Overview
Erg Chegaga is the largest dune field in Morocco and the only one with no sealed road running to it: the last stretch is driven off-piste across open desert. This three-day route leaves Marrakech over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, follows the Draa Valley south through Agdz and Zagora to M’hamid El Ghizlane, and then turns off the tarmac for the dunes.
Two nights are spent in desert camps and the return crosses the dry bed of Lake Iriki to Foum Zguid, so the journey is a full loop rather than the same road twice.
Trip Highlights
- Cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass at over 2,200 m
- Stop at the UNESCO-listed ksar of Ait Ben Haddou
- Follow the Draa Valley palm groves from Agdz to Zagora
- Drive 60 km off-piste from M'hamid to the Erg Chegaga dunes
- Return across the dry lake bed of Iriki towards Foum Zguid
