3 days · 2 nights
Marrakech – Erg Chegaga, 3 days via Foum Zguid
from€440 / person
Price per person, based on two travellers. Private 4x4 and guide — the rate per person drops for groups of 4–6.
Most Marrakech desert circuits end at Zagora’s small dunes or spend a day on the tarmac to M’hamid. This one goes to the great erg by the short door: over the Tizi n’Tichka, through Aït Ben Haddou and the carpet country of Taznakht to Foum Zguid, where the first night is in a guesthouse facing Jbel Bani — so that the whole of day two is desert.
That day crosses Lac Iriki, the Colorado marocain and the fossil plateau, reaches the sand for the sunset camel ride and ends by the fire at the bivouac. You leave the erg after sunrise and drive home a different way, through the Draa valley and Ouarzazate, arriving in the early evening.
Highlights
- Saves three hours of tarmac compared with the Agdz–Zagora route
- Aït Ben Haddou (UNESCO) and the Tizi n’Tichka pass on the way out
- Guesthouse night in Foum Zguid — private room and bathroom
- Lac Iriki, Colorado marocain, sunset camel ride and a bivouac night in the erg
- Return through the Draa valley — no road twice
Itinerary
Day 1 · 08:00 — Marrakech · Aït Ben Haddou · Foum Zguid
Pickup at your accommodation, the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), a visit of Aït Ben Haddou, lunch in Taznakht, arrival in Foum Zguid in the late afternoon. First tea facing Jbel Bani; night in a guesthouse.
Day 2 — Foum Zguid · Lac Iriki · Erg Chegaga
Early onto the track: the lake crossing, the Colorado marocain, the fossil plateau, a nomad lunch. Arrival at the dunes, camel ride at sunset, Berber dinner, night in the equipped bivouac.
Day 3 — Erg Chegaga · Draa valley · Marrakech
Sunrise in the erg, out of the desert to the tarmac, then home through the Draa valley and Ouarzazate. Arrival in the early evening.
What's Included
- Private 4x4 from and to your Marrakech accommodation
- Guesthouse night in Foum Zguid with breakfast
- Night in an equipped bivouac at Erg Chegaga
- Dinners on days 1 and 2, breakfasts on days 2 and 3
- Camel ride
- French- and English-speaking driver-guide
Not Included
- Lunches
- Aït Ben Haddou entrance if you want a local guide there
- Drinks
- Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Foum Zguid rather than Zagora?
Shorter and more varied: it saves three hours of tarmac via Agdz and Zagora, and the Foum Zguid–Chegaga track (2.5 hours) crosses Lac Iriki. More desert, less road.
Private or shared?
Private: the 4x4, the guide and the pace are yours. The price is per person for two; it drops for four to six.
Can it be extended?
Yes — the 4-day version adds a full day in the erg with dune walks and the Oum Laâlag oasis.
Other departure or ending points?
Ouarzazate (saves two hours and costs less) or Agadir (similar length via Taliouine). We can also drop you in Ouarzazate, Zagora or Agadir with an adjusted rate.
Season?
Year-round. In July–August the bivouac night is replaced by a night at the oasis. If the Tichka is snowed, we adjust the timing, never the safety.
Ready to Answer the Call?
Choose your tour and start your adventure today.