The Moroccan Sahara has several regions for adventurers to explore. The two standout destinations are the vast desert dunes of Erg Chigaga and the beautiful desert peaks of Erg Chebbi. There are also the smaller and less impressive desert regions of the Tinfou Dunes by Zagora and Erg Lihoudi by M’hamid.
By their nature, all these locations are isolated and a long distance from major tourist cities like Marrakech, Fes, and Casablanca. But Morocco luxury holiday packages that include desert tours are consistently the highlight of trips to our country for many tourists. And with experiences like witnessing the orange dunes and bold blue desert skies, camping under the stars, and desert camel rides, it’s easy to see why.
There are several ways to get to the Sahara Desert depending on your budget and time restrictions. Below, we have listed some of the transport methods our guests use to reach us. If you have any questions about getting to our luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Getting to Our Desert Luxury Camps by Private Helicopter or Jet
The easiest and fastest way to travel to either of our luxury desert camps in Morocco is by private helicopter directly to the camp or on a private jet to the nearest airport. The helicopter ride to Erg Chigaga is fairly affordable, especially if there is a large number of travelers to share the cost. It takes a little over one hour and costs around US$10,000 for a return trip with a one-night stay.
Helicopter travel to the Merzouga desert can be very expensive and takes over two hours. The wiser and better choice in this case would be to hire a small private jet and arrive at Errachidia airport. This is located about two hours away from most desert camps in the Merzouga Erg Chebbi desert. The flying time from Marrakech is around one hour while the trip from Fes is only around 30 minutes. The cost is approximately US$12,000 for a one-night overnight stay.
You can also opt to take a private jet to Zagora airport which is less than a one-hour flight from Marrakech. From there, it takes around 3.5 hours by car to reach the desert dunes of Erg Chigaga.
Commercial Flights to Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga
Not many of us can afford to travel by private jet or helicopter! But if you still want to avoid long days of driving, we suggest checking domestic flights with Royal Air Maroc and RyanAir.
As mentioned Errachidia is the closest airport to the Merzouga desert (around a two-hour drive away) so it’s a great alternative to fly here. Royal Air Maroc offers daily flights from Casablanca. However, these flights arrive late at night and depart early in the morning. But it is no problem for us to collect you at the airport at night and take you to Desert Luxury Camp. Many guests also use the early morning travel flight from Errachidia, departing from our camp early in the morning with a packed breakfast.
Alternatively you can consider taking the RyanAir flight from Marrakech to Errachidia. These flights are limited to 2 times a week and are a great option to combine the tour with one way flying in and other driving to view the landscape or in reverse direction.
Alternatively, you can fly to Zagora airport, located between Erg Chigaga (approximately a three-hour drive) and Erg Chebbi (around a four-hour drive). However, the direct flights from Casablanca are limited to two to three direct flights per week.
Another possibility is to consider flying to Ouarzazate airport. There are direct flights with Royal Air Maroc from Casablanca (practically daily) and a few weekly flights from Marrakech. However, Ouarzazate is not the best choice of airport for your desert tour. It will still take around six hours of driving to reach either Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga.
Driving to Our Desert Luxury Camps in Morocco
This is our preferred and recommended way of getting to our desert luxury camps! Driving is a great alternative if you have the time as it offers a far more immersive experience. The ideal situation would be to use the flights one way and drive the other. We highly recommend the option of driving as Southern Morocco offers a breathtaking journey! It‘s a different Morocco from the one you encounter in Marrakech and the northern part of the country.
Southern Morocco is highly cultural, and many people keep their ancient traditions alive, embracing the old ways as their ancestors did. In some of the smaller Berber villages, people still live in huts made of mud and clay. You may even spot women washing their clothes in the river or encounter Nomads with their herds. You’ll get to see sumptuous and traditional Kasbahs that once played an important role in the history of the camel caravans. You’ll get to see beautiful and varied natural landscapes, including mountains, deserts, river valleys, and oases.
This is a region that should not be missed if you are visiting Morocco. Our advice is to take it slowly. The more days you have for a desert tour the better! We recommend at least four days for Sahara Desert tours that include driving, but more is even better. Please check our Morocco luxury holiday packages to find out more about our unforgettable multi-day experiences.
We understand that not everyone can have a long Moroccan vacation, so it is possible to enjoy a desert trip in three days. We have even organized desert tours of Morocco over two days and one night, but we always try to discourage clients from doing so. It is a long car journey and may not be worthwhile for everyone.
Our blogs Why One Night in the Desert Isn’t Enough and What Is a Good Itinerary for a Two-Week Tour of Morocco? are two great reads that go into more detail about how much time you need for a Sahara Desert experience.
The driving can be done in several ways too. The easiest way is to book a desert tour with one of our knowledgeable drivers who speaks your language. Our drivers are not just experts behind the wheel. but also highly conversant, informed, and fun to be around around. They take the stress out of the navigation and driving but also provide insights into the Moroccan way of living and its culture. The majority of the drivers we use on our Moroccan desert tours are born and raised in Southern Morocco and have strong ties to their families and the culture of the South and are happy to share it with you.
You can also self-drive. There are many car rental agencies in the major cities in Morocco that allow one-way travel. The roads of Southern Morocco are easy to drive on. The biggest challenge may be the road of Tizi n’Tichka crossing the High Atlas between Marrakech and Ouarzazate, but in recent years it has been made wider and safer. But note that the road has many twists, curves, and winds up and down. It is not yet finished. The road may also close down in winter months due to snow, as does the road connecting Fes with Merzouga.
The best advice for anyone choosing to drive in Morocco is to take your time! The other day while meeting with clients, they said they didn’t realize how long the traveling distances were. They did their search on Google Maps but were surprised at how inaccurate that information was! You need to factor in extra time if you are using Google Maps for your research.
You don’t have to rent a 4x4WD vehicle to self-drive to the Sahara Desert. You can arrive in a small sedan. If you are traveling to Merzouga, we will send you a local address where we will meet you and take you in 4WD to the camp with your luggage. You can leave your car safely parked at the spot at no charge. The drive will be about 10 to 15 minutes from the suggested place. The return transfer in 4WD is included in the price of your stay at the camp in the Merzouga desert.
If you are thinking of going to Erg Chigaga, then we’ll meet you in M’hamid with 4x4WD and take you to the desert dunes. This route is longer and will take about two hours of off-road driving. The cost of the transfer is not included in your stay. We show you where to park your car securely and without additional charge in M’hamid.
If you do want to drive a 4x4WD vehicle in the desert dunes, you can make it all the way to the desert camps on your own. We will send you the GPS location. However, we highly recommend collecting a guide in M’hamid if traveling to Erg Chigaga. Driving in the desert requires certain skills and is not for everybody. It can be technical in some places. A GPS might be handy to rely on if the weather is good, but in poor visibility, a guide is essential for your safety!
Remember the Erg Chigaga desert dunes are vast, and we have experienced self-drive travelers getting lost here. They were following the Waze application that was leading them completely the wrong way into Algeria. Luckily, we had drones available during that time in the camp and were able to locate them.
We also recommend reading our blog Which Morocco Desert Camp is Right for You? as part of your trip-planning process.
Reaching Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga by Public Transport
If you are on a strict budget or just like a sense of adventure and don’t mind using public transport, you can reserve a seat on a bus. The bus system in Morocco is great and can take you into the Sahara. There are two bus companies, Supratours and CTM, but only Supratours travel to the popular desert destination of Merzouga.
There is one bus that connects Fes and Merzouga and also another bus a day that connects the journey from Marrakech to Merzouga. Some buses can get you to Zagora and even further onto M’hamid if you want to go to Erg Chigaga. But there you still need to hire a private 4x4WD car for the trip to reach Erg Chigaga or a multi-day camel trip.
Transportation on buses is tiring and long, and we advise against it.
Organized Morocco Luxury Holiday Packages
There are many companies that offer mostly private desert tours to the Merzouga desert and Erg Chebbi dunes. Be careful with the group tours as they tend to be very cheap with extremely bad service. These tours often turn into organized shopping tours instead. No wonder, as the drivers often don’t get paid for these tours, and they have to make their money somewhere.
Most of the private tours tend to be very similar with just different hotel selections. From the feedback of our past clientele, we are different! We always strive to offer you the best desert tours depending on how many days you have and the time of the year. Most of the time we offer you two different options for your desert trip and let you choose your preference. We believe that every traveler is different and looking for a unique desert experience. We offer just that!
There are fewer desert tours to Erg Chigaga. The route here is less traveled and more off the beaten path. To reach Erg Chigaga, you need a 4WD off-road vehicle. Although, it is still stunning!
You will not likely see group tours and buses heading to M’hamid for a desert adventure. Our Morocco luxury holiday packages include organized desert tours to the Erg Chigaga desert dunes as well, with several optional itineraries. Please contact us for details and a price quote.
