Merzouga, Erg Chigaga or Agafay? Morocco’s Deserts Compared

Dune and size figures: Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga (Wikipedia) and specialist sources; road times from Rome2rio, October 2026.

Erg Chebbi is the Sahara of the postcards: apricot dunes rising up to about 150 metres above the stony plain, changing colour from gold to rose as the sun drops. It is the easiest true desert to reach — paved road all the way to the edge of the sand — and it has the widest choice of camps, from simple nomad tents to luxury tented suites with private bathrooms.

A camel ride to camp takes about an hour to an hour and a half; guests who prefer can go by 4x4 in 15–20 minutes. The camps we book most often here are Madu Premium Camp and Sahara Stars Camp, with Riad Madu for travellers who would rather sleep in a building with a pool by the dunes.

Erg Chigaga is larger and far emptier than Erg Chebbi. The paved road ends at M’Hamid, and the last 50–60 km are off-road track that takes two to three hours by 4x4. That journey is the point: by the time you arrive the world has gone very quiet. Camps are fewer and simpler, nights are dark enough for the Milky Way, and you may see only a handful of other travellers.

It suits travellers who want solitude and do not mind a rougher day, and it pairs naturally with the Draa valley and the Atlantic on a southern loop — see our Marrakech, Draa Valley and Erg Chigaga journey.

Zagora is often sold as “the Sahara in two days”. The small Tinfou dunes south of town are pleasant for a sunset, but they are not a sand sea; we use Zagora and the palm-filled Draa valley as a stop on the way to Erg Chigaga rather than as the destination.

Agafay is a stony desert of bare, biscuit-coloured hills about 40 minutes from Marrakech, with the High Atlas on the horizon. There are no dunes, but it is beautiful at sunset, with comfortable camps, camel rides and quad biking. It is the right choice when your trip is Marrakech-based and you do not have the four days a real Sahara loop needs.

March to May and September to November are the best months for a desert night — warm days and cool, clear nights. In July and August afternoons pass 40 °C, so we keep camel rides to sunrise and sunset. In winter the days are bright but nights can drop to a few degrees above freezing; good camps provide heating or heavy blankets. See the Sahara guide for month-by-month weather.