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Morocco: desert trip

Posted by (Seattle, WA/Oxford, UK, WA, USA/UK) on

Hello--

I am planning a trip to Morocco with my brother in late June/early July of this year. Both of us would love to see the Sahara and I've done a little research and seen that Marrakesh looks like a good jumping-off point to reach some of the smaller villages where camel treks/desert expeditions leave from.

Basically I have several questions for anyone with experience in this--
1) Will it be far too hot to even think of booking a short trip (We're only thinking 2 nights, maximum...even a long day trip would be amazing!)
2) What are some of the best (yet also cost-efficient...we're students) companies or groups to book through? How much should we expect to pay?
3) What should be included in the price? My brother wants to climb up a sand dune and board down it; I'm really interested in seeing the Sahara.

Any advice/stories of prior experiences are very much appreciated! Thank you.

Posted by
417 posts

I did Morocco two years ago with my wife. We were 25 then. In about two weeks in the country, going to the desert was the highlight for us both.

There are two main areas to consider, Erg Chigagga near M'hamid and Erg Chebbi near Merzouga. Both are about 8 hours from Marrakesh, and amazing. We visited the Erg Chigagga for a few reasons:

1- The drive there is though the beautiful Wadi Du Draa valley which is filled with small mud towns and gorgeous sights.

2- Erg Chigagga is way less touristy than Erg Chebbi (though, of course, there are still tourists).

We did it like this:

Day 1- Leave Marrakesh with driver and drive to M'Hamid. Spent night on edge of desert in very nice tents made of mud walls and animal skin roofs.

Day 2- Camel ride in morning. Afternoon, drive 30 Kilometers out to dunes. Spend late afternoon/ night among the dunes with a group of backpackers. It was amazing! Sunset over the dunes is unforgettable.

Day 3- Drive back to Ouarzazate.

Sahara trek is the company we used, www.saharatrek.com. There may be cheaper outfits, but they did a stellar job. Check out our youtube page for photos. http://www.youtube.com/user/mikeandjaclyn

If you have any more Morocco questions, just PM me.

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