Overland region

Erg Chebbi and Merzouga by 4x4 and motorbike: local guides and trips

Golden dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0

Erg Chebbi is a great sea of dunes in the south-east of Morocco, on the Algerian border, with dunes rising up to 150 m above the stony desert around them. Merzouga and the villages of Hassilabied and Khamlia sit along its edge, while Rissani and Erfoud, in the Tafilalet, are the nearest towns. For anyone travelling with their own vehicle it means sand and hamada tracks towards Taouz and Ramlia, the Gara Medouar massif, the seasonal lake of Dayet Srji and the ruins of the old caravan city of Sijilmasa. Here are the local guides who work in the area and the trips that cross it.

16 local guides and 12 trips in Erg Chebbi and Merzouga on GuideMeet.

On the map

  1. Erfoud Erfoud — Town. Oasis town of the Drâa-Tafilalet region, with hotels and restaurants for visitors heading to the Merzouga dunes; its desert has been a film location. 31.4361, -4.2328 · Google Maps
  2. Rissani Rissani — Town. Old capital of the Tafilalet and a caravan crossroads, with a large souk, liveliest on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Pictured: the Moulay Ali Cherif mausoleum. 31.2859, -4.2751 · Google Maps
  3. Sijilmasa Sijilmasa — Archaeological site. Ruins of a medieval trading city on the Ziz, near Rissani: until the 14th century it was the northern end of the western trans-Saharan route. Pictured: the northern gate. 31.2765, -4.2895 · Google Maps
  4. Gara Medouar Gara Medouar — Rock formation. Horseshoe-shaped limestone massif, fortified in the 11th century and later a film set (The Mummy, Spectre); now popular with off-roaders. 31.3008, -4.4006 · Google Maps
  5. Erg Chebbi Erg Chebbi — Dunes. Sea of dunes on the Algerian border, rising up to 150 m above the stony desert around it. Merzouga, on its western side, is the tourist hub. 31.1667, -3.9833 · Google Maps
  6. Hassilabied Hassilabied — Village. Village just north of Merzouga, on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, where many camel trips into the dunes start. 31.1344, -4.0261 · Google Maps
  7. Merzouga Merzouga — Village. The local tourist hub, on the western side of the dunes, with hotels and auberges strung along them. Pictured: Merzouga on the edge of the Sahara. 31.0992, -4.0117 · Google Maps
  8. Dayet Srji — Lake. Seasonal lake just west of Merzouga: water is there only some of the time, so what you find depends on the year. 31.0958, -4.0540 · Google Maps
  9. Khamlia Khamlia — Village. Small village on the edge of the dunes, near the Algerian border, known for its Gnawa music festival held in summer. 31.0351, -4.0073 · Google Maps
  10. Taouz — Village. Village about 21 km by road south of Merzouga, close to the Algerian border, where the road from Merzouga ends. Stone tumuli and rock engravings are found around it. 30.9069, -3.9958 · Google Maps
  11. Ramlia — Village. Desert village south-west of Taouz, reached from Merzouga by an unpaved piste; other tracks lead on west towards Foum Mharech. 30.6854, -4.4155 · Google Maps

Local guides in Erg Chebbi and Merzouga

More local guides (4)

Overland trips in Erg Chebbi and Merzouga

Trips already run here

When to go

The most comfortable months are October to April, when temperatures are milder; summer is hot and winter nights are cold. Rain is rare, but sudden floods can damage the roads, as in May 2006, and heavy rain in October 2024 left temporary lakes in normally dry areas.

Before you go

Photo credits

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, under the licences shown.

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