Erg Chigaga Sahara Desert
3 Day Tour - Duration: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Morocco Travel Included: Camel Trekking in the Erg Chigaga Sahara Desert, Discovery in M’Hamid the heart of
Zagora. Visit the ancient village of Amzroui, Tea at an Oasis, Transport in Luxury 4x4, English, Arabic, French Speaking Driver, Marrakech Expert Licensed Guide
Starting & Finishing Point: Your Riad or Hotel In Ouarzazate
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ITINERARY
Day 1: Ouarzazate - Zagora
►Begin your Sahara excursion to
Zagora. Depart to
Zagora, a
Saharan desert town in the
southern Draa Valley. Zagora is favored by travelers for its
desert dunes, palmerie,
45 varieties of dates and its
Hollywood sunset mountain backdrops. Take the road by pise (windy road) to discover the land where caravans once transported sugar, tea, dates and other dry goods to Ouarzazate.
►En route pass the Sahara Desert town of Agdz and the heart of the
Draa Valleyknown for its 45 qualities of dates. Stop for a picturesque view in Agdz and its stunning palmeraie along with local trade routes famous for bringing dates, spices and other goods from the South to Marrakech.
►Continue the road to
Zagora. Arrive and visit Amzrou.
Walk the palmeraie and hamlet set amid
lemon, almond and
olive trees, and gardens of the
village of Amzrou. Visit the former Mellah (Jewish quarter), where a mosque now stands. Amazrou is inhabited by Arabs, Haratines and Berbers who continue the Jewish tradition of silver making. Amezrou, also home to the old Jewish Kasbah, was once the center of life for a community of talented jewelers. Most of the Jewish people are no longer there, however Berber craftsmen have taken over the tradition and their workshops are open to the public.
►Pass Zagora’s Dunes of Tinfo and visit the old Kasbah Ait Lkaid in the village of Tamegroute. At the end of the main road you will find the famous road sign to Timbuktu that reads “52 jours” – 52 hours by camel.
►Enjoy lunch at a local kasbah hotel restaurant in the town of
Zagora. The
Dunes of Tinfo (as well as many other sand dunes in Morocco) are famous for their
healing qualities for
rheumatoid arthritis. Ask your guide to bury you in the sand from head to toe for this a
20-minute spa-like experience.
►Visit Zagora’s unique, beautifully glazed forest green pottery at the local cooperative in the desert town of Tamagroute and pass by the Koranic library. The holy village of Tamegroute's claim to fame throughout history is the beautiful pottery created that has a glaze made of henna and is sun dried.
►Tamegroute has a Koranic Library that once held 40,000 volumes and theological college dating from the 11th century. The library contains a collection of illuminated Korans, the oldest of which are written on gazelle skins.
►After visiting Zagora take the road to the M’hamid Sahara Desert. Arrive for a sunset camel trek into the M’hamid Sahara Dunes.
Day 2: Zagora - M’Hamid El Ghizlane - Erg Chigaga
►Zagora Rise. Explore the local village, unique fauna and region of M’hamid El Ghizlane by 4x4. Pass the Hammada and the Oasis.
►M’Hamid is the last Oasis in the Great Sahara Desert and historically where caravans gathered before setting off on journeys to Timbuktu. M’Hamid is also referred to as Bounou which historically was a village of various Southern tribes such as the Ait Atta Berbers, Drawa and the Hassani.
►Lunch in M’Hamid. Then continue the off-road to the Erg Chigaga Sahara Desert. The dunes are some of the most expansive and the furthest in Morocco. The color of the dunes is rustic and some refer to this part of the desert as the Black Sahara.
►Sunset camel trek to your Luxury bivouac. Tea on arrival, then enjoy an Arabian Nights dinner.
►Overnight in Erg Chigaga at a Luxury Bivouac.
Day 3: Erg Chigaga – Foum Zguid – Ouarzazate
►Take the off-road piste by 4x4 through another part of the Sahara Desert where you will take in the varied scenery at Lake Iriqui and discover the mountain region along with ancient fossils. Lunch in Foum Zguid. Foum Zguid is a town in the Tata Province.
► Continue the road past Taznakht, known for Berber carpets towards Ouarzazate. Return to Your Riad or Hotel in Ouarzazate or the Ouarzazate Airport.