Discovery of Chegaga Dunes
highlights:
Embark on a 3-day adventure from Marrakech to the remote dunes of Erg Chegaga via the scenic Draa Valley.
Discover Berber villages, historic kasbahs, and vast desert landscapes while enjoying camel rides and a magical night under the stars.
Return through unique routes and breathtaking scenery for a short yet unforgettable Sahara experience.
Program details
Day1
Marrakech - Ait Benhaddou - Draa Valley - Mhamid
Departure from Marrakech early in the morning to the gate of the desert (Mhamid).
Drive through the high Atlas Mountains: Tizi n'Tichka, 2260 meters. Along the way, you will discover Berber villages and dream landscapes, to join the fortified kasbah Ait Benhaddou, classified as a UNESCO heritage. Visit and continue to Ouarzazate for lunch, and the visit of the kasbah of Taourirt. In the afternoon, continuation by the Draa Valley which extends over 200 km.
Take the road to M'Hamid, with a stop at the historic village of Tamegroute to visit the kasbah and the Koranic library.
Join Mhamid at the end of the day. Dinner and overnight in a traditional kasbah.
Day2
Mhamid - Sacred Oasis - the dunes of Chegaga
After your breakfast. Travel from M'Hamid in 4X4. Desert landscapes as far as the eye can see. Tea break at the sacred oasis before joining the dunes of Chegaga, the highest dunes in the region which culminate at 300 meters and extend over 40 kms. After installation in the tent, departure for a camel ride to admire the sunset behind the dunes.
Dinner and night in tents
Day3
the dunes of Chegaga - Foum Zguid - Taznakht - Marrakech
After enjoying the sunrise over the sand dunes, breakfast at the camp. Departure in 4X4 through the mythical Paris-Dakar road that leads to Foum Zguid, crossing the dry lake of Iriqui. Lunch in the Berber village of Taznakht. Arrival in Marrakech around 19h00.
Essential Tips to Plan Your Holiday in Morocco - Magic Morocco Agency
-If your holiday with Magic Morocco involves trips out to the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert, where you may be staying for several days, up to a week, or longer, you will need to be prepared. Here are some useful items that we recommend you pack before you leave on your trip of a lifetime to Morocco.
- A sleeping bag: While we provide plenty of blankets and sheets for your tented desert accommodation, it does get very cold in the Sahara on a winter’s night. Bring along your own sleeping bag, so that you’ll be snug as a bug under the spectacular, if chilly, Moroccan night skies, studded with a galaxy of shimmering stars. This is only really required on trekking over several nights or on the Sufi Retreat.
- A turban or scarf: This is an essential item when heading out on Morocco desert tours, as the simple garment will protect your face and hair from the harsh sun, as well as any sand that gets whipped up by the wind. If you’ve arrived for your holiday in Morocco and find you don’t have a turban — known locally as a “shesh” — or scarf, don’t worry. You can easily buy a “shesh” at a local shop or bazaar.
- Warm clothing: You’ll need to bring some warm clothes when you embark on a Morocco desert tour. Although temperatures are high in the Sahara during the day, they plummet at night, due to a lack of cloud to keep the heat in. While you might think you don’t need to pack heavy clothing for a trip to hot Morocco, you will need it when you’re out in the desert in the evenings in early spring, late autumn, and the winter.
- High-factor sunscreen to combat the strong sun.
- Good quality sunglasses that can filter out the sun’s harmful rays and protect your eyes.
- Solid footwear, such as good trainers, for all the walking you will be doing. Trainers are ideal footwear, whilst walking barefoot in the dunes can also be practical.
- Plenty of bottles of water for the car, but we provide enough bottled water for each person in the desert.
- You might also like to pack a torch and a Swiss army knife, and above all you should make sure that you bring lots of water with you on every car journey in the Sahara. We will of course provide water at the camps you’ll be staying at.
- Being well prepared for your Morocco desert tour will ensure that you have the time of your life on your desert magic tour.
In Morocco, as travellers, we are paying guests, exploring and learning about age-old traditions and fascinated by a world so different from our own. Customs and traditions based either on religion or habits passed down from generation to generation can seem strange, unusual, or odd. Listening, learning and observing, without necessarily understanding and without passing judgment, can enhance our pleasure of participating in this other existence.
As we move around and through this environment, we leave behind impressions of ourselves and our own world – we are the most important ambassadors. Let us ensure that the memories we leave are ones of warmth, generosity, openness, curiosity, modesty and respect for this different society and for the environment which others experience on a daily basis. Moroccans are very welcoming and hospitable people and it behoves us to keep faith with this.
Environmental aspects
The desert is very much alive – witness the myriads of animal tracks on your morning climb to watch the sunrise. It is also other people’s living space. With this in mind, and considering also that the dryness of the desert means that even a paper tissue rots only exceedingly slowly, please be careful to remove all litter.
Throughout Morocco it is important that we are conscious and careful of our water consumption. This is a country under constant threat of drought. We are all individually responsible for maintaining a sustainable environment wherever we are.
Of course, there are scorpions and snakes in the desert, but these rarely pose a danger and they avoid the proximity of humans. Only in summer is it advisable to keep an eye out. The reason for the guide along with you is for your own safety. Please do not venture beyond sight of the camp alone, as it is easy to lose a sense of orientation in the dunes.
