This is the definitive Ouarzazate Sahara expedition — a full week that visits both of Morocco’s great sand seas in one private loop. Ride camels into the famous Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga, explore the deep desert by 4×4, then cross the south to M’Hamid — the last outpost before the open Sahara — and drive deep off-tarmac to the remote Erg Chigaga dunes, the wildest and least-visited dune field in the country, reachable only by 4×4.
Along the way: the Dades and Todra gorges, the Skoura kasbahs and Valley of Roses, the Draa Valley, the Lake Iriqui basin, and the UNESCO ksar of Ait Ben Haddou. Six nights, three in the desert, with luxury camp options and an English-speaking Berber driver/guide. Pickup from your Ouarzazate hotel. Shorter on time? Compare the 5 Day Ouarzazate Desert Tour.
This 7 day ouarzazate sahara tour is the premium deep-desert expedition — 7 days, 6 nights, both great ergs:
Pickup: 8:30 AM. East on the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs to Skoura and Kasbah Amerdhil, then Kelaa M’Gouna and the Valley of Roses. Climb the Dades Valley to the gorge’s famous switchbacks and “monkey-finger” rock walls. Sunset in the gorge.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Accommodation: Hotel/kasbah, Dades Gorge (HB).
Morning walk through the Todra Gorge, then east via Tinghir, Erfoud (fossils) and Rissani (Alaouite cradle, great souk). Late-afternoon sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi to your desert camp. Tagine, drumming, stargazing.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Accommodation: Berber desert camp, Erg Chebbi (HB).
Sunrise over the dunes, then a full Erg Chebbi 4×4 circuit: the Gnawa village of Khamlia (live music), the Mifis kohl mines, nomad families, fossil beds, and seasonal flamingos at Dayet Srji. Optional sandboarding and a dune-bashing run. Second night by Erg Chebbi — luxury camp or kasbah hotel with pool.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Accommodation: Luxury camp or kasbah hotel, Merzouga (HB).
A long, scenic transfer west across volcanic plains and oases via Alnif and Tazzarine to Nkob, the village of 40+ kasbahs, then down into the Draa Valley to Zagora. Evening at a Draa Valley kasbah hotel with pool — rest up before the deep-desert leg.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Accommodation: Kasbah hotel, Zagora/Draa Valley (HB).
Drive south to M’Hamid el Ghizlane, the last village before the open Sahara, then leave the tarmac entirely. A thrilling 4×4 piste crosses regs, oued beds and the Lake Iriqui basin to reach the towering, utterly remote Erg Chigaga dunes — up to 300 m high and 40 km long. Camel trek into the sand and a wild camp deep among the dunes, far from any road or light.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Accommodation: Wild Berber camp, Erg Chigaga (HB).
Sunrise over Chigaga, then a spectacular desert-piste crossing to Foum Zguid, rejoining tarmac and driving north back up the Draa Valley. Stops at Tamnougalt Kasbah and palm-grove viewpoints; overnight in a traditional kasbah hotel near Agdz.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Accommodation: Kasbah hotel, Agdz/Draa Valley (HB).
Final morning over the Tizi n’Tinififft pass back toward Ouarzazate, finishing at the UNESCO-listed Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou — climb to the summit granary for the panorama. Drop-off at your Ouarzazate hotel in the early-to-mid afternoon. (Optional onward drop in Marrakech can be arranged.)
Meals: Breakfast.
The wildest Sahara Morocco can offer — both great ergs in one week. Book the 7 Day Ouarzazate Sahara Tour — private 4×4 expedition, luxury camp upgrades available.
Route: Ouarzazate → Dades Gorge → Todra Gorge → Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) → Zagora → M’Hamid → Foum Zguid (Erg Chigaga route) → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate
Distance: ~989 km round-trip.
