Trek a circular route from/to M’hamid to reach the remote Erg Zahar dune field, little-visited and offering astonishing views from its highest point across the erg. Erg Zahar truly represents a ‘sea of sand’, Cross the vast Draa River bed in the heart of the Sahara desert and enjoy the sense of freedom that desert trekking offer, Authentic Trek, Total Change of Scenery, Desert Exploration, Travel to Morocco, Desert Stay, Desert Excursions, Desert Vacation
Camel caravan with 4×4 return to go further into the desert
Travel to the Start Point, the Desert Frontier
there’s option for reaching the village of Mhamid (the start of the treks),
A private 4×4 vehicle transfer with driver from Marrakech to Mhamid is Eur €310 one-way. The direct car transfer takes approx. 8 hours, excluding any time for stops and visits en-route ( make the short detour to visit the Ait Ben Haddou UNESCO Site near Ouarzazate).
An intense desert break for a purely Bedouin moment and a total change of scenery. This trek allows you to experience the desert and get closer to Bedouin life. A return by 4×4 allows you to go further into the desert and have time to discover one of the most magical places in the desert; Erg Zahar the big dune.
The caravan will take you to discover Sidi Naji , Erg Zahar (the screaming dune)
2 days of trek , camel caravan with return from trek in 4×4
1 night in a fixed bivouac, 2 nights in a nomadic bivouac
DURATION 4 days and 3 nights
DEPARTURE CITY M’Hamid
trek time: 5/6hours, depending on the pace of the group
Departure day to reach M’Hamid, last village before the desert.
During the transportation day, the journey begins. Between the Atlas Mountains and the visit of Ait Ben Haddou (UNESCO Site near Ouarzazate) , the road is beautiful and the change of scenery begins.
Arrival at the fixed camp is planned for early evening for take warm shower and enjoy first sunset than is dinner with local flavors among the dunes and a comfortable night in bungalows with comfortable beds.
Walk to Sidi Naji marabout and nomadic bivouac under the stars
After breakfast, meet your desert guides & camel caravan when the camels are loaded with your luggage / equipment. Your guides will also help you to wrap your turban, ideal protection in the desert. after The trek begins on foot from the fixed bivouac. Accompanied by a camel caravan and a Bedouin team, the crew begins its journey in the desert towards Sidi Naji(By the way, sidi Naji is my great-grandfather) , where a famous marabout (the shrine of a holy man) lived more than a century ago. The landscape takes place, from scattered dunes to tamarisk groves.
Discover the organization of Bedouin life, the wood collected for the fire, the establishment of camp and the softness of the sunset, After setting up camp there, we will spend the evening around the fire, to the sound of nomadic songs.
After breakfast, camp is struck, and the day’s goal, the large, remote sand dune region, of Zahar, will be reached . Today’s trekking terrain is largely flat, plateau-like earth (a dried lake) which gradually transforms into rolling sand dunes, with far less vegetation visible today. Camp is established at the foot of the tall dunes, between smaller dunes, and lunch is served. This is a little-visited dune region and your afternoon is given to exploring Zahar, reaching the highest point to enjoy the wide-reaching views across the ‘erg’ (sand sea) and then the sunset. Zahar is also known as the ‘screaming dunes’, for a legend that tells of a village buried beneath the sands there, the trees become rarer and the kingdom of sand takes place , The landscape is lunar and the large dune stands out on the horizon. At its summit there is a breathtaking 360° view of the Sahara,framed by the Algerian mountains.
At breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to the camels who were the faithful companions of this trek.
The latter will return on foot with their camel driver while a 4×4 joins the crew for a return to the fixed bivouac.
Then the return transfer joins the city of origin for a late arrival in the evening.
October through April
October still has rather warm day-time temperatures, very pleasant evenings. Night-time lows of around freezing in December / January. But winter light conditions are beautiful, due to the low winter sun. Possibility of a light rain shower in March. The desert is in bloom and camel calves are grazing. Early April sees the arrival of higher temperatures
