5-day Agadir to Marrakech desert tour: Erg Chigaga dunes

Golden dunes, nomad camps, gorge walks, and a UNESCO kasbah in five days

A private 5-day tour from Agadir to Marrakech crossing the Sahara's Erg Chigaga dunes, the Dades Gorge, and ending at Ait Ben Haddou. You ride dromedaries through the dunes, sleep in a nomad tent surrounded by sand, hike the Dades Gorge, and visit the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs before crossing the High Atlas to Marrakech. A live guide in English or French leads the route. Lunch is included each day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Agadir to Erg Chigaga Desert Camp

• Travel from Agadir to Sous Valley
• Stop for lunch in Tazenakht
• Pass old Dakar rally track and Iriqui salt lake
• Arrive Erg Chigaga desert camp
• Enjoy sunset in desert dunes
• Experience nomad hospitality and dinner
• Overnight in desert tent

Day 2: Erg Chigaga Camel Trekking

• Watch sunrise over Erg Chigaga dunes
• Breakfast at desert camp
• Begin dromedary trek through dunes
• Lunch under Tamarind trees
• Return trek to desert camp
• Enjoy sunset and dinner at camp

Day 3: Erg Chigaga to Zagora via Draa Valley

• Breakfast at desert camp
• Follow old Paris-Dakar Rally track to Iriki oasis
• Reach Mhamid and start Draa Valley
• Travel through date palm valley
• Arrive Zagora for overnight stay
• Dinner in Zagora Riad

Day 4: Draa Valley to Dades Gorges

• Breakfast in Zagora
• Travel to Nkob via Jebel Saghro Pass
• Explore rock formations and lookout spots
• Enter Dades Valley and visit Berber villages
• Walk in Dades Gorge
• Overnight in local bed and breakfast
• Dinner and tea in evening

Day 5: Dades to Marrakech via Kasbahs

• Breakfast at Dades Gorge
• Drive to Rose Valley and Skoura
• Visit Kasbah Amridil in Valley of 1000 Kasbahs
• Stop for lunch at Ait Ben Haddou
• Visit Ait Ben Haddou UNESCO site
• Visit Kasbah of Telouet
• Cross Tizi-n-Tichka Pass to Marrakech

The experience

The route starts inland from Agadir, passing the Sous Valley and the argan tree groves near Taroudant, then cuts through the old Dakar rally track toward the western Sahara. Erg Chigaga stretches for 40 kilometers with dunes reaching 300 meters high. You arrive at sunset, welcomed into a nomad camp with mint tea, a traditional dinner, music and a bonfire, then sleep in a tent surrounded by the dunes.

Day two is built around the dromedaries. The sunrise over Erg Chigaga lights the dunes in gold. After breakfast your guides saddle the camels and you trek through the sand for several hours. At a stand of tamarind trees your guides prepare a nomadic lunch of kebabs and fresh bread in the shade. The afternoon carries you back toward camp for another sunset and dinner. On day three you leave the dunes via the old rally track, pass through the Iriki oasis and Mhamid, then follow the Draa Valley (a river basin dotted with date palms) to Zagora, where you stay in a riad.

Day four takes you east through the Jabel Saghro Pass at 2,283 meters, a route lined with unique rock formations. Your guides know the best vantage points. From there you descend into the Dades Valley, a landscape of bizarre rock shapes, oases and Berber villages. You walk in the gorge and overnight in a local kasbah. The final day moves west through the Rose Valley and the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs: ancient strongholds that once sheltered traders on the route to Europe. You visit Kasbah Amridil, stop for lunch at Ait Ben Haddou (a UNESCO-protected medina used in films like Lawrence of Arabia), then cross the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass and the High Atlas via Telouet to reach Marrakech in the evening.

What’s included

• Lunch each day.
• overnight accommodation in a nomad tent in Erg Chigaga, a riad in Zagora, and a kasbah in the Dades Gorge.
• camel trekking through the dunes.
• a guide in English or French.
• pickup from your hotel in Agadir.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 7 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sahara Feeling

Is this one for you?The itinerary includes one full hiking day in the Dades Gorge and several hours of camel trekking, so it suits travelers comfortable with moderate walking and time in the saddle. The five-day span lets you move slowly through each landscape (two nights in the desert, one in the valley, one in the gorge) rather than rushing through stops.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 12 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What does a day of camel trekking in Erg Chigaga actually involve?

After sunrise you ride dromedaries through the dunes for several hours, stopping at midday under tamarind trees where your guides cook a traditional nomadic lunch of kebabs and fresh bread. The afternoon trek returns you to camp for sunset and dinner.

Where do you sleep in the desert, and what is the camp like?

You stay in a nomad tent in Erg Chigaga, surrounded by the dunes. The camp welcomes you with mint tea and a traditional dinner with music and a bonfire, and you sleep under the stars in the tent.

What is the Dades Gorge hike like?

The Dades Gorge walk takes place on day four after you descend from the Jabel Saghro Pass. The gorge is a landscape of bizarre rock formations, oases and Berber villages. You walk through it and overnight in a local kasbah.

What is Ait Ben Haddou, and how long do you spend there?

Ait Ben Haddou is a UNESCO-protected medina that has been featured in films including Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth and The Gladiator. You stop there for lunch on the final day before heading to Marrakech.