4-Day Private 4×4 Desert Tour: Marrakech to Erg Chigaga
- Duration
- 4 Days / 3 Nights
- Tour type
- Private
- Tour category
- Desert Tours
- Availability
- Availability is confirmed within 24 hours. No deposit is required in order to enquire.
- Languages
- English
About this tour
4 Days / 3 Nights from Marrakech to Erg Chigaga (deep Sahara and near M'Hamid). From EUR 285 per person.
Tour highlights
- The Erg Chigaga dunes, which only a 4x4 can reach
- Leaving the tarmac at M'Hamid to cross erg, reg, hammada and oases by Land Cruiser
- Camel trek at sunset on Day 2 and again at sunrise on Day 3
- A night at an Erg Chigaga desert camp, with a Moroccan dinner and campfire music played by local nomads
- The old Paris-Dakar rally track and the Iriqui dry salt lake
- Tamagroute, with its 13th-century Quranic manuscripts and its green-glazed pottery workshop
- The Draa Valley, the longest oasis in Morocco, lined with kasbahs and date palms
- The Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260m over the High Atlas
- Aït Ben Haddou, UNESCO-listed, walked with a guide
- Taznakht, a town known for its Berber carpets and rugs
- The Atlas Film Studios at Ouarzazate, as an option
- Your own air-conditioned Toyota Land Cruiser, driven by an English-speaking guide
About this tour
Erg Chigaga lies far enough out that no ordinary vehicle reaches it, which is the whole point of this private four-day round trip from Marrakech. Day 1 takes the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka Pass, calls at Ouarzazate and then follows the Draa Valley down to Zagora. Day 2 stops at the Tamagroute Quranic library and its pottery workshop before the tarmac runs out at M'Hamid and the Land Cruiser goes off-road to the dunes, closing with a camel trek at sunset and a night under canvas at a desert camp. Day 3 opens with a sunrise ride, then crosses the Iriqui dry lake and the old Paris-Dakar track, reaching Foum Zguid, Taznakht and finally Ouarzazate. Day 4 takes in the Atlas Film Studios and a guided walk round Aït Ben Haddou, UNESCO-listed, before the last run over the mountains. You travel in your own air-conditioned Toyota Land Cruiser with an English-speaking driver-guide, and dinner and breakfast come with all three nights.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary- Day 1 of 4
Marrakech - Tizi n'Tichka - Ouarzazate - Draa Valley - Zagora (7h drive)
We collect you from your Marrakech hotel or riad at 07:30. The road climbs southeast past Berber villages to Tizi n'Tichka at 2,260m, with photo stops where the viewpoints open up. Lunch is in Ouarzazate. Afterwards comes the Draa River, and beyond it the Draa Valley, the longest oasis in the country, a ribbon of date palms and fortified kasbahs with corn, barley and henna growing between them. Zagora is reached in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at a Zagora hotel on a half-board basis, with an ensuite room, air conditioning, a pool and a garden. A comparable Zagora riad may be used instead.
- Day 2 of 4
Zagora - Tamagroute - M'Hamid - off-road - Erg Chigaga - sunset camel trek - desert camp (4h drive)
After breakfast the route runs to Tamagroute, home to one of the oldest Quranic libraries in Morocco, where manuscripts go back to the 13th century, and to a nearby kasbah with a workshop turning out the green-glazed pottery the village is known for. On to M'Hamid, where the paved road simply stops; lunch there is at leisure. Early in the afternoon the Land Cruiser leaves the road and starts working across sand, gravel, stone plateau and the occasional oasis, until the Erg Chigaga dunes come into view. A camel takes you over the dunes at sunset. Dinner is Moroccan, eaten at the desert camp, and local nomads play around the fire afterwards. Overnight at an Erg Chigaga desert camp, dinner and breakfast included.
- Day 3 of 4
Erg Chigaga - Iriqui dry lake - Foum Zguid - Taznakht - Ouarzazate (6h drive)
Before dawn there is a camel ride out over the Erg Chigaga dunes for sunrise, then breakfast at camp. What follows is roughly 90km of changing desert: the flat pan of the Iriqui dry salt lake, then the foothills of the Anti-Atlas, tracing the old Paris-Dakar rally route, ending at Foum Zguid, the first village out of the desert and the point where tarmac resumes. Lunch is in Foum Zguid. The afternoon carries on through Taznakht, a town known for its Berber carpets and rugs, and Ouarzazate is reached late in the day. Dinner and overnight at a riad in Ouarzazate, or an alternative Ouarzazate hotel, with dinner and breakfast included.
- Day 4 of 4
Ouarzazate - Atlas Film Studios - Aït Ben Haddou - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (4h drive)
After breakfast you may choose to visit Ouarzazate's Atlas Film Studios, the shooting location for Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven and Game of Thrones. Then Aït Ben Haddou: you cross the river with a guide and walk up through the fortified village to see how the traditional Berber architecture was built. Lunch is nearby. The last stretch recrosses the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka Pass, and Marrakech arrives at about 17:00, where you are set down at your hotel or riad.
What's included
Included
- Your own air-conditioned Toyota Land Cruiser and an English-speaking driver-guide, 4 days
- Pickup and drop-off at your hotel or riad in Marrakech
- Night 1: a Zagora hotel, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board
- Night 2: a desert camp at Erg Chigaga, a tent of your own, shared bathrooms, dinner and breakfast
- Night 3: a hotel in Ouarzazate, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board
- Camel trek at sunset on Day 2
- camel ride at sunrise on Day 3
- The option to upgrade to a luxury ensuite camp for 125 EUR more per person
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Site entrance fees, settled on the spot
- Local guides, paid directly where you want one
- Gratuities for your driver-guide
- Travel insurance, which we recommend
What to bring
- To be confirmed by MTT operations
Frequently asked questions
How does Erg Chigaga differ from Erg Chebbi?
Erg Chigaga is remote, reachable only by 4x4, so there are no coaches and no crowds. Erg Chebbi at Merzouga can be reached by any vehicle, and it is far busier as a result.
Are the camp bathrooms private?
In the standard comfortable camp, bathrooms are outside and shared. The luxury camp, at 125 EUR more, gives you a private ensuite with a hot shower.
Can we leave out the camel ride?
Yes. If you would rather not ride, the 4x4 will take you directly to the camp.
Is quad biking available at Erg Chigaga?
Yes. Your guide arranges ATV and quad hire at M'Hamid, and you settle up with the supplier yourself.
How long do the camel rides last?
Roughly an hour at sunset and roughly an hour at sunrise, though the exact timing shifts with the season and the daylight.
What is there to see at Tamagroute?
A village near Zagora holding one of the oldest Quranic libraries in Morocco, with manuscripts from the 13th century, plus a well-known green-glazed pottery workshop. It falls on Day 2.
Could this run over 5 days instead?
Yes, either for a gentler pace or to add stops. Tell us what you have in mind.
What does the fourth day add?
The four-day version buys an Ouarzazate night and a guided walk round Aït Ben Haddou on Day 4, so you get the deep desert and Morocco's best known ksar without rushing either.
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