Merzouga City Primer
When most people picture Morocco, they think of the desert with beautiful golden sand dunes. Morocco does have those quintessential dunes, but you do have to go pretty far out of your way to get to them. Namely, you can have a wonderful desert experience by traveling to Merzouga, which is a small village (around 400 people) in southeastern Morocco, only about 50 km (31 miles) to the Algerian border.
Erg Chebbi is the name of the sea of sand dunes next to Merzouga, also described as a “desert theme park” or “wonderland of sand.” According to Wikipedia, “In places, the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise up to 150 meters from the surrounding hamada (rocky desert) and altogether it spans an area of 28 kilometers from north to south and up to 5–7 kilometers from east to west lining the Algerian border.” Merzouga is the tourist center located on the western side of Erg Chebbi, with numerous hotels and auberges catering to tourists who want to have a desert experience in Morocco. Many of these hotels and other companies offer overnight excursions into the dunes where tourists can ride camels and/or quad bikes, and spend the night at permanent campsites several kilometers into the erg (out of site of the hotels and other civilization). Famously, in the heat of summer, Moroccans travel to Erg Chebbi to be buried neck-deep in the hot sand for a few minutes at a time. This is considered to be a treatment for rheumatism and generally good for one’s health, according to Moroccans.
Be aware that even though it can get hot during the day, as you would expect, it can also get very cool at night, especially in the winter.
Get There
Merzouga is 350 miles/560 kilometers from Marrakech and 290 miles/470 kilometers from Fes, which means that getting to the desert is a time investment.
Tours can be arranged from Fes or Marrakesh, and these tours will include a driver, guide, lodging, etc. Tours will vary greatly in price based on the level of comfort desired and length of time. A three-day tour is the absolute minimum you would want to do, and even this might seem fast-paced to you; one day spent driving there, one day enjoying the sand, and one day driving back.
To make a long trip shorter, consider reaching the desert by flying to Errachidia’s Moulay Ali Cherif Airport. From there, it's a two-hour drive to Merzouga.
If traveling apart from a tour, there are a couple of options. One is renting a car and doing the entire trip on your own. You can find out our experience of renting a car and traveling to the desert here. For a more affordable option, there are overnight buses between Fez and Merzouga, as well as a long bus from Marrakesh to Merzouga.
Get Moving
Quad bikes, camels, and sand-boarding are all activities that can happen in the dunes. Also, many people like to climb the tallest dune, which is a hike that takes about an hour (and is fairly challenging because you are just hiking up sand, which is hard to do) and requires you to come prepared with water to drink on your way up.
Get Touristy
Lake Dayet Sriji is a nearby salt-water lake that is an excellent place for bird-watching, including flamingos.
In the town of Rissani, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif may be worth a visit. This site is the burial place of the founder of the (current) Moroccan Alawite dynasty. The mosque is closed to non-Muslims, but the site has a beautiful large gate and courtyard.
Get Inspired
The desert offers an incredible opportunity for stargazing without any light pollution.
Get Some Sleep
Riad Madu is a nice auberge in Merzouga that also has luxury tents available in the dunes.
Do Not Miss
Berber Pizza (Madfouna), available “downtown” if you are willing to wait for it to cook in a fire pit in the sand or clay oven. It takes at least an hour to cook, so consider placing your order, shopping in the nearby stores, and returning to eat.
Are you visiting Morocco soon? Start your travels with us to learn some Moroccan Arabic phrases and cultural dos and don’t and to have the best trip available to you.
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