar rally track
- A Toyota Land Cruiser to yourselves, air-conditioned, with an English-speaking driver-guide for 3 days
- The High Atlas crossing at the Tizi n'Tichka pass, 2,260 m, with photo stops
- The Draa Valley, described as Morocco's longest oasis, more than 200 km of it, with fortified kasbahs among the date palms
- A half-board night in Zagora at a hotel with ensuite rooms, air conditioning, a pool and a garden
- Foum Zguid, the village where the desert ends
- Taznakht, known for its Berber carpets
- the source page had no highlights section, so the list above was assembled from the summary facts and the itinerary
- Availability and operating season: not published
- Maximum group size: not published, with prices shown only up to 5 people
Route at a glance
3 Days / 2 Nights · Marrakech → Erg Chigaga M'Hamid
- Marrakech Starting point
- Draa Valley
- Erg Chigaga M'Hamid
About this tour
A private three-day round trip from Marrakech to the remote dunes of Erg Chigaga. The vehicle is a Toyota Land Cruiser and the driver-guide speaks English. Day 1 takes the Tizi n'Tichka pass over the High Atlas and drops down the Draa Valley to a hotel in Zagora for the night. Day 2 runs south to M'Hamid, where the tarmac gives out, then off-road over erg, reg and hammada to Erg Chigaga, with a camel trek at sunset and a camp for the night, where dinner is served and there is music at the fire. Day 3 begins with a sunrise camel ride, crosses the dried lake at Iriqui and the old Paris-Dakar track before Foum Zguid, then returns straight to Marrakech by way of Taznakht and the Tizi n'Tichka, about eight hours of driving. You reach the same dunes as our four-day Erg Chigaga tour, minus the night in Ouarzazate and the stop at Aït Ben Haddou. From 285 EUR per person, which pays for the vehicle, collection and return at your hotel, half board on both nights and both camel treks.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary- Day 1 of 3
Marrakech - Tizi n'Tichka - Draa Valley - Zagora (7h drive) / Over the Atlas and Down the Draa to Zagora
Pickup at your Marrakech hotel or riad is at 07:30. The road heads southeast into the High Atlas, past Berber villages and almond groves, climbing to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, and stopping for photographs where the view earns it. The afternoon is the descent into the Draa Valley, Morocco's longest oasis at more than 200 km, where date palms and fortified kasbahs stand over fields of corn, barley and henna the whole way to Zagora. You arrive late in the afternoon and check in at a hotel with ensuite rooms, air conditioning, a pool and a garden. Dinner is at the hotel and the night is spent in Zagora.
- Day 2 of 3
Zagora - M'Hamid - Off-Road - Erg Chigaga - Sunset Camel - Camp (4h drive) / M'Hamid, the Off-Road Crossing and a Sunset Ride into the Deep Sahara
After breakfast the route runs south from Zagora to M'Hamid, the point where the paved road gives out and the Sahara begins; lunch there is at your leisure and is not included. Early in the afternoon the tarmac runs out for good and the Land Cruiser works across erg, which is sand, reg, which is gravel, hammada, which is stone plateau, and the occasional oasis, until the Erg Chigaga dunes show on the horizon. Come evening you climb onto a camel for a sunset trek over the dunes and finish at the desert camp, where dinner is Moroccan and eaten under the stars, local nomads play round the fire and the sky above is thick with stars. The night is spent at the Erg Chigaga desert camp, in a private tent with shared bathrooms, dinner and breakfast included.
- Day 3 of 3
Erg Chigaga - Iriqui Lake - Foum Zguid - Taznakht - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (~8h drive) / Sunrise on the Dunes, the Iriqui Salt Flat, the Anti-Atlas and Straight Back to Marrakech
An early call before dawn puts you on a camel for a sunrise ride over the Erg Chigaga dunes, and breakfast follows at camp. About 90 km of shifting desert terrain comes next, taking in the flat salt pan of Iriqui, the foothills of the Anti-Atlas and the old Paris-Dakar rally track, and Foum Zguid, the village that marks the end of the desert, arrives around midday; lunch is taken there. The afternoon runs north through Taznakht, known for its Berber carpets, and back over the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka pass. You are in Marrakech by early evening, dropped at your hotel or riad. Be aware that Day 3 puts roughly eight hours behind the wheel. If you would rather come back at a gentler pace, with a night in Ouarzazate and a stop at Aït Ben Haddou, our four-day Erg Chigaga tour does exactly that.
What's included
Included
- A Toyota Land Cruiser, private and air-conditioned, with your own English-speaking driver-guide for 3 days
- Collection from
- return to your Marrakech hotel or riad
- Night 1: a hotel in Zagora, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board
- Night 2: the Erg Chigaga desert camp, private tent with shared bathrooms, dinner and breakfast
- The sunset camel trek on Day 2
- the sunrise camel ride on Day 3
- The option of upgrading to a luxury ensuite camp, +125 EUR per person
Not included
- Midday meals and drinks
- Site entrance fees, settled on the spot
- Local guides where you want one, paid directly
- Gratuities for your driver-guide
- Travel insurance, which we recommend
What to bring
- Light layers
- Warm layers for the desert
- Shoes you can walk in
- A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Jeans for the camel ride
- A small backpack for the camp, since your main luggage stays in the vehicle
Frequently asked questions
What is the case for three days rather than four at Erg Chigaga?
You see the same remote dunes and spend one night fewer, dropping the night in Ouarzazate and the Aït Ben Haddou visit. The cost is a longer Day 3 of about 8 hours behind the wheel. It suits travellers who are short of time.
How long is the journey home on Day 3?
Roughly 8 hours from Erg Chigaga to Marrakech, the road going by Iriqui lake, then Foum Zguid, then Taznakht and finally the Tizi n'Tichka, with lunch and photographs breaking it up.
What does the four-day version include that this one does not?
The overnight in Ouarzazate, the Atlas Film Studios, the library and pottery at Tamagroute, and the guided walk through Aït Ben Haddou. If those matter to you, take our four-day tour instead.
Does three days feel rushed?
Days 1 and 2 move at the same unhurried pace as the four-day version. Only Day 3 is long, and the Iriqui and Atlas scenery keeps it from dragging.
What exactly is the Iriqui dry lake?
It is a salt lake gone dry and flat, sitting between Erg Chigaga and Foum Zguid. Water and birdlife filled it once and it is an empty expanse today. The route across it follows the old Paris-Dakar rally track.
Is there a luxury camp option?
Yes. The luxury ensuite camp adds 125 EUR per person and puts you in a private tent with a hot shower. Ask for it when you book.
Will you collect me from my riad?
Yes, pickup is at your hotel or riad. Where the streets are closed to cars, your driver waits at the nearest point he can reach.
What do I need to pack for three days?
Light layers, warm layers for the desert, comfortable shoes, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Jeans make sense on the camel, and one small backpack covers the camp because everything else stays in the vehicle.
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