2 days · 1 nightErrachidia → Merzouga → ErrachidiaEasyPrivate
The shortest way to the Sahara: from Errachidia airport along the palm canyon of the Ziz to the dunes, with a night in our camp and a morning with the nomads.
Errachidia is the nearest airport to Merzouga, only two hours away, with flights from Casablanca. It is the best option if you have little time: in two days you see the valley of the Ziz, the dunes of Erg Chebbi, the nomads of the black desert and the village of the Gnawa.
There is no long driving day: the road is short and beautiful, so you have plenty of time in the desert. If you arrive in Errachidia by bus or by car from Fez or the Todra, we pick you up at the station or at your hotel.
Highlights
Pick-up at Errachidia airport
Viewpoints over the Ziz valley
Rissani and the old ksar
Night in our camp in Erg Chebbi
Nomads and Gnawa music in Khamlia
Day by day
Day 1
Errachidia – Ziz valley – Erfoud – Rissani – Merzouga, camel ride and night in our camp
Your driver meets you at the airport of Errachidia, at the bus station or at your hotel. We leave the town and drive south along the Ziz valley, stopping at the viewpoint of the Source Bleue of Meski, a natural pool among the palms, and at the panoramas over the canyon, where thousands of date palms grow along the river below the old ksour of Aoufous. In Erfoud you can visit a workshop where marble full of fossils is cut and polished, and in Rissani we walk through the market and see the ruins of the medieval city of Sijilmassa. We arrive in Merzouga in the afternoon, and before sunset your cameleer takes you into the dunes of Erg Chebbi. After an hour and a half of riding and a sunset from a high crest, you reach our camp for dinner, drums around the fire and a night under the stars.
Day 2
Sunrise – nomad family – Khamlia – Errachidia
Wake up early and climb the dune behind the camp to watch the sunrise over the Sahara, then enjoy breakfast in the camp and ride back to Merzouga by camel. After a shower, your driver takes you by 4x4 around the dunes. We visit a nomad family in the black hamada, who invite you into their tent for tea and show you how they live with their goats and camels, and the village of Khamlia, where the Gnawa musicians play for you with drums and metal castanets. If the lake of Dayet Srji has water, we stop to look for flamingos. After lunch in Merzouga we drive back north along the Ziz valley to Errachidia, where your driver leaves you at the airport, the bus station or your hotel in the late afternoon.
Included
Private air-conditioned vehicle
Local driver-guide
Pick-up and drop-off at your riad, hotel or airport
Nights in riads, kasbahs and guesthouses
Dinners and breakfasts
Camel ride with cameleer
Night in our desert camp in Erg Chebbi
Visit to a nomad family
Not included
Lunches
Local guides in the cities (on request)
Entrance fees to monuments
Tips
Good to know
Pick-up between 7:00 and 8:00 at your riad, hotel, airport or port. Bring a small bag for the desert night: big luggage stays in the vehicle. Hotels can be upgraded on request.
No payment is needed to book: you pay on arrival in cash (dirhams or euros). Free changes if the weather is not good.
Questions
Are the tours private?
Yes. Only your group travels in the vehicle, with your own driver, and the program can be adapted.
Where do the tours start?
Wherever you are: your riad or hotel in Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Casablanca, Agadir, Ouarzazate, Errachidia or Essaouira, or the airport or port when you land.
Which camp do we sleep in?
In our own camp in Erg Chebbi, with private tents, bathrooms with hot shower, dinner and breakfast, and Berber music by the fire.
Can I change the itinerary?
Yes, every tour is private and flexible: add nights in the desert, a quad or buggy ride, a different finishing city or better hotels. Just tell us when you write.
