Merzouga and Erg Chebbi
Dunes of 150 metres blushing at sunset, a bivouac night under a Saharan sky: Erg Chebbi is the desert dream you can reach in a rental car.
Suggested stay — 1 to 2 nights
At the end of the tar, the Erg Chebbi dunes rise abruptly above the black plain: 22 km long, 150 metres high, a true piece of Sahara on the Algerian border. The ritual is unchanging and rightly so: arrive late afternoon, ride a camel or a 4x4 to a camp deep in the dunes, sunset from a crest, tajine under the tent, drums, then silence and an improbable sky.
Everything turns on the choice of camp: the human-scale "charm" camps, deeper in the erg, are worth their premium over the big camps lined up near the village. Sunrise from the great dune, before heading back, closes the parenthesis.
Don't miss
- Sunset and sunrise from the crests (both, non-negotiable)
- The starry night — aim for the new moon if you can choose your dates
- Khamlia, the neighbouring Gnaoua village, for music and tea
- The seasonal lake of Dayet Srji and its flamingos, some springs
Our tips on the ground
- Your car stays at the edge-of-erg auberge's guarded car park: never take a rental into the erg's sand.
- Book a camp of fewer than ten tents, deep in the dunes: the difference from the factory camps is total, for €20-40 more.
- Avoid July-August (45 °C and frequent sandstorms); October to April, pack a real down jacket for the night.
On our publishing schedule
Coming soon“Morocco on your own”, the complete edition, is in preparation
Same method as our Namibia guide: day-by-day itineraries, driving, a costed budget and checklists. Leave us your address and you'll hear about the launch — at the launch price.
In the meantime, our reference
The “Namibia on your own” guide — €29
- The same method, already applied to Africa's easiest self-drive country
- 3 day-by-day itineraries, 4x4 insurance decoded, costed budget
- Instant download, 14-day guarantee — currently in French, English edition coming
Before you go
Readers' questions about Merzouga and Erg Chebbi
Camel or 4x4 to reach the camp?
The camel for the entrance scene (an hour at caravan pace, superb at sunset), the 4x4 if your back or the timetable objects. Many camps combine: camel out, motorised return after sunrise. What awaits under the tent is the same.
Merzouga or Zagora for the desert?
Merzouga, without hesitation, for true big dunes: Erg Chebbi is spectacular from its very edge. Zagora and Erg Lihoudi offer an alternative closer to Marrakech but with modest dunes — the famous "Timbuktu 52 days" sign doesn't make up the difference.