Sahara trekking in Morocco

Our Sahara treks start in M'Hamid, where the paved road ends and the dunes begin. You walk through palm groves and across dune fields while a camel caravan carries the luggage and the camp, and a Berber guide leads the way and cooks over an open fire. Choose a two-day taste of the desert, a four-day walk to Erg Zahar, or a long trek of ten to thirteen days from Marrakech that links several dune fields. No climbing skills are needed, but you walk for several hours a day on sand, so reasonable fitness helps. The best months run from October to April; nights in winter are cold.

How to choose: the two-day trek from M'Hamid is easy, about ten hours of walking over two days with one night at the Douibe camp. The four-day trek is moderate and reaches the high dunes of Erg Zahar, with three nights in the dunes. The long treks from Marrakech include the drive to M'Hamid and the bus back: ten days with six days on foot from €900 per person, eleven days adding Erg Chigaga from €980, and thirteen days with a rest day from €1,150, in small groups from three travellers or as private departures on request. On every trek the team cooks and provides water and camping gear; on the long treks your own sleeping bag is on the list, and riding a camel instead of walking costs 35 EUR a day.