3-Day Zagora Desert Tour: Sacred Oases & Erg Chigaga Dunes

Sleep under stars in the deep Sahara, wake to nomadic life at the oases

A 3-day desert tour from Zagora that moves through remote Saharan landscapes, stopping at Tamegroute's historic Quranic library and the Sacred Oasis before reaching Erg Chigaga dunes. You travel with a local guide, stay in standard desert camps, and eat lunch each day. Children from age 1 are welcome, and pickup is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Zagora to Erg Chigaga Desert

• Visit Tamegroute village and library
• Explore the Sacred Oasis
• Dinner in desert camp

Day 2: Deep Sahara Experience

• Watch sunrise over dunes
• Breakfast at desert camp
• Visit the Sacred Oasis
• Optional lunch picnic or with nomads
• Dinner under stars in camp

Day 3: Erg Chigaga to Zagora

• Visit Tagounite town
• Breakfast

The experience

The route starts in Zagora and heads into the Draa Valley to Tamegroute, a village built around one of Morocco's oldest Quranic libraries and centuries of Sufi scholarship. The green pottery workshops and the library itself show how knowledge and craft have survived in the desert for generations. From there you move to the Sacred Oasis, a palm-ringed water source that has sheltered caravans and nomads for centuries: a place where the scarcity of water in the Sahara becomes real.

The second day takes you deeper into Erg Chigaga, the massive sand sea where the dunes dominate the landscape. You stay in a standard desert camp, which means sleeping on the ground under open sky rather than in a hotel. The nights are quiet in a way that rarely happens near towns. The third day reverses the route, moving back through Tagounite at the valley's edge and returning to Zagora.

A local guide travels with you throughout, speaking English, Spanish, French or Arabic depending on the group. Lunch is provided each day. The tour is built around the rhythm of the desert itself (the heat of midday, the color of sunset, the cold of night) rather than rushing between photo stops. Pickup from your accommodation in Zagora is included.

What’s included

• Lunch each day.
• accommodation in standard desert camps.
• local guide in your choice of English, Spanish, French or Arabic.
• pickup from your Zagora hotel or accommodation.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (20 to 54 years) · Senior (55 to 80 years) · Youth (15 to 19 years) · Child (8 to 14 years) · Infant (1 to 7 years)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 35 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by New Era Nomad

Is this one for you?Book this shared tour if you want a fixed itinerary with a local guide handling all route decisions, and you're prepared for camp accommodation rather than hotels.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Arabic.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (15 to 19 years); Child (8 to 14 years); Infant (1 to 7 years).

What is Tamegroute and why does the tour stop there?

Tamegroute is a historic village in the Draa Valley home to one of Morocco's most important Quranic libraries and a center of Sufi learning that has survived for centuries. The stop lets you see the library, the traditional green pottery workshops, and learn how spiritual knowledge and desert craftsmanship have been preserved there.

What happens at the Sacred Oasis?

The Sacred Oasis is a natural spring surrounded by palm trees in the middle of the desert, historically used as a resting place for caravans and nomads traveling the Sahara. You visit it to see how water sources shape life in the desert and to experience the kind of shelter these oases have provided for centuries.

Where do you sleep on this tour?

You stay in standard desert camps during the nights in the Sahara. This means sleeping on the ground in the open air rather than in a building, which is how the tour keeps you immersed in the desert landscape and rhythm.