How to Visit the Sahara Desert in Morocco
Merzouga is often called the gateway to the Sahara desert, home to the largest sand dunes in Morocco, Erg Chebbi. For many people visiting Morocco, this is the bucket list reason to come and there’s good reason to feel that way because the landscape is out of this world.
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Road Trip to the Sahara Desert
This blog is mainly about self-driving to Merzouga. There are many guided tours that will go from Marrakech or Fes to Merzouga.
If you have the option, we would definitely recommend a self-drive road trip to Merzouga. Many guided tours will drive to Merzouga from Marrakech or Fes in a day but there is loads to see along the way.
It really is as simple as driving to the desert. We drove in a week from Tanger Med, where we got the ferry from Algeciras in Spain. If you're also driving from Tanger Med, you could make the following stops to break up your drive to Merzouga;
- Chefchaouen and the Rif mountains
- Fes
- Ifrane National park
- Ziz Valley
Alternatively, if you're flying into Marrakech and renting a vehicle, you'll be taking a different route, so stop off at Ouarzazate, Dades Valley and Todgha Gorge.
If you’re interested in a pre-planned road trip guide for Morocco with more details, check out our Morocco Road Trip Guide and Map.
Camping in Merzouga
Amazingly, you can camp close to the sand dunes and you don’t need a 4x4! The ground around many parts of the sand dunes is gravel and sand, which means that it’s possible to drive close in a two wheel drive. Just be careful to avoid soft sand that is too deep and if you’re unsure either get out and walk before driving or get a local to show you to a spot. There are also plenty of campsites to choose from in Merzouga for a very reasonable price.
It’s also useful to know that there are pretty good phone signals in Merzouga. It’s wild to think that even in the Sahara desert you can stay connected on your phone.
If you would prefer to stay at a campsite or in accommodation, don't worry there are loads to choose from. You can find campsites on park4night and accommodation through your booking website.
Useful tips
If you are wild-camping in the dunes, you will get approached by locals who either want to sell stuff, bring you tagine or get you on a tour. If you are not interested, it is best to be upfront. We also found that when we told people we had been around for a few days and that we had already bought souvenirs, explored and eaten tagine, they left us alone.
The locals are pretty flexible so if you would like to tailor a tour to see something specific or if you would like to have a tagine at your campervan instead of eating out, they will be accommodating because they appreciate the business.
Most of the local Berber men we spoke to were able to speak the basics of a few languages. They have learnt English, French, German, Italian, Spanish from tourists visiting. On a side note we also think it is important to learn some Arabic and Berber words so that you show that you make an effort too as they have made an effort to learn the language of tourists.
Activities in Merzouga
There are a lot of different ways to see the sand dunes in Merzouga, ranging from free, to a little more on the pricey side.
- Walk up into the sand dunes and admire the scenery around you. You should definitely do this if only to appreciate how tiring it is to walk in the sand dunes
- You should try to make the time to enjoy both a sunrise and sunset to see the dunes light up with a golden glow.
- If you don’t want to walk you can go for a sunrise or sunset camel ride. These tours will also often involve sand boarding too.
- Rent a quad or a buggy and go for a private or group tour through the dunes.
- Go on a 4x4 tour around the dunes, some of these tours also involve enoying Berber music and visiting the nomad camps.
- Camp in the desert for a night, this is a pretty cool activity if you want to do more than a day exploring.
Alternative location to visit the Sahara Desert in Morocco
If you would prefer to go to a less visited part of the desert, you could head to Erg Chigaga. These dunes are accessed via a 50km unpaved road from the village of M’Hamid so you should have a 4x4 to get there and explore the area. This is the reason why there is less tourist traffic to these sand dunes because they are less accessible, but you will still find many campsites there.
To reach this part of the desert you can also explore the Drâa valley along the way, home to the largest palm grove in the world. If you choose to explore here rather than Erg Chebbi, it would make sense to visit after Todra and Dadès gorge. We didn’t personally visit these dunes because our van is only a 2 wheel drive.
