Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga desert tour 3 days – overview:
A true taste of Saharan adventure awaits you on this 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga, the most remote and untouched dunes of Morocco. First, you will travel through the Anti-Atlas Mountains, where you can soak in breathtaking views. Next, you visit Kasbah Tamnougalte in Agdz followed by an exploration of the Dra’a Valley’s palm groves and adobe Kasbahs. Then, you will discover Tamegroute’s green pottery and an ancient library.
As a part of this adventure, you ride camels up the Erg Lihoudi and the impressive Erg Chegaga dunes, which stand at a remarkable 300 meters in height, offering stunning sunsets. In the evening, you can relish dinners under starry skies, serenaded by nomad music, and retire to the comfort of your private tents in luxury desert camps. Experience 4×4 off-road driving, and fossil hunting at Iriki Lake, and learn about Berber carpet crafting in Taznakht.
Come back to Ouarzazate, carrying treasured memories with you.
3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga – highlights:
- Travel across the Anti-Atlas Mountains, Berber Villages, and Dra’a Valley’s palm-filled beauty
- Discover Tamegroute Village’s green pottery workshops and a historic Quranic Library
- Experience a sunset camel ride, try sandboarding, capture unique photos & dance to nomad music
- Enjoy enchanting dinners under a sky full of stars followed by Berber music around campfires
- Two nights in your private tents in luxur desert camps in the Erg Lihoudi & Erg Chegaga big dunes
- Thrill in 4×4 off-road driving, exploring diverse Sahara features and hunting fossils at Iriki Lake
What is included in this 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga:
- Transportation in a private air-conditioned vehicle; a 4×4 Toyota Prado TX
- Experienced English, French, Spanish, Italian-speaking Berber/Nomad driver-guide
- Pick-up from and drop-off at your hotel in Ouarzazate
- Two nights in luxury desert camps in the Erg Lihoudi and Erg Chegaga dunes: private tents with bathroom & shower, king-sized beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets, lamps & traditional furniture
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
- Bottled water, tea, and coffee in the desert camp
- Sunset camel ride with guide plus free sandboarding if desired
- Possibility to go for short hikes in the midst of beautiful scenery
- Free time to explore sites of interest, for walks, photos and tea/ coffee breaks
- Entrance fees and local guides
- Luggage service to the desert camps
- Personalised service
What is not included
- Drinks
- Tips
- Extras
Good to know desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga:
- It is possible to customise this tour to accommodate your areas of interest, preferred budget, and timetable
- To add variety to your desert adventure, we suggest our 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga
- There is a 25% reduction for children under 12 years old & we do not charge for children under 5 year old
- We ask for a 30% deposit to confirm your booking. The balance can be paid to the driver or at our Ouarzazate office
- We accept payment through PayPal, credit card, bank transfer, or cash(USD, Euro, GBP or MAD)
- These prices can be subject to an increase over the high season, Christmas and New Year’s Eve period
Price details
| Number of persons | 2 Persons | 3 Persons | 4 Persons | 5 Persons | 6 Persons |
| Price per person | 375 € | 345 € | 305 € | 275 € | 275 € |
| Total price | 750 € | 1035 € | 1220 € | 1375 € | 1650 € |
Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga desert tour 3 days – itinerary:
1st day: Ouarzazate – M’hamid
Departure in the morning at 08:30 from your hotel, and you venture south on your 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga. You travel south over the Anti-Atlas Mountains as far as Agdz, a 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.
Agdz is part of the ancient Caravan Road which used to supply goods up from Mali and Niger, having crossed the Sahara. Nowadays, its abundant palm groves produce an impressive 44 varieties of dates.
For a short while, we go off-road through the Dra’a Valley, between the mountains and the river, passing through many villages to gain a better idea of the way of life along the oases. You will stop to visit Kasbah Tamnougalte, the oldest Kasbah in the valley. Some parts of the Kasbah are still inhabited, while others, particularly the Jewish quarter, are now crumbling, having been abandoned.
From here, you continue your 3-day Erg Chegaga desert trip from Ouarzazate, travelling south alongside the ancient Caravans road as far as Zagora, the last largest oasis in the valley and the venue for today’s lunch. Just outside of Zagora, you visit the local green pottery co-operatives and an old Quranic library in Tamgroute village.
In the afternoon, your desert adventure continues further south as far as M’hamid, where the sand alongside the road signifies the beginning of the mighty Sahara Desert. M’hamid village is the gate to the Sahara and the end of the paved road.
Here a camel ride leads to the summit of the dunes to enjoy an unforgettable sunset. You have dinner and spend the night in a luxury desert camp in your own private tent equipped with a toilet & shower, king-sized beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets, carpets & lamps.
2nd day: M’hamid – Erg Chegaga dunes
Get up early to witness the sunrise from the top of the dunes with free time to wander the desert dunes, and immerse yourself in moments of utter tranquillity. Back at the camp, breakfast is served and you set out on your adventure to explore the region.
The old villages here are typical of desert dwellings, where houses are constructed entirely of adobe. This excellent building material keeps out the summer’s searing heat due to the walls’ thickness. You will explore these villages and learn about life in this harsh yet equally beautiful environment.
After lunch, you continue to Erg Chegaga dunes with about 65km of off-road driving through the varying features of the Sahara Desert; ‘erg’ (dunes), ‘hammada’ (stony desert) and oases.
At the campsite, you check in to your tent and enjoy a relaxing glass of tea and Moroccan biscuits. Then, you take a camel ride to watch to summit of the Erg Chegaga dunes, which stand at a remarkable 300 meters in height, offering stunning sunsets. These dunes are far away from civilization, and the silence and the expanse of the sand are overwhelming.
Back at the camp, dinner is served, followed by an evening of nomad music and drumming around a campfire. You spend the night in your private tent, equipped with a private toilet & shower, king-sized beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets & carpets, lamps and beautiful Moroccan furnishings, all tastefully arranged to enhance your stay.
3rd day: Erg Chegaga dunes – Ouarzazate
If you get up early enough, you will be rewarded by an incredible sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an incredible sight. You will also have time to wonder about the dunes and experience the tranquillity of this magical place.
Back at the camp, breakfast is served. Then, your 3-day Erg Chegaga desert tour from Ouarzazate 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.
You travel west from here, following the old track of “Rally Paris-Dakar” as far as Foum Zguid, the first village after the desert and the venue for lunch. From here, 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.
Turning back east, you arrive in Ouarzazate by the end of the afternoon. Your driver will transfer you to your hotel which marks the end of your 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chegaga.
