Marrakech to Erg Chigaga Desert Tour: Camel Riding & Sandboarding

Sleep under stars in a nomad tent at the foot of towering dunes, a camel ride and desert driving away from the last road.

A 3-day desert tour from Marrakech to Erg Chigaga dunes in the Sahara, with camel trekking, sandboarding and overnight stays in a Berber bivouac and a hotel or riad. The route crosses the High Atlas Mountains, passes through oases and villages, and ends with a night in the desert proper: far from civilization, where the silence and sand stretch endlessly. A live guide speaks English or French. Children from age 3 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Marrakesh to Agdez visits

• Visit Tamnougalet kasbah
• Visit High Atlas
• Visit kasbah Aitbenhaddo
• Dinner at hotel or riad

Day 2: Agdez to Chigaga desert journey

• Breakfast
• Visit remaining kasbah
• Drive ancient caravan road
• Pass villages and gardens
• Drive to M’hamid desert gate
• Stop for lunch at Erg Lihoudi
• Two-hour camel ride
• Drive 60km off-road to Erg Chigaga dunes
• Dinner and sleep in desert camp

Day 3: Chigaga to Marrakesh return

• Breakfast
• Drive 90km through desert scenery
• Lunch in Foum Zguid village
• Freshen up with shower
• Drive via Taznakht village
• Cross High Atlas Mountains
• Arrive in Marrakesh afternoon

The experience

You leave Marrakech on day one heading south through the High Atlas, stopping at Tamnougalet kasbah and the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou before reaching Agdez. On day two, after breakfast at your hotel or riad, you take the ancient caravan road between the river and mountains, passing oases and gardens to M'hamid: the gate to the desert. Here you mount a camel for a two-hour ride across Erg Lihoudi before continuing 60km over sand and rock to Erg Chigaga dunes. The landscape shifts as you travel: 'erg' (sand dunes), 'reg' (gravel plains), 'hammada' (rocky plateaus). You sleep that night in a nomad tent at the foot of the dunes, with Berber music and a fire under the stars.

Day three starts with breakfast in the bivouac, then a 90km drive back through the desert past Lake Iriqui and fossil sites. You stop in Foum Zguid, the first village after the sand, to shower and eat lunch, then follow paved roads through Taznakht (known for Berber carpets) and back over the High Atlas to Marrakech by late afternoon. The guide handles the route and timing. You handle the camel and the sandboard.

What’s included

• Hotel or riad accommodation on night one in Agdez.
• desert bivouac in a nomad tent on night two at Erg Chigaga.
• a two-hour camel trek on day two.
• a live guide in English or French.
• all vehicle transport from Marrakech through the Atlas Mountains, oases, villages and desert, and back to Marrakech.
• breakfast each morning.

Information

Lasts 3d, runs every day with no fixed time, from US$ 550 per person, with a live guide in English and French, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (19 to 70 years) · Youth (16 to 17 years) · Child (13 to 15 years) · Infant (3 to 12 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Private Desert Tours - Day Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this tour if you're arriving in Marrakech without a car or staying in the medina. The guide picks you up from your hotel or riad, handles all driving across the Atlas and desert, and returns you to Marrakech by late afternoon on day three, so three days is all you need to reach the dunes and sleep under stars.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (16 to 17 years); Child (13 to 15 years); Infant (3 to 12 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

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 is Erg Chigaga and how far is it from the last town?

Erg Chigaga is a massive sand dune field in the Sahara Desert, 300 meters high, located 60km beyond M'hamid across open desert with no roads: far enough that the silence and expanse are immense and the dunes sit in the desert proper, away from civilization.

Do I ride a camel on this tour?

Yes, a two-hour camel trek is scheduled on day two at Erg Lihoudi, before you continue by vehicle to Erg Chigaga dunes.

Where do I sleep on the desert nights?

You sleep in a nomad tent at a desert bivouac at the foot of Erg Chigaga dunes on night two. Night one is in a hotel or riad in Agdez.

What is the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou and when do I see it?

The Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou is a fortified village you visit on day one between Marrakech and Agdez, built into the mountainside along the ancient caravan routes.