PrivateErg Chegaga from Marrakech, 3 Days
Down the Draa Valley to M'Hamid, where the tarmac stops, then by 4x4 across open desert to a camp among the dunes of Erg Chegaga.
- Length
- 3 days
- Starts from
- Marrakech
- From
- €281/ person for 5+
Walking to Erg Chegaga with a Camel Caravan, 8 Days
Six days on foot beside a camel caravan, from the palms of the Draa Valley through the dunes of Erg Chegaga to M'hamid, sleeping in a different camp each night.
- Length
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Starts from
- Marrakech — your hotel or riad
- Travelling
- Private · 1–16 people
The journey
Here the desert is something you cross on foot, not something you visit for an evening. For six days you walk beside a caravan of camels that carries the camp, leaving the last palms of the Draa Valley, crossing the stony hamada and the Abbes pass, entering the dunes of Erg Chegaga and coming out at M'hamid. The caravan sets the pace, slower than your own, for about five to seven hours a day. The camels carry the tents, the food and the water, and you carry a day pack. Each evening the crew pitches camp wherever the day has ended, so you sleep somewhere new every night, with no facilities and no other travellers. The first and last days are by vehicle: Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka to the Draa, and M'hamid back to Marrakech. Everything in between is on foot, and there is no road along that stretch. The trek is graded moderate rather than hard. The ground is flat and there is no altitude to speak of, but walking day after day, much of it in sand, makes it a real trek. If you have done a walking route of several days before, you are ready for this one.
- Six days walking with a camel caravan, not an hour's ride
- Erg Chegaga reached on foot rather than by 4x4
- A different camp in the wild each night, with no other groups
- The palms of the Draa, the Abbes pass and the Oued Naam dunes
- A Berber guide and a cook with you for the whole crossing
- Seven nights of very dark desert skies
Day by day
Day 1: Marrakech: arrival and briefing
You arrive in Marrakech and settle into your hotel. In the evening your guide comes to go through the route, check your kit and answer the questions everyone has before a first desert crossing. If you land early, there is time for the medina.
- Night
- Hotel in Marrakech
- Meals
- Dinner
Day 2: Marrakech → Draa Valley: meeting the caravan
A long drive south over the Tizi n'Tichka, through Ouarzazate, home of the Atlas Film Studios, and down the Draa Valley past Agdz and Zagora. In the late afternoon you leave the road at Faija to meet the camels, their handlers and the cook. The first night is under canvas, with the caravan loaded and ready to go.
- Night
- Mobile desert camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
8–9 h · ≈460 km
Day 3: Draa Valley → the hamada
The first full day on foot. You leave the belt of palms and walk out onto the hamada, the stony desert, with the ridge of the Jbel Bani on the skyline. Lunch and a long rest at an oasis through the midday heat, then on to camp as the light fades.
- Night
- Mobile desert camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
6–7 h
Day 4: Abbes pass → Erg Chegaga
Over the Abbes pass and into the sand. The dunes rise through the morning, and in the afternoon you reach Erg Chegaga itself. Arriving here on foot after two days of walking is nothing like stepping out of a 4x4.
- Night
- Mobile camp in the dunes
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
6–7 h
Day 5: Erg Chegaga → the Bougarne dunes
An easier day through the dunes towards M'hamid, with the midday hours spent in the shade of tamarisk trees until the heat passes. The dunes here are quieter than the western edge of Chegaga, where the day vehicles turn back.
- Night
- Mobile desert camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
5–6 h
Day 6: Bougarne → Oued Naam
An early start to walk in the cool of the morning, over a rocky plateau between two fields of dunes and down into the dunes of Oued Naam. This is the emptiest part of the route, and you are unlikely to meet anyone outside your own group all day.
- Night
- Mobile desert camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
6–7 h
Day 7: Oued Naam → M'hamid → Marrakech
A last, shorter walk through Regaga to M'hamid el Ghizlane, where the road begins again and the caravan ends. You say goodbye to the camel crew and drive back up the Draa Valley to Marrakech, to a bed, a shower and running water.
- Night
- Hotel in Marrakech
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
7–8 h · 3 h
Day 8: Marrakech: departure
Breakfast, and time in the city if your flight allows, before the transfer to the airport.
- Meals
- Breakfast
The route
Starts from: Marrakech — your hotel or riad
What's included
Included
- Private transfers Marrakech ↔ the desert at both ends
- Berber desert guide (English and French)
- Camels and camel handlers to carry all luggage and equipment
- Cook, kitchen crew and all camp equipment
- All meals from dinner on day 1 to lunch on day 8
- Seven nights: hotel in Marrakech and mobile desert camps
- Drinking water throughout the trek
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance — required for this trek
- Sleeping bag (rental available on request)
- A camel to ride rather than walk beside (€20 per camel per day)
- Soft drinks and bottled beverages
- Tips for the guide, cook and camel handlers
Frequently asked questions
Do we ride the camels or walk?
You walk. The camels carry the tents, the food, the water and your luggage, and you carry only a day pack; that is what makes this a trek and not a camel ride. If you would like to ride for part of the way, a riding camel can be added for about €20 per camel per day, arranged before you set off.
How hard is it?
Moderate. You walk five to seven hours a day for six days in a row, but the ground is flat, there is no altitude and the caravan keeps a slow pace. What makes it hard is the repetition and the sand, not any single difficult day. If you have walked a route of several days before, you will manage.
What are the camps like?
Mobile and simple, which is the whole idea. The crew pitches Berber tents wherever the day ends, so each night is a new place, with no fixed buildings, no electricity and no wash block; a toilet tent is put up at every camp. In return you sleep where no vehicle can reach and no other group is staying.
Is there a minimum group size?
Yes, two people. Trips of more than seven days need at least two travellers, because the full crew of camel men, guide and cook goes out whatever the numbers. The price per person drops quickly as the group grows: €1,352 each for two, €909 each for four and €765 each from five.
When is the best time to go?
From October to May. In summer this part of the Sahara gets hot enough to make days of walking unsafe, so we do not run the trek from June to September. The clearest and coldest nights, with the best stars, are from December to February, when a warm sleeping bag matters.
How is it different from the 3-day Erg Chegaga trip?
The 3-day trip reaches the same dunes by 4x4 and stays at a fixed camp, and it is the right choice if you have three days. This one is eight days on foot: you approach Chegaga over two days of desert, sleep in a different wild camp each night and carry on through the dunes to M'hamid instead of turning back.
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