4 days trip from Ouarzazate to Erg chegaga desert tour

Day 1: Ouarzazate – Draa Valley – Zagora – M’hamid – Erg Lihoudi dunes

Morning departure from Ouarzazate to M’hamid and the Dunes of Erg Lihoudi passing by the Anti-Atlas and Agdez, where the Dra’a valley starts, with a short stop for a tea break. Later, we drive off-road along the Dra’a valley’s ancient caravan route as far as Zagora for lunch. In the afternoon, the route continues to M’hamid which marks the end of the paved road and the beginning of the Sahara desert. Here an hour camel ride leads to the highest dune to enjoy an unforgettable sunset and to spend the beauty of the night in a desert camp close to the dunes of Erg Lihoudi.

Day 2: Erg Lihoudi dunes – Erg Chegaga

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise. After breakfast, the return from the dunes of Erg Lihoudi to M’hamid for lunch is on camel back and, in the afternoon, is the departure for the dunes of Chegaga with 65km of off-road driving. This route passes different features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, oases. The sunset from the top of Erg Chegaga is spectacular (300m) and afterwards there is dinner and the night in a desert camp.

Day 3: Erg Chagaga – Iriqui lake – fossils – Foum Zguid – Taznakht – kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou

After breakfast, the road takes us through another 100km of off-road driving in the sahara desert with varying scenery; lake Iriqui, the mountains and fossils. Lunch will be in Foum Zguid. From here, the drive back to the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou is along paved roads via Taznakht, famous for its Berber carpets and rugs. We arrive in the course of the afternoon at the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest and most well-known of Morocco’s Kasbahs. In 1987 this Kasbah became one of the several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Morocco. We spend the night in a hotel.

Day 4: kasbah Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Oasis Skoura – Dades gorges

Morning departure from the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou to the Dades gorges passing by the oasis of Skoura, travelling off-road to see all the kasbahs, some sadly in a state of disrepair but idyllically placed amongst the palm trees. The main road passes through the valley of the roses, with a stop to have a berber tea. We continue along the road of a thousand kasbahs to the Dades gorges for lunch.