When you visit Morocco for the first time, you will absolutely love the modest lifestyle of the locals, especially in the old Medinas of the famous imperial cities and over the small Berber villages that you may visit during your tours or excursions.
However, the warm atmosphere of Sahara Desert is completely different, an adventure that you should experience at least once in a lifetime.
The beautiful sand dunes of the Sahara and the breathtaking wild landscapes, will give you the impression that you were able to travel back in time for several centuries, especially when you meet the nomads with their camels and when you explore for the first time the desert camps, made up of luxury Berber tents, in the middle of nowhere!
You will undoubtedly love being in the middle of this quite and relaxing heaven, surrounded by large sand dunes from every where and having a strange feeling of being alone in this world…
If you are planning to organise your next vacation in Morocco with family or fiends, you need to devote a few days from your holidays to discover the wonders of Morocco’s Sahara Desert.
Before preparing your trip to the desert, here is the two most popular Erg dunes that you should include in the program of your Sahara desert tour:
Merzouga Dunes: Erg Chebbi
This is the most popular Erg in Morocco, visited by travellers coming from several destinations, mainly from Marrakech or Fez,in low-cost small group tours… Erg Chebbi is a Must if you want to explore the fascination of the Sahara Desert in only 3 or 4-days tour.
Erg Chebbi or Merzouga Dunes is located few minutes’ drive from Rissani and Erfoud, the first and the most frequented Sahara destination in Morocco, where travellers enjoy a short desert experience in a very friendly atmosphere.
Usually when you travel to Merzouga for the first time, you will be invited to join a very pleasant camel ride over the dunes at the sunset.
After taking a break in your tent, you will have an outstanding dinning experience under the open starry sky of the desert, and If you are lucky enough, you may join the camp fire party organised by the local nomads to make your evening more exceptional.
You will spend a quite and relaxing night under your private nomad tent, for once, far away from the hustle and the bustle of big cities.
In the morning, you will participate to a short trekking with your tour guide to see one of the most beautiful sunrises in the world.
Erg Chigaga Dunes in Morocco
Located in the south East of Morocco, at few minutes from M’Hamid el Ghizlane and Morocco-Algeria border, Erg Chigaga is almost the largest sea dunes in Morocco, even if it remains the second most popular Sahara destination after Merzouga.
This Morocco’s largest golden sand sea is snaking along more than 35 km with a peak at 300m, bordered to the north and south mountain ridges.
Considered as one of the most authentic Sahara Ergs, thanks to its preserved sand dunes and wild landscapes, Erg Chegaga can be reached only by a private 4wd desert trip, because the road between Erg Chigaga and M’hamidel Ghizlaneis not accessible by bus.
This desert tour will offer you a real immersion in the heart of the Moroccan Sahara, where you can escape the stress and the noise of the city to have some relaxing moments alone in the desert.
If you decide to join this exiting adventure from Marrakech, you will have the chance to visit the famous Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou on the first day of your desert trip, where hundreds of famous cinema movies have been shot, like Babel, Gladiator and the Mummy.
You will spend your first night in the splendid Zagora, where the real desert landscapes start to appear gradually… Zagora is also known as the main gate of the desert.
During this incredibly amazing desert trip, you will travel through eye-catching desert landscapes, earthen citadels, very modest small Berber villages, palm groves and green desert oases.
Once you get there, you will live a true desert experience with camel ride treks, snowboarding, dinner around the camp fire, and you will watch the stunning sunrise and sunset over the dunes.
It is always said that water purifies the body, but the desert purifies the mind, so don’t miss this great experience during your next stay in Morocco.