Zagora Travel Forum

We have 2 to 3 days with a rented normal car to visit "the desert" for the first time, around April 9-12. Please can someone advise us:
-a possible schedule with where to stay and what to see
-I read it will be necessary to find a 4 x4 to see the dunes (muy wife is not too keen on camels)
We are not high livers. We just want to soak up the beauty and the peace and silence for a couple of days on our first trip to the South.
Thank you so much to anyone who can help.
We are a British couple living in Madrid in late 60's early 70,s but pretty active and love walking

You can easily drive with your normal car to M'hamid.
Once you're there, park the car where the road ends and the sand track starts and walk. In 10 minutes you'll be between the dunes!
Absolutely easy.
Cheers
gmg

Hi
you may try merzouga area .we can Mhamid a ' desert' but if you want to get wht asked for ' peace silence' so erg chebbi is the good solution you'll njoy the road and it's a good road along the way . i can add something too you can check with the two families at the edge of the desert so many trallers recommend them .i know peopl had a chut with les nomades so i can say good things about them . i tried the road whene it was poor one with our fiat-uno and it was cool .you wont have any trouble the raod is perfect now and it take you to the desert dunes ...
if you don't want to log in a hotel there are guesthouses it cost just 10€ per night includ diner and breackfast . i will try this my next time what m telling you is what my friend experienced ...
all the best .

You just rent a small car and drive to Merzouga and then no need for a 4WD or even camels.You may enjoy walking since you are in ggod health.The place overthere is of such a beauty.

Good luck,
rachid_qotaibah2002@yahoo.fr

hello ,
so you're welcome ,to visit desert there is 2 possibilities , to go to merzouga , and here you're not need a 4x4 , because dune is near auberge , but in m hamid you should go by 4x4, so if you need some help try to write to me
email : south.morocco@yahoo.fr
take care
omar from ouarzazate

hi ,

dunes of erg chebi are one of the fantastic dunes wher u can see perfect sun rise and sun site whtout 4by4 by normal car rent from marakeck to profit too to see way of 1000 kasbah than spleep in nomades tente .if u need more information you can contact me by my e amil:kif.kif1980@hotmail.com
WELCOME.

Ive got some pages of my visits to around the area - the road to Mhamid is fine by normal car - if you want to go into the desert you will need a 4x4 from there - there are some agencies - info of which put in my tips.

The best dunes though I reckon from rather numerous visits to spend time and soak up the beauty are not at Mhamid but at Merzouga! which i also have a few tips. you dont have to do camel trips.

there are a number of auberges that are built right next to the big dunes of Erg Chebbi - the biggest ones in Morocco are at Merzouga - and you can drive right to the auberges on the verge of those dunes despite what local touts will say. there is a bitumen road all the way to Rissani which is the nearest major town and bitumen ffrom there to Merzouga with piste/gravel/sandy roads signposted to the various auberges off the bitumen road.

Id recommend - 1st choice is - Dunes D'or (NOT Sable D'or)
Timbuktu
Yasmina
Auberge du Sud (though they ripped me off a bit)
Erg Chebbi Auberge
Chez Julia

Not the Lahmada either. ripped me off.

but have a look through my pages - you might enjoy the lovely drive down the Draa Valley to Mhamid and stay at the hotel Ive recommmended Riad Malal - some great walking and relaxing around there. they can do a great trip to the dunes of Chigaga if you wanted which is 45 km into the desert from Mhamid 4x4.

or the drive along the Dades Valley from Marrakech to Rissani and Merzouga is also loaded with lovely sights and mustsees - that you can relax at along the way - see my tips on Telouet, Ouarzazate, Dades Gorge, Msemrir, Tamtatouche, Rissani.

but if you only have 2 to 3 days thats really not long enough to do it as a soakd up the beauty for a couple of days! it takes a couple of days to get there and back - depending which direction you are coming from. Id say please try and stay longer! April is such a nice month.

all the best.