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Marrakech to Erg Chegaga desert tour 3 days – overview:
The enticement of the Erg Chegaga dunes lies in their distance from civilisation as we know it. You will constantly have the distinct impression of having arrived in a different world – new, exciting, and oriental.
This other-world feeling is achieved by visiting the most famous Kasbahs: Telouet, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kasbah Aït ben Haddou and the ancient Tamnougalte in the Dra’a Valley, all witnesses to Berber life and culture.
The potteries famous for their green glaze, the Koranic Library with its magnificent manuscripts in Tamgroute, and the Berber carpet-making skills in Taznakht showcase wonderful Moroccan artistry.
The trip’s peak experience of riding camels before night-fall and the panoply of stars in a comfortable luxury desert camp are the absolute highlights of this trip.
Experience the majesty and wonder of our completely unique range of Marrakech Desert tours. Discover the tour itinerary below. Your journey starts here!
3-day Erg Chegaga dunes tour from Marrakech – highlights:
- Visiting the three famous Kasbahs of Telouet, Aït ben Haddou and Tamnougalte
- Going off-road through the Dra’a Valley with its palm groves, Kasbahs and gardens
- Riding camels in the majestic dunes of Erg Chegaga desert to watch the spectacular sunset
- Visiting the green pottery workshops and Quranic Library in the village of Tamgroute
- Hunting for fossils on the edge of Lake Iriki, and finding out about Berber rug crafts in Taznakht
What is included in Marrakech to Erg Chegaga desert tour 3 days:
- Transport in a private air-conditioned vehicle; 4×4 Toyota Prado TX and fuel
- Pick-up from and drop-off at your riad or hotel in Marrakech
- Experienced local English/French/Spanish/Italian-speaking Berber and nomad driver/guide
- The night in a luxury camp in Erg Chegaga with a private toilet and shower
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
- A camel ride with a guide. If you wish to do some sandboarding, just speak to the camp staff!
- Luggage service to the camp and all accommodation
- Berber drumming and music
- Free time to explore the sites such as 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 this 3-day desert tour to Erg Chegaga:
- This Marrakech to Erg Chegaga desert tour 3 days can be customised to be more personal and special
- You can always consult your driver about skipping some spots in order 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 us in the office in Ouarzazate
- We accept payment through PayPal, bank transfers in Europe, by credit card, or cash (USD, Euro, GBP or MAD)
- We offer a 25% discount for children under 12, and one child under 3 per family travels 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
Prices per person
| No Days | Meals |
|---|---|
| All-inclusive | |
| Total price | |
| 2 PERSONS |
|---|
| 445 € * |
| 890 € * |
| 3 PERSONS |
|---|
| 425 € * |
| 1275 € * |
| 4 PERSONS |
|---|
| 415 € |
| 1660 € * |
| 5 PERSONS |
|---|
| 385 € * |
| 1925 € * |
| 6 PERSONS |
|---|
| 385 € * |
| 2310 € * |
Desert tour from Marrakech to Erg Chegaga 3 days – itinerary:
1st day: Marrakech – Agdez
At 8.30 you will depart from your hotel or riad in Marrakech to cross the High Atlas Mountains. Shortly after you descend from the highest point, a road leads off to the left heading for Kasbah Telouet. Now in ruins, it used to belong to the “Lords of the Atlas”, the Glaoui family. The two main parts have been exposed to the wind and the rain, having been abandoned and plundered.
Unfortunately, the whole Kasbah is now closed due to the damage caused by the earthquake that struck Morocco in September 2023. Nevertheless, it is still worth visiting the exterior with a local guide to discover its rich history.
Driving south, you follow along the beautiful Ounila Valley with surprising rock and soil colours, little Berber villages and fields, plus more humble Kasbahs. Almost at the end of the road, you reach Kasbah Aït ben Haddou, where you will probably have lunch.
This Kasbah makes up one of Morocco’s nine UNESCO World Heritage sites and is the most spoken about Kasbah in the country. The architectural style with its earthen constructions are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions, in harmony with the natural and social environment. Probably originating in the 17th century, it is also famous as the backdrop to many Hollywood classical and Biblical films.
Having driven through Ouarzazate, we continue south over the Tizi-n-Tinfifte pass to Agdez. Descending from the pass you will immediately be struck by the view of the large number of palm trees in the oasis. This marks the start of the Dra’a Valley which produces a remarkable 44 varieties of dates. The harvest begins in September and lasts a month or so. Agdez is one of the best places to choose from this wide selection for the freshest and tastiest ones.
You will spend the night in a local guest house.
2nd day: Agdez – Chegaga Dunes
After breakfast, a visit to Kasbah Tamnougalte, the oldest kasbah in the Dra’a Valley is on the timetable. Sill inhabited in parts, the Jewish quarter has been crumbling ever since the departure of its inhabitants to Israel – the last person left in 1963.
From here, we take the ancient caravan road. During the era of the caravans treks, this road was used to carry goods from sub-Saharan Africa and Morocco. The road passes between the mountains and the river, through many villages and gardens. So you will gain a better idea of the current way of Berber life in the life-giving oases.
Just before the police check-point in Tansikht, the driver can point out the dinosaur footprints in the rock right at the side of the road. A little further on, you arrive in Tinsouline, from where you can drive about a kilometre to the fascinating rock carvings of animals long extinct in Morocco. This is Foum Chenna, some 4000 years old.
Zagora is the largest town before the Sahara and where you shall stop for lunch. In Tamgroute, the potteries which are famous for their green glaze are well worth visiting. This is also true of the ancient Quranic library with exquisite hand-written Arabic texts.
In the afternoon you continue the last stretch to M’hamid, the gate to the desert and the end of the asphalted road. In the Erg Lihoudi dunes, you will stop for lunch, or alternatively in Kasbah Touareg in Ksar Bounou.
The Erg Chegaga dunes (300m) involve 60km driving through the desert. These dunes are far away from civilisation, far out in the real desert ……. and the silence and the expanse of the sand are extraordinary. Here you can take a camel ride.
You have dinner and spend the night at a luxury camp with private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings.
3rd day: Erg Chegaga – Marrakech
After breakfast, you travel across another 90km of the desert with varying scenery. At the dry Lake Iriqui, you may well experience a mirage in the heat, and will also have an opportunity to look for small fossils.
Lunch may be in Foum Zguid, the first village after the desert. “Foum” means “mouth”; i.e “mouth/source” of the Zguid River. The road north passes unusual amazing rock formations to the small town of Taznakht. This small town is famous for its Berber carpets and rugs, where you can watch women working at their looms. Lunch could alternatively be here.
From here we cross the High Atlas again, this time by a slightly different road. You reach Marrakech at the end of the afternoon, having had the best possible Saharan desert trip in all Morocco.
