Erg Chebbi: A Practical Guide to Morocco’s Sahara Dunes
By Youssef Ettaghlaoui, Founder and licensed local guide · Updated
Erg Chebbi is a sea of golden sand dunes on the edge of the Sahara in southeastern Morocco, next to the village of Merzouga. It runs about 28 km (17 miles) from north to south, and its highest crests reach about 150 m (500 ft). It is 8 to 9 hours’ drive from Marrakech or Fes, so most travelers come for one or two nights at a desert camp, as part of a trip of three days or more.
I was born near these dunes, into a nomad family that settled at their edge, and I started leading camels here at 16. When I need to clear my head, I still go out and climb them: they are to me what the beach is to someone who grew up by the sea. Here is how to plan your visit, which camp to choose, and what it costs.
- Where
- Merzouga, southeast Morocco
- Size
- About 28 km north to south
- Highest dunes
- About 150 m (500 ft)
- Time needed
- 1–2 nights at camp
Erg Chebbi at a Glance
| What it is | An erg, a field of wind-blown sand dunes, on the northwestern edge of the Sahara |
|---|---|
| Where | Southeastern Morocco, near the Algerian border, next to Merzouga |
| Size | About 28 km (17 mi) north to south and 5–7 km (3–4 mi) wide, according to Wikipedia |
| Highest dunes | About 150 m (500 ft) |
| From Marrakech | About 550 km (340 mi): 8 h 30 driving, best split over 2 days |
| From Fes | About 460 km (285 mi): about 8 hours with stops |
| Nearest airport | Errachidia, about 1 h 30 by road |
| Camp night for two | About $150 (standard) to $450 (premium), checked October 2026 |
| Best months | Late August to mid-December, and mid-January to late June |
What Makes Erg Chebbi Special
The dunes rise straight out of a flat, stony plain, so you see them from far away: a wall of orange sand that changes color through the day. The sand is golden and very fine, and it is clean: it does not leave your clothes dusty the way the sand mixed with dust does in some other deserts, Erg Chigaga included.
The best-known dune is Lala Lallia, a star dune in the middle of the erg. A 2024 study measured it at about 100 m (330 ft) high and 700 m wide; its name means “the highest sacred point”. The tallest crests elsewhere in the erg reach about 150 m.
In summer you may also see people taking sand baths, buried up to the neck in the hot sand: a local tradition that visitors now come for too.
Merzouga, the Villages, the Dunes and the Camps
Four names come up when you plan, and they are different things:
- The villages: Merzouga is the best known, and Hassilabied, Khamlia and Taouz are close by along the edge of the dunes. This is where you find hotels, riads, cafés and shops.
- The dunes: Erg Chebbi itself, rising right behind the villages.
- The camps: tented camps out in the dunes, about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 by camel from the village. A camp is not a hotel in town: it is the night in the desert.
- The meeting point: there is no single one. Each camp starts from the village facing it, usually Merzouga or Hassilabied, and that is where you meet your camel leader or the 4×4.
So “staying in Merzouga” can mean a hotel in the village or a night out in the dunes. If the dunes are what you came for, choose the camp.
Is Erg Chebbi Worth the Journey?
Yes, if you have the time. If you have never been to a desert and want to see real Sahara dunes, sleep among them and watch the sun come up over the sand, this is the place I recommend first. It is especially striking for people who live in big cities: the silence and the space are what they remember.
The price is the journey. From Marrakech or Fes you need at least three days for the trip, and four is better. If you only have a day or two, the rocky Agafay desert near Marrakech is the honest alternative: read Agafay or the Sahara.
How to Get to Erg Chebbi
From Marrakech
About 550 km (340 miles) over the High Atlas: around 8 hours 30 minutes of driving, and 10 to 11 hours with stops. We split it over two days, with a night in the Dades Valley. The full route, the days you need and the other options are in our Marrakech to Merzouga guide.
From Fes
About 460 km (285 miles), about 8 hours with our stops: the Middle Atlas, Ifrane and its cedar forest, lunch in Midelt and a viewpoint over the Ziz Valley. It can be done in one day. Many travelers cross the country instead: Fes to the desert to Marrakech, or the other way round. See our desert tours from Fes.
By plane
The nearest airport is Errachidia, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Merzouga by road, with a few flights a week from Marrakech. We pick travelers up there.
Driving yourself
The roads to Merzouga are paved and you can drive them in a rental car. Leave the car in the village: the camps are reached by camel or by the camp’s 4×4.
How Many Nights in the Desert?
Count three different things when you compare trips: the nights in Morocco, the nights on the tour, and the nights actually spent in the dunes. A three-day tour from Marrakech has one night at a camp.
One night gives you the camel ride, the sunset, dinner, music, the stars and the sunrise. It is enough to feel the desert. The evening and the morning, hour by hour, are in A night in the Sahara desert.
Two nights let you slow down: more time in the dunes, more sandboarding, a quad ride if you want one, and a visit to a nomad family. Many of our travelers on longer tours stay two nights.
Where to Stay: Three Camps Compared
These are the three camps we use, one in each category. I chose them because they mostly host private travelers and sit away from the camps used by big shared groups, where you can hear quad bikes, loud music and generators at night. We book them at trade rates; we have no commission agreement with any of them.
| Shooting Stars Camp | Sahara Eden Camp | Tiziri Camp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Standard | Mid-range | Premium |
| Tents | 10 | 12 | 6 |
| Toilet and shower | Private, in the tent, hot water | Private, in the tent, hot water | Private, in the tent, hot water |
| Heating in winter | No, warm blankets | Yes | Yes |
| Air conditioning in summer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Open in July and August | Yes | No | No |
| Electricity and charging | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phone signal | Weak | Yes | Yes |
| Night for two, camp only | $150 | $270 | $450 |
The camp-only price is the total for two people for one night, checked in October 2026. It includes the camel ride to camp and back (or a 4×4 if you prefer), dinner, breakfast and sandboarding. Drinks other than water are extra. On our tours, the camp night is part of the trip and quoted with it.
In winter, choose a camp with heating: outside, the night can drop to 5 or 6 °C (41–43 °F), sometimes 0 °C. In summer, air conditioning makes the difference, but Sahara Eden and Tiziri close in July and August; Shooting Stars, the only one of the three open then, has no air conditioning. Signal and Wi-Fi can be slow anywhere in the dunes.
Prefer a bed in the village? Merzouga and Hassilabied have hotels and riads, and you can still ride out for the sunset. See also our luxury desert camps.
What to Do in Erg Chebbi
Included with a camp night
- The camel ride to camp and back, with a stop on a dune for the sunset
- Sandboarding on the dunes near the camp
- Dinner, music around the fire and the stars, then the sunrise in the morning
Extras, prices checked October 2026
| Quad bike, 1 hour | $50 per person |
|---|---|
| Buggy, 1 hour | $170 for two |
| Horse riding, 1 hour | $35 per person |
| Extra camel ride, 1 hour | $25 per person |
| 4×4 tour around the dunes, about 4 hours | $130 for two |
The 4×4 tour
Our four-hour tour goes around the erg: a visit to a nomad family for tea, the abandoned Mfis mines, music in the village of Khamlia, the seasonal lake when it has water, and fossils near Taouz. If you have two days in the desert, or your route continues through Rissani, we add the Rissani market.
Visiting nomad families
We visit families we have known for years. They welcome you into their tent and serve tea. Travelers usually leave a tip of about $20–25 for two. Always ask before you photograph anyone, even if the family is used to visitors, and respect that some women prefer to cover their faces.
Photography
Walk into the middle of the dunes, away from footprints, camel tracks and tire marks, for clean lines in the sand. Sunrise and sunset are equally good.
When to Go
My favorite months are late August to mid-December and mid-January to late June.
- Summer: very hot days. From late June to August, strong winds and sandstorms often rise around midday and can last into the evening; mornings are usually calm. If the wind is too strong for the sunset camel ride, we drive you to camp by 4×4 and you ride in the morning instead.
- Winter: warm days and cold nights. In winter our guests meet the camels at about 4:30 pm, and the sun sets around 5:15 to 5:35 pm (Morocco time, GMT).
- Rain: rare, but it happens, sometimes with floods, and with rainbows like the one in this photo.
In winter, pack a warm jacket: it is the thing travelers forget most often. For the rest of Morocco, see the best time to visit Morocco.
A Night Our Polish Guests Asked For
A couple from Poland booked one night at a camp, then asked us for something more authentic. So we packed tents and food and arranged a night with a nomad family we know. We cooked dinner ourselves and spent the evening with our hosts. In the morning the couple helped gather firewood and prepare breakfast, a small part of the family’s daily life. It is one of the nights I remember best.
We can arrange a night like this again, when a family agrees to host. Ask us.
Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga?
They are Morocco’s two big dune seas, and I have slept in both many times. Choose Erg Chebbi for golden dunes, a trip between Marrakech and Fes, or if you dislike off-road driving: paved roads lead all the way to Merzouga. Choose Erg Chigaga, beyond M’Hamid south of Zagora, if you want more seclusion and adventure: it takes about two hours of off-road driving in a 4×4 each way, and it is quieter. Be careful with comparison websites: many favor the desert where the seller is based. We organize trips to both, and I compare them in detail, with the drive, the camps, safety and cost, in Erg Chebbi vs Erg Chigaga.
Desert Trips to Erg Chebbi
Every trip is private and can be changed: a second night in the dunes, a finish in Fes, or a different camp.
-
3 days3-Day Marrakech to Merzouga Desert Tour
Over the High Atlas to the dunes of Erg Chebbi and back: our most requested desert trip from Marrakech.Private tour · Price on request -
4 days4-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech
Merzouga and Erg Chebbi from Marrakech with the drive split into four easy days and a night in Ouarzazate on the way back.Private tour · Price on request -
3 days3-Day Marrakech to Fes Desert Tour
The desert on the way between two cities: over the Atlas to the Merzouga dunes, then north to Fes.Private tour · Price on request -
5 daysLuxury Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech
A private 4×4, boutique kasbah hotels and two nights in a luxury tent in the Erg Chebbi dunes.Private tour · Price on request
Erg Chebbi: Questions
Still deciding? Ask us on WhatsApp: we reply from Merzouga, usually the same day.
Is Erg Chebbi in the Sahara?
Yes. Erg Chebbi is a field of sand dunes on the northwestern edge of the Sahara, in southeastern Morocco near the Algerian border.
How far is Erg Chebbi from Marrakech?
About 550 km (340 miles): around 8 hours 30 minutes of driving, or 10 to 11 hours with stops. Most travelers split it over two days and take at least three days for the whole trip.
Can I visit Erg Chebbi on a day trip?
Not from Marrakech or Fes: it is too far. From Merzouga or the nearby villages, yes, for a sunset camel ride or a quad session, but the night at a camp is what most people come for.
How high are the dunes of Erg Chebbi?
The highest crests reach about 150 m (500 ft). The best-known dune, Lala Lallia, is a star dune about 100 m (330 ft) high.
What does a night in an Erg Chebbi camp cost?
In October 2026, a camp-only night for two people with the camel ride, dinner and breakfast cost about $150 at a standard camp, $270 at a mid-range camp and $450 at a premium camp.
Is Erg Chebbi worth visiting?
Yes, if you have at least three days. It is the most accessible place in Morocco to see tall Sahara dunes, sleep in the desert and watch the sunrise over the sand.
Plan Your Nights in Erg Chebbi
Tell us your dates, how many you are and the camp level you like. We reply within 24 hours with a plan and a price.