Erg Chegaga

Erg Chegaga is Morocco’s last untamed sand sea: forty kilometres of dunes, not one road, not one hotel, not one streetlight. It lies between Lac Iriki and the Draa, and where Erg Chebbi at Merzouga has grown a ring of hotels and quad bikes, Chegaga has stayed exactly as it was. With no light pollution for 60 kilometres, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye most of the year.

The dunes are wind-sculpted sediment from the ancient river systems of the Draa and Bani. They move: crests reshape after every windstorm, and our guides navigate by the mountains, not by the sand. The best light is the first and last hour of the day, when shadows give the dunes their relief; after wind, the ridges are at their sharpest. For stargazing, come at the new moon — Orion rules the winter sky, the galactic core rises late in the season.

How to reach it: about 2.5 hours by 4x4 from Foum Zguid — the shortest and most varied route, via Lac Iriki and the Colorado marocain, and the one we specialise in. From M’hamid the track takes 3.5–4 hours through intermediate ergs. From Marrakech it is a one- or two-day journey via Ouarzazate and Foum Zguid. By camel, the traditional crossing from Foum Zguid takes 4 to 5 days.

Best season: October to April for comfort. December and January bring cold nights but the most exceptional light of the year. In July and August the dunes are too hot for an overnight — we recommend a dawn run to Lac Iriki instead. Seasonal bivouacs, ours included, operate from September to June and are dismantled every summer to leave the erg intact; nomad families stay year-round around the wells and acacia pastures.

What people come for: the night at the bivouac with dinner by the fire, music and that sky; sunrise and sunset from a crest as the sand turns gold, red and blue; barefoot walking on cool untouched sand in the early morning; camel rides from an hour to a multi-day expedition; sandboarding on the western slopes; and tea with a nomad family.