Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga: Which Sahara Dunes Should You Visit?
Erg Chebbi has the tallest dunes and a paved road; Erg Chigaga is wilder and only reached by 4x4. How Morocco's two great dune seas compare.
Erg Chebbi has the tallest dunes and a paved road; Erg Chigaga is wilder and only reached by 4x4. How Morocco's two great dune seas compare.
Short answer: choose Erg Chebbi, at Merzouga, for the tallest dunes, a paved road all the way to the sand, the widest choice of camps and the option to finish in Fes. Choose Erg Chigaga, beyond M'Hamid in the Draa Valley, if you want a wilder, emptier desert and are happy to spend an extra day and the last stretch in a 4x4 on desert tracks.
| Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) | Erg Chigaga (M'Hamid) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Southeast Morocco, near the Algerian border | South of Zagora, at the end of the Draa Valley |
| Access | Paved road to the edge of the dunes | 4x4 only, on desert tracks from M'Hamid |
| Dunes | The tallest in Morocco, up to about 150 m | Lower dunes spread over a larger, emptier area |
| Camps | Many, from simple to luxury | Fewer, more isolated |
| From Marrakech | 9 to 10 hours; 3 days minimum | A long day to M'Hamid, then the 4x4; 3 to 4 days |
| Combine with Fes? | Yes, easily | Not really |
Erg Chebbi is the dune sea you have seen in photographs: orange ridges up to about 150 m high, rising suddenly out of a flat stony plain next to the village of Merzouga. Because a paved road reaches the edge of the sand, you can arrive in an ordinary vehicle, ride a camel into the dunes for sunset, and sleep in a camp from basic to genuinely luxurious.
The road there is the best in Morocco: over the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, past Ait Ben Haddou, through the Dades Valley and Todra Gorge. From Merzouga you can loop back to Marrakech or continue north to Fes through the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas.
Erg Chigaga lies beyond M'Hamid El Ghizlane, the last village where the road south through the Draa Valley ends. From there it is desert track only, so the final stretch is done in a 4x4 across stony plains and dry riverbeds. The dunes are lower than Erg Chebbi's highest ridges, but they spread over a much larger area, with far fewer camps and almost no traffic.
The price of that solitude is time. From Marrakech you need a long day to reach M'Hamid and then the 4x4 crossing, which makes three days tight and four days more comfortable. You also cannot easily continue to Fes, so most Chigaga trips return to Marrakech.
Our scheduled private desert tours go to Erg Chebbi at Merzouga, in 3, 4 or 5 days from Marrakech, or one way to Fes, and to Zagora in 2 days. Compare them on our Sahara desert tours page. If Erg Chigaga is the desert you want, send us your dates through the custom tour request.
Marrakech
From € 325.00 based on 7 person This price is based on 7 travelers. Price varies for different group sizes.
Marrakech
From € 240.00 based on 7 person This price is based on 7 travelers. Price varies for different group sizes.
Marrakech
From € 225.00 based on 7 person This price is based on 7 travelers. Price varies for different group sizes.
Erg Chebbi. Its highest dunes reach about 150 m, the tallest in Morocco. Erg Chigaga's dunes are lower but spread over a larger area.
No. The road ends at M'Hamid El Ghizlane, and the last stretch to the dunes is a desert track that needs a 4x4 and a driver who knows the way.
Three days is the minimum and four is more comfortable, because of the long drive to M'Hamid and the 4x4 crossing. Erg Chebbi at Merzouga also needs three days, but on paved roads.
Erg Chebbi. It has the tallest dunes, the easiest access, the widest choice of camps, and the trip can end in Fes instead of driving back to Marrakech.
