The shape-shifting sand dunes of Morocco’s Erg Chebbi Desert are a sight to behold. This stunning desert sea has dunes rising up to 160 m and will provide you with stunning sunrise and sunset vistas. One of the best ways to experience the dunes is to take part in an organized camel trek from Merzouga and to spend the night in a Berber desert camp, with a return the following morning. Below we will give you a brief glimpse of the experience in addition to some travel tips, which will hopefully provide you with some inspiration for a truly memorable travel experience, while also proving useful for planning a trip to Morocco.

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How to get to Merzouga?

Merzouga is nearly 600 km east of Marrakech and typically requires an 8-10 hr drive to there. Most people will break up the journey with an overnight stop near Dades.

Without your own rental vehicle, your best options are to:
1. Book an excursion with a private driver that will take you from Marrakech to Merzouga and back, with several sightseeing stops along the way, such as those offered by Colour of Morocco.
2. Join an organized group tour to get you from Marrakech to Merzouga, which will probably also include sightseeing stops along the way.

Why it’s worth the trip to Erg Chebbi?

Once you’ve reached the Dunes of the Erg Chebbi, you’ll definitely feel as though you are in a different world, one that you almost have to yourself. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Camel trek into the heart of the desert

Although it’s not going to be the most comfortable ride of your life, it’s definitely an interesting experience to ride single file into the desert following your Berber guide.

2. Watching the sunset and sunrise in the middle of a sand sea

This was truly a magical experience and the pictures definitely do not do the experiences justice.

3. Running free among the beautiful giant dunes

We were very lucky as opposite the sunset was the moonrise, which provided us with beautiful desert vistas all around.

4. Camp and dinner in a Berber desert camp

It was definitely very interesting to experience a glimpse into the life of desert nomads.

How to make this desert trip happen?

If you made it to Merzouga via your own wheels, or if your excursion from Marrakech to Merzouga doesn’t include the sand dune adventure, there are several tour operators in Merzouga that can make your trek into the desert happen.

What else do you need to know?

Although many believe the dunes of Erg Chebbi to be part of the Sahara desert, they are in fact not — despite the fact that many travel agencies promote them as such. The dunes of Erg Chebbi rise to 150 meters from the surrounding Hamada (rocky desert) and span an area of 28 kilometres from north to south and up to 7 kilometres from east to west lining the Algerian border.

The Erg Chebbi dunes are located within an area of semi-arid Pre-Saharan Steppes. There is a large stretch of Hamada, roughly 100 km, between the Sahara to the east and the Erg Chebbi dunes. However, when you stand on top of a tall dune in the Erg Chebbi, the desert does seem to go on forever.

Also, although most travel and excursion agencies advertise them as “camel rides” or “camel treks”, and we’ve done the same above for simplicity, what you will actually be riding is a dromedary, and not a camel (which is native to Asia, not northern Africa). Dromedaries have a single hump, whereas camels have double humps.

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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Explore the Giant Sand Dunes of Morocco’s Erg Chebbi Desert page and that it provided you with some inspiration for a truly memorable travel experience, and that it will also prove useful for planning your trip to Morocco.

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Looking for more travel inspiration? Feel free to check out some of our Travel Inspiration pages.