4-Day Tour Marrakech – Erg Chegaga Desert

Departure from Marrakech towards the High Atlas mountains, crossing Berber villages over the Tichka pass (2,260 m). Lunch in Ouarzazate, the city of cinema, where we visit the Kasbah of the Storks and enjoy a panoramic view over the lake. We continue to Agdz (short break) over the Tizi n’Tinifift pass (1,660 m), then take the track to the Kasbah of Alkaid Ali in Tamnougalt. In the afternoon we cross the Draa Valley, with its spectacular palm grove and Morocco’s longest river, to reach Zagora at sunset. Accommodation with dinner and breakfast in Zagora.

Morning departure for Tamegroute and visit of its zaouia, an ancient Koranic library, as well as the potters and the underground kasbah. We continue to the oasis of Tagounite via Ait Isfoul, arrive in M’Hamid and have lunch on the way. Then we take the track to the Erg Chegaga dunes to admire the sunset over the sea of dunes. Accommodation in a haima with dinner and breakfast.

Wake up early to watch the sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast we leave for Foum Zguid, passing nomads living in tents, the dry Lake Iriqui and a desert plateau full of acacias (picnic in an oasis). After a rest we continue to Ouarzazate via Taznakht.

In the morning we head back to Marrakech at a relaxed pace, enjoying the landscapes and the people. We pass interesting villages before reaching the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987), a fortified complex inside a walled village you will surely recognise: it has been the set of famous films such as Gladiator, Sahara and Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, among many others. We cross the High Atlas again and arrive in Marrakech in the afternoon.