Private desert tour
4 Days From Marrakech to Erg Chigaga — the Deep Sahara
A private four-day journey from Marrakech to Erg Chigaga, the largest sand sea in Morocco and the one you cannot drive to on a paved road. Over the Tizi n'Tichka, down the Draa Valley through 200 kilometres of palm grove to M'Hamid El Ghizlane, then 60 kilometres of desert piste by 4x4 to a camp among dunes that run for roughly 40 kilometres. Two nights in the erg, a day out to the dry lake of Iriki and the nomad families who still camp there, and a return over the Foum Zguid piste so you never drive the same road twice.
- Duration
- 4 days / 3 nights
- Price
- On request
- Starts
- Marrakech
- Ends
- Marrakech
We price this tour to your dates and party size rather than publishing a figure. Ask and we will reply with a full quote, usually within a few hours.
Most Sahara tours from Marrakech end at Merzouga or Zagora. Chigaga is the third option, and the one people mean when they say they want the real desert.
The difference is the last 60 kilometres. Erg Chebbi at Merzouga has a paved road to the sand and a row of auberges along its edge; Zagora is stony ground with modest dunes and can be done in two days. Chigaga has neither. The tarmac stops at M'Hamid El Ghizlane, and everything after that is piste — about two hours of it in a 4x4 — which is precisely why there is nothing out there but sand, a handful of camps and the families who move with the grazing.
We give it two nights rather than one. One night in a dune camp is a photograph; the second is when you stop checking your phone for a signal that is not coming, and start noticing how quiet it is.
If you would rather have the taller dunes and the shorter drive, take the three-day Merzouga tour instead, and read our comparison of the four deserts before you choose. We would rather you picked the right one than the one we happened to be selling.
Trip highlights
- Erg Chigaga: roughly 40 km of dunes, the largest sand sea in Morocco
- Two nights at a camp inside the erg, not at its edge
- The Draa Valley — 200 km of continuous palm grove and ochre kasbahs
- M'Hamid El Ghizlane, where the tarmac ends and the piste begins
- A 4x4 day to the dry lake of Iriki and the nomad encampments
- Home over the Foum Zguid piste, so no road is driven twice
Day by day
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Day 1
Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka → Aït Ben Haddou → Agdz → Draa Valley
Pick-up at 8am from your riad. The Tizi n'Tichka pass crosses the High Atlas at 2,260 metres, with the argan and walnut villages built into the slopes below it. At Aït Ben Haddou you cross the riverbed on foot and climb through the ksar to the granary at the top. Then Ouarzazate, and south over the Tizi n'Tinififft into the Draa, where the palm grove starts and does not stop for 200 kilometres. Overnight in a kasbah hotel at Agdz or further down the valley.
Meals: Dinner Night: Kasbah hotel in the Draa Valley
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Day 2
Draa Valley → Zagora → M'Hamid → piste → Erg Chigaga
South along the river through Zagora, where the old 'Timbuktu 52 days' sign stands, to M'Hamid El Ghizlane. This is the last town, and the end of the tarmac. From here the route is piste: about 60 kilometres of gravel plain, tamarisk and sand, with the Bougarne massif on one side, until the first dunes of Chigaga rise in front of you. Camels at the edge of the erg for the last stretch into camp, sunset from a dune crest, dinner and a fire.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Night: Desert camp inside Erg Chigaga
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Day 3
Erg Chigaga: Lac Iriki, the nomads and the big dune
Sunrise over the erg and breakfast, then a 4x4 morning west across the reg to Lac Iriki, the dry lake bed that was the last water before the Sahara proper and is now a plain you can see thirty kilometres across. On the way, tea with a nomad family if one is camped within reach — this is arranged on the day and depends on where they have moved to. Back to camp for the afternoon, sandboarding on the big dune behind it if you have the legs for the climb, and a second night in the sand.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Night: Desert camp inside Erg Chigaga
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Day 4
Erg Chigaga → Foum Zguid → Tazenakht → Marrakech
A last sunrise, then west on the Foum Zguid piste rather than back the way you came: two and a half hours of open hamada, the Iriki basin on your right, and almost nobody on it. From Foum Zguid the road is paved again through Tazenakht, the carpet-weaving town, and Ouarzazate, then over the Tichka to Marrakech. It is a long day and we will not pretend otherwise — but it closes the loop instead of repeating it, and you are dropped at your riad in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast
How the price works
We quote this tour on request, and build the quote the same way as every tour we run. Bring more people and the total rises, but the price for each of you falls, because the vehicle is shared between you.
- The vehicle. One fixed price for 1–4 travellers in one private 4x4, and another for 5–17 travellers in two or three 4x4s. It does not rise as your group grows.
- Accommodation, added for each traveller.
- Activities, added for each traveller.
What is and is not included
Included
- Private air-conditioned 4x4, fuel and tolls
- English- or French-speaking driver-guide
- 1 night in a kasbah hotel in the Draa Valley, half board
- 2 nights in a desert camp inside Erg Chigaga, half board
- Camel trek into the dunes at sunset
- Half-day 4x4 excursion to Lac Iriki and the nomad encampments
- Pick-up and drop-off at your Marrakech accommodation
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Sandboard hire (around 100 MAD)
- Tips and personal expenses
- Local guide at Aït Ben Haddou (optional, around 150 MAD)
Good to know
Is Erg Chigaga better than Merzouga?
It is wilder, and it is harder to reach. Chigaga is the largest erg in Morocco — roughly 40 km long — and there is no paved road to it, so the camps are spread out and you can walk over a dune and see nobody. Erg Chebbi at Merzouga has taller dunes, up to about 150 metres against Chigaga's 60, but it is reached on tarmac and has a line of auberges along its edge. If you want the bigger dune photograph, go to Merzouga. If you want distance from other people, come here.
How long does it take to reach Erg Chigaga from Marrakech?
About 10 to 11 hours of driving in total, which is why we split it. Marrakech to the Draa Valley is around six hours on day one. Day two runs down the valley to M'Hamid El Ghizlane, then leaves the tarmac for roughly 60 km of piste — about two hours in a 4x4 — to reach the erg.
Can you do Erg Chigaga in 3 days?
Yes, and we will quote it if that is all the time you have: Marrakech to the erg in one long day, one night at camp, and the Foum Zguid piste home on day three. You spend roughly 20 hours in the vehicle for one night in the sand. With four days you get a second desert night and the Lac Iriki excursion for one more day of your holiday, which is why we suggest it.
Do we need a 4x4, and is the piste rough?
Yes to the 4x4 — there is no paved road to Erg Chigaga, and a saloon car or minivan will not get there. The piste is corrugated gravel and sand rather than technical off-roading, and our drivers run it weekly. Expect to be shaken about for two hours, not frightened. If anyone in the party is prone to motion sickness, say so and we will pace it differently.
What is the camp like?
Traditional tents with proper beds and blankets, shared bathroom blocks with running water and hot showers, dinner cooked on site and a fire afterwards. It sits inside the erg rather than at its edge, so the dunes are what you see from the door. There is solar power for lights and charging in the evening, and no mains electricity. Upgraded camps with en-suite tents are available if you would prefer.
Is there phone signal at Erg Chigaga?
Patchy to none, depending on your network and where you stand. There is usually some signal near M'Hamid and very little at the camp. Tell anyone who might worry that you will be out of contact for a night or two, and download what you want to listen to before you leave the tarmac.
When is the best time to go?
October to early May. March, April, October and November are the most comfortable. Midsummer in the erg is genuinely hot — over 45°C in July and August — and the nights from December to February drop to around freezing, which is beautiful with enough blankets and miserable without them. We can add them; just ask.
Worth reading before you go
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What a Night in a Sahara Desert Camp Is Really Like
Somewhere between the marketing photographs and the one-star reviews is what actually happens. Here it is, from the…
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The Best Time to Visit the Moroccan Sahara
The short answer is October and April. The longer answer depends on whether you mind heat more than you mind cold, and…
Ready to see the Sahara?
Send us your dates and we will tailor this 4 days / 3 nights tour to you — no obligation, and a real reply from a local team.
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