Destination

Merzouga

A rider crossing the ridge of a great dune at Erg Chebbi

Merzouga is the village at the foot of Erg Chebbi, the tallest dunes in Morocco: a wall of orange sand 150 metres high and twenty kilometres long, on the edge of the Algerian border. It is the desert most people picture, and the one our three-, four- and five-day tours are built around.

Edited in the M7 walk.

A guide and his camel on a dune crest under a pale sky

The drive from Marrakech takes a full day over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, through Ouarzazate and the Dades valley; from Fes it is a day through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas and the mining town of Midelt. Either way you arrive at the dunes for sunset, ride a camel to the camp, and wake up to the sand changing colour.

What to expect: a night in a Berber camp under canvas, with a real bed, dinner around the fire and, at the luxury camp, a private bathroom. The dunes are a two-minute walk from the camp; the sunrise climb takes twenty.

When to go: October to April for cool nights and clear skies; May and September are warm but quiet; July and August are hot and best avoided at midday.

11 tours