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Erg Chigaga 3 Days Desert Tour

Erg Chigaga 3 Days Desert Tour

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Erg Chigaga 3 Days Desert Tour

The Marrakech to Erg Chigaga Desert Tour is one of the most famous Marrakech desert tours that traverse the Erg Chigagain Sahara Desert and offer you rich scenic views. Travel through unknown paths, discover unexplored places, and watch the color of the sky change as you move across from one end of the desert to the other, breathing the fresh desert air and enjoying the unadulterated scenery.

You will enjoy the warm hospitality of the native Berbers and love interacting with them and listening to their mystic tales as you camp in the desert under the shimmering stars and the jet-black sky at night. If you are lucky, you might discover some constellations too!




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    3
    10+ Age
    Morocco Desert Tours
    • Departure
      MARRAKECH
    • Departure Time
      8 AM
    • Return Time
      6 PM

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    Tour Plan

    1

    Day 1: Marrakech – Ouarzazate – Draa Valley

    After a sumptuous breakfast, start our Erg Chigaga 3 Days Desert Tour that will take you to Ouarzazate and Draa Valley in a day that will be filled with wonderful views and a nice long drive. You will be heading towards the southern part of Morocco, and will be crossing the epic High Atlas Mountains. You will pass Ouarzazate during the afternoon. Known as the Hollywood of Africa, Ouarzazate offers some stunning backdrops against which a lot of Hollywood movies and TV series have been shot. After taking lunch there, you will carry on towards the Draa Valley. On the way, you will witness the stunning sight of the Mountains of Jabel Saghrou. Originally known as the Valley of Olives during the 19th century, The Draa Valley is known for the palm trees that adorn the roads. It contributes richly to the income of this town as they provide dates that are sold both as dry fruits and used in making baskets, rugs, etc. At night, you will be accommodated either in a luxury tent or The Palmery Hotel.
    2

    Day 2: Drive through DraaValley, Erg Chigaga, and Camel Trek

    After a filling breakfast, the tour will proceed towards Zagora and the OuladDriss town. The morning drive will take place along the Draa valley, giving you spectacular sights of palm trees, villages with mud-red homes, and colorful sceneries. The town of OuladDriss will be your first stop, where you will have lunch. This will be followed by the traditional Moroccan mint tea at the house of a native Berber. The real Erg Chigaga 3 Days Desert Tour will start in the afternoon when you will be taken for a 3-hour camel trek. A caravan of camels will carry all your luggage and camping equipment, while you enjoy the sights of sand dunes of Bounou. The camp will be set up in the middle of Mhamid sand dunes. You will find yourself enjoying the landscape of pristine sand, pure air, and a picturesque backdrop. The sense of wanderlust will be heightened when you will witness the sun setting against a clear sky. The most interesting part of the night will be camping under the stars and trying to discover constellations in the clear night sky, whilst enjoying a bonfire lit night.
    3

    Day 3: Back to Marrakech

    Your Erg Chigaga 3 Days Desert Tour is on its last leg today. In the morning, you can take a walk and enjoy the most beautiful sunrise, and return to your camp for breakfast. The driver will drive you towards the High Atlas Mountains.
    20 Things You Must Know Before Visiting Morocco Travel Tips
    More and more people are visiting Morocco every year. It’s a beautiful country. If you plan on going, here are a few pointers to help you prepare for your trip.
    1. Dress Appropriately
    Overall, guys can dress however they like, but women need to dress more conservatively. Although you see many tourists wearing whatever they want, we chose to cover up as much as possible to avoid unwanted attention. Even if you’re traveling with a group of guys, you may still get harassed. Some of the girls in our group got groped on multiple occasions even though we were paired off with a male buddy. It was mostly really old men, and it happened more often in crowded places. When visiting mosques, you need to cover down to your wrists and ankles. For the ladies out there, it really helps to have a shawl/scarf handy in case you need it.
    1. Currency and Cost
    More established shops will take credit cards, but most smaller markets, street vendors, and cabs will not. Be ready with the local currency. The Moroccan Dirham (DEER-HAM) goes for roughly 9.20 Dirhams (DH) per 1 USD or 10 per 1 euro. We thought things would be cheaper in Morocco, but because of how touristy the country has become, the prices were comparable to Europe. Our tour guide recommended each person exchange 100 euros per day.
    1. ATMs.
    Exchange enough money when have a chance. ATMs can run out of money especially during a holiday or on the weekend also keep in mind some machines will let you withdraw up to $400.00 a day. There are many exchange offices especially in the big cities, your tour guide will help you get the best exchange rates. Also, traveler’s checks are pretty much useless in Morocco. It’s hard to find a place to cash them.
    1. Keep Correct Change with You
    Moroccan cab drivers rarely “have change” when you need it. To avoid overpaying, keep your coins. Most of our cab rides within the city were roughly 30 Dirhams, be careful when the cab driver says I will charge you a flat fee (it’s illegal), once you’re inside the cab look at the meter it should read something like 2.3 DRS during the day and 3.2 DRS during the night, roughly a 10 minutes cab ride should cost you around $8.00, do the best you can to have small change with you (coins).
    1. Tipping
    Have some change ready for tips. A good general rule of thumb is 3 to 5 DH at a local place and 5 to 10 DH at nicer places (coffee shops), when you dine at a restaurant a 10% tips is greatly appreciated. For your driver and guide 15 to 20% is greatly appreciated.
    1. Be Wary of Local Guides.
    It’s definitely great to hire a local guide to help you get an inside perspective on the country and navigate through the maze of the medinas (old towns) but be sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. The local guides have built relationships with many different stores, and they are most likely getting a cut of the sales. Don’t be fooled when they say they are trying to help you haggle to get the best price. I always offer them a 70% off the asking price, we start negotiating until we meet somewhere in the middle, put your poker face on. For this reason, our guides and drivers will stay with you from the beginning to the end of the tour to avoid such miss-step.
    1. Stay Away from Strangers Offering Free Tours or Directions.
    Even if you don’t hire a local guide, there will be a lot of locals offering you tours while you’re walking around the markets and medinas. If you go with one of them you may end up completely lost and pressed to spend money. Most of the time they will ask for a tip afterward too. This is the same as asking for directions. A lot of them will offer to walk you to where you’re going but then ask for a tip. If you’re so inclined, always have money to pay them off or just plan ahead and ask your hotel or pull up some maps when you have WIFI. And this is the reason why we have well-trained staff professional chauffeurs and nationally certified guides that offer you protection to your experience.
    1. Fridays are Holy Days and Prepare for Holidays
    Keep in mind that it is a Muslim country, so pay attention to their holidays otherwise you might be there when everything is closed. Also, most shops and attractions are closed during the mid-day prayer then everything is back to normal after that. During Ramadan most food places will be closed until late afternoon, however, you can still find some places where you can eat, the restaurant at the hotels, and Riads are always open. If you arrive in Morocco on Eid al-Adha, where they slaughter and sacrifice helps. Shops restaurants will be closed for at least 4 to 6 days and banks will be close for at least 2 days.
    1. Careful What Water You Use
    To stay on the safe side, drink bottled water and even use it to brush your teeth. the water bottle is really useful when you’re in Morocco.
    1. Pack Some Immodium
    Because the food, the meat, and the vegetables are all organic and they are not processed in most cases you will be fine but just to be in the safe case, bring some medication with you.
    1. Watch Your Pockets
    Most Moroccans are friendly and honest, but be careful about pickpockets in any major city especially in crowded places like the markets.
    1. What Language Do They Speak?
    Moroccans speak a mixture of Arabic, Berber, English, Spanish, and French. You’ll be fine with English in most of the larger cities, but you’ll probably need a translator in the rural parts of the country. Here are a few basic Arabic words that came in handy:
    • Hello(Peace Be With You): Salam Alikome (salaam a eleikum)
    • Thank You:Choukran (shokran)
    • No Thank You: La Choukran (la shokran). This one is useful when you have a bunch of street vendors hassling you to buy something.
    • Watch Out: Although you won’t use this yourself, you’ll most likely hear this in the medinas or souks (outdoor markets). It will be said by locals coming by with a mule, motorcycle, or cart and is a warning to move to the side.
    1. Visiting Mosques:
    If you’re hoping to visit Mosque in Morocco, you might be out of luck unless you’re Muslim. Most mosques are off-limits to non-Muslims, with the exception of the massive Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. They are still beautiful to take photos from outside though!
    1. Do I Need a Visa or Vaccines?
    Almost all English-speaking countries (except South Africa) do not require visas to enter the country. The CDC also doesn’t require any vaccines although many would recommend Hepatitis A and Typhoid shots. Find out more details from the CDC here.
    1. Ask Before Taking Photos (And You May Have to Pay).
    When you’re walking through the markets, be careful about taking photos of people and shops. Unless you are purchasing something, they may get angry at you and even demand money for the photos. When taking photos of the snake charmers, you need to pay 20 DH. Some may even hassle you for more, so it’s good to first establish a price before taking a photo.
    1. Souvenirs to Bring Home:
    Leather and carpets are well known in Fez. Fragrances, oils, and spices (like saffron) are famous in Morocco.  Your tour guide will have recommendations for each product you want to get as a souvenir.

                                         ****************************

    Overall, Morocco is a beautiful country, and you will be happy to experience it. As long as you’re completely aware of your surroundings, and you go in with the right mindset and expectations, you can have a wonderful experience.