For those who want to get off the beaten path and experience a desert safari, we’ve tailored a 4×4 self-drive itinerary down to the Erg Chigaga region, with the highlight of the tour being a private encampment at the remote Erg Sedrar dunes (to the east of Erg Chigaga great dunes).
The route will be a complete circuit, meaning you return to Marrakech via a different road across the High Atlas.
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We organise all the logistics from start to finish, including:
- detailed driving notes, Map references and points of interest along the journey;
- information on the desert fauna, birdlife and flora you may encounter;
- hand-picked accommodations en-route;
- 4×4 vehicle;
- desert guide and support vehicle across three days*;
- desert activities (hiking, camel-trek, wild picnics, sand-boarding, sunset vantage points with chilled drinks, evening music, telescope);
- desert turbans for each guest;
- self drive tour in Morocco – in the desert and mountainsWe arrange to meet you at the desert frontier before guiding you through the desert terrain for two hours to reach camp.
Before the off-road adventure begins, enjoy the chance to walk to a secluded picnic lunch spot, within one of the outlying date palm oases. This is the rural idyll; you may see villagers tending their plots under the palms or herding goats. Following your guide vehicle, you’ll encounter desert scrub, stone, sand and trees, perhaps herds of grazing camels. The terrain is subtly, yet constantly, changing and, depending on the time of year, may appear exceptionally lush.
Expect to reach camp around late afternoon and well in time for sunset. Sunset and sunrise are an integral part of the desert experience. Time your visit around the new moon and the stargazing will be incredible.The camp is a completely private arrangement with your own staff. You will not see any other camps in the area. The camp will comfortably sleep up to nine people, in four tents in the shelter of dunes, and with plenty of space for relaxation on cushions or in hammocks.
Exit the desert after another exciting off-road journey; this time three hours to the north-west and in the opposite direction to your arrival. Cross the vast salt flats of Lake Iriqui and fossil beds, before skirting fascinating rock formations and mountain ridges. At certain moments, the backdrop of Acacia trees will remind you of the savannah that would have covered this region before the desert encroached.
The route will eventually take you back across the High Atlas mountains via the adventurous Tizi n’Test road from Taroudant (the mountain pass itself is at 2100m). Single track and winding in places, but with commanding views and relatively little traffic, it’s a thrilling journey but does require concentration on the bends.
A fitting way to end a self-drive adventure through the Great South!
Please contact us for any further information.
*Between entering and exiting the desert, approx. 150km off-road to navigate across east-west