3-Day Sahara Tour from Zagora: Camel Trek & Desert Camp

Three days crossing the Sahara on camel, then by 4x4 into the dunes, sleeping under thousands of stars.

A 3-day Sahara tour from Zagora with a Berber guide, camel trekking, and two nights in a fixed desert camp. The itinerary moves from the Draa Valley through a two-hour camel ride to the first camp, then travels by 4x4 deeper into Erg Chigaga to spot wildlife and explore the dunes before returning to Zagora. Meals, water, showers, and a sandboard are included. The guide speaks English, French, or Arabic.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Zagora and Sahara

• Be welcomed by Berber guide
• Drive to M'hamid
• Transport to Tagounite via Draa valley
• See Kasbahs and mud brick homes
• 2 hour camel ride to first camp
• Arrive at desert camp
• Enjoy Berber music around bonfire
• Stargaze and sleep at camp

Day 2: Discover Erg Chigaga dunes

• Travel by 4x4 deeper into desert
• Observe wildlife in desert
• Arrive at second desert camp
• Enjoy typical Berber dinner
• Sleep at Erg Chigaga camp

Day 3: Return to Zagora by 4x4

• Leave camp after breakfast
• Drive to M'Hamid by 4x4
• Drop off at hotel in Zagora

The experience

Zagora sits at the edge of the Sahara, and this tour starts there with a Berber family welcome and traditional tea before heading south. You'll drive through the Draa Valley (a landscape of kasbahs, date palms, and mud-brick villages built into plateaus), then reach M'hamid, where the camel trek begins. The two-hour ride carries you across the dunes of Souss-Massa in near-total silence, arriving at the first bivouac camp as the sun sets.

The camp sits in the open desert with comfortable beds, sheets, blankets, and two working showers and toilets. After dinner, Berber music and songs play around the bonfire. Afterward, the sky fills with stars bright enough to cast shadows. You sleep there, and the next morning you leave by 4x4 to go deeper into Erg Chigaga, where the dunes grow wilder and the desert opens up. Wildlife moves through here (ostrich, gazelle, oryx, eagles, camels), and the 4x4 gives you the reach to see them. A sandboard is available if you want to slide the dunes instead of walk them. The second night is another in the bivouac camp, and on day three you drive back to M'hamid and return to Zagora by 4x4.

The guide is a descendant of a nomadic family, fluent in English, French, or Arabic, and the tour includes all transportation, meals prepared fresh on site, water, and the use of the sandboard. Pickup from your hotel in Zagora is included. If you prefer to start from Ouarzazate or Marrakesh, that can be arranged on request.

What’s included

• Private transportation by car and 4x4.
• two nights in a bivouac desert camp with beds, sheets, blankets, showers and toilets.
• camel trekking.
• all meals prepared on site.
• water.
• sandboard.
• Berber guide in English, French or Arabic.
• hotel pickup in Zagora.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (19 to 59 years) · Senior (65 to 80 years) · Youth (11 to 18 years) · Child (5 to 10 years) · Infant (1 to 4 years): free

GroupUp to 11 · max 8 per booking

Live guideEnglish, French and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 3 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Tours _ Caravane Cimes et Dunes

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English, French, or Arabic, so you can follow the commentary and the stories about the desert in your own language. Children from age one are welcome, though the camel ride and the desert environment suit travelers with at least moderate fitness: the heat, the distance, and the physical demands of three days in the Sahara are real, and the tour is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, pregnancy, or poor cardiovascular health.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, French and Arabic.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 18 years); Child (5 to 10 years); Infant (1 to 4 years): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the camel ride like on this Zagora tour?

The camel trek lasts about two hours and covers the dunes of Souss-Massa in near-total silence, moving at the rocking pace of the camel. It's the passage between the valley and the first desert camp, so it's part of the journey itself, not a separate activity.

Where do you sleep on the 3-day Sahara tour?

Both nights are in a fixed bivouac camp in the desert with comfortable beds, sheets, blankets, and access to two showers and two toilets. The camp has a shaded common area, and you sleep under the open sky.

What wildlife might you see in Erg Chigaga?

Erg Chigaga is home to ostrich, gazelle, oryx, eagles, camels, goats, and donkeys. The 4x4 travel on day two takes you deeper into the dunes where sightings are possible, though wildlife encounters are never guaranteed.

Is the sandboard included, or do you have to pay extra?

The sandboard is included and available for anyone who wants to use it on the dunes. It's optional. You can walk, ride, or slide depending on your preference.

What meals are provided during the tour?

Lunch and dinner are included each day, prepared fresh on site using typical Moroccan recipes. Breakfast is served before the final drive back to Zagora on day three. Water is provided throughout.