MA · Drâa-Tafilalet · 31.10°N 4.01°W

merzouga

Erg Chebbi's high dunes, quiet desert mornings and a night under a very dark sky.

Best time
March–April and October–November have warm days and manageable nights. Winter nights are cold, spring can be windy, and June–August is far too hot for walking the dunes.
How long
2 nights, plus travel days
Getting there
Fly with one stop to Casablanca, usually via Istanbul, Doha or Dubai, about 17–20 hours all in, then a domestic flight to Errachidia and about 2 hours by road. Most people come overland from Marrakesh or Fez instead, a very long day's drive or two easier ones. Morocco is 8 hours behind KL.
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MA · Drâa-Tafilaletmerzouga31.10°N 4.01°Wgowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Erg Chebbi's high dunes, quiet desert mornings and a night under a very dark sky.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingMerzougaMA, Drâa-Tafilalet
KLmerzouga
≈ 11,310 km from KL, as the crow flies
Merzouga, Morocco

Photo: bachmont · CC BY 2.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Merzouga is the village beside Erg Chebbi, the big orange dunes most people picture for a Moroccan desert trip. Two nights give you time for the village and the sand without spending the whole visit in a vehicle.

Makan

  1. Medfouna'Berber pizza': flatbread stuffed with spiced meat, onion and egg, a Rissani speciality.Map ↗
  2. TagineSlow-cooked meat or vegetables, the usual camp dinner.Map ↗
  3. DatesFrom the oases of the Tafilalt, served with mint tea.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Erg ChebbiDunes up to about 150 metres high, best climbed at sunrise or sunset.Map ↗
  2. Desert campA night in a tented camp among the dunes, under a very dark sky.Map ↗
  3. KhamliaA nearby village of Gnawa musicians, descendants of West Africans brought across the Sahara.Map ↗
  4. RissaniA market town 40 minutes away, with a big souk and old ksour.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Camps sit in different spots around the dunes, so ask where yours is and how you get there: by camel, 4WD or on foot.
  • Pack a small overnight bag for the camp and leave your main luggage in the village.
  • Food is halal as standard, and alcohol is found only in some hotels and restaurants.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.