"The Sahara" in Morocco usually means one of two places: Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga, or Erg Chigaga, near M'Hamid further south. Both are genuine Saharan dune seas with the same golden sand and the same star-filled sky — the real differences are in how far you have to go to reach them, and what that distance buys you.
Side by side
| Erg Chebbi | Erg Chigaga | |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest town | Merzouga | M'Hamid, past Zagora |
| Drive from Marrakesh | ~9 hours (usually split over 2-3 days) | ~10-11 hours, plus a final 4x4 or camel stretch |
| Dune height | Up to around 150m — among the tallest in Morocco | Generally lower, but the dune field spreads wider |
| Accessibility | Paved road most of the way, camp reachable directly | Requires a 4x4 track or camel trek for the final stretch |
| Crowds | Popular — the more visited of the two | Considerably quieter, fewer camps |
| Typical trip length needed | Fits comfortably into 3-5 days from Marrakesh or Fes | Usually needs 6+ days to reach, enjoy and return |
Why our routes go to Erg Chebbi
Both of our routes — the 3-day loop and the 5-day Fes crossing — end at Erg Chebbi, and that's a deliberate choice, not a default. For a trip in the 3-5 day range that most travelers actually have available, Erg Chebbi is the dune sea that fits: it's reachable on a road that lets a normal vehicle make good time, the drive itself passes through some of the country's best scenery (Aït Ben Haddou, Todra Gorge, the Dadès Valley), and once you arrive, the dunes rise directly and dramatically from the edge of Merzouga — no further trek required to get the classic view.
Erg Chigaga's remoteness is genuinely part of its appeal, but it's also exactly what makes it a poor fit for a shorter trip — the extra day or two it takes to reach and return from M'Hamid would eat directly into the time you'd otherwise spend actually at the dunes, or elsewhere in Morocco.
When Erg Chigaga makes more sense
If you have six or more days specifically for a desert-focused trip, and remoteness matters more to you than efficiency, Chigaga is worth considering with an operator who specializes in that route. It genuinely sees fewer visitors, and the extra effort to reach it is part of what travelers who choose it are looking for. It's simply a different trip than the 3-5 day itineraries we run — not a better or worse one.
The honest bottom line
If you're weighing this while planning a first Morocco trip with a handful of days to spare, Erg Chebbi via one of our routes gets you the full Sahara experience — the dunes, the camel trek, the night under the stars — without needing to sacrifice the rest of the country to reach it. Chigaga is for a different kind of trip, not a better version of the same one.
Planning your dates around this?
Tell us how many days you have, and we'll confirm honestly whether our Erg Chebbi routes fit — or point you toward what would.
Send an inquiry See both routes