worthwhile pit stop before the final 5km run into M’Hamid is the ksar of Ouled Driss , including
a small ethnographic museum (admission Dh20) displaying traditional household objects in a
lovely mudbrick courtyard.
BOOKING ERG CHIGAGA EXCURSIONS: TOP 3 TIPS
» » Don’t show up in M’Hamid expecting a bargain Once you’re here, you don’t have a lot of room to negotiate: guides
know if you’ve come this far, you’re not likely to turn back without seeing the dunes, and price trips accordingly. Since top tour
operators are often booked in advance through Marrakesh agencies (Click here ), you may have to settle for less experienced
guides with sputtering vehicles – and car trouble in the desert isn’t fun. In larger, longer-established Zagora, you’ll find more
options for worthwhile, budget-minded, last-minute desert excursions ( Click here ).
» » First time? Keep it short As any Sufi mystic will attest, being alone with your thoughts in the desert can be an
illuminating, uplifting experience – but those not accustomed to such profound isolation may get bored quickly. Some visitors
experience ‘desert panic’, a state of distress that makes every aspect of the Sahara’s alien landscape seem threatening, from
whistling dunes to harmless sand beetles. Local tour operators report that some visitors ask to turn back even before they
reach the dunes. On the other hand, many visitors claim that the Sahara helped them put personal difficulties – tragedy,
divorce, job loss – behind them. Try an overnight trip, so you can see what the desert brings to mind.
» » Before you commit to a longer trip, get names The guide can make or break your experience, especially for multiday
trips. Even at recommended tour agencies with licensed guides, ask for the name of the individual guide with whom you’ll be
travelling, do an internet search for reviews, and solicit feedback on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree
(www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree) . Personal experiences vary, but language skills are important. Conversation naturally trails
off in the desert, but in a sandstorm, you’ll want a guide who can put your mind at ease in a language you understand.M’Hamid
POP 3000
Once it was a lonesome oasis, but these days M’Hamid is a wallflower no more. Border
tensions between Algeria, Morocco and the Polisario had isolated this caravan stop until the
1990s, when accords allowed M’Hamid to start hosting visitors again. M’Hamid’s main
attractions begin where the buildings end and relentless desert takes over, despite woven-palm
barriers to keep it at bay.
From here, it doesn’t take long to reach the dunes – some nuzzle right up against
guesthouses on the west side of town – but to be enveloped by large dunes, you’ll have to trek
across the reg , hard-packed rocky desert. The star attraction is Erg Chigaga , a mind-
boggling 40km stretch of golden Saharan dunes up to 300m high some 56km from M’Hamid
that can take 2½ to three hours to reach by 4WD in good conditions on the reg. In poor
conditions, any experienced guide will suggest you wait until tomorrow, and you’ll be wise to
listen. As the metallic light of sandstorms settles over M’Hamid, roads disappear into nowhere.
Many overnight camel treks (from Dh300 per person) from M’Hamid go 10km north of town
to Erg Lehoudi (Dunes of the Jews), which has 100m-high dunes dotted with semipermanent
bivouacs in need of attention from M’Hamid’s recently established rubbish collection service.
With a 4WD, you can drive there by piste off the main road 18km before M’Hamid, but a guide
is advisable. Other nearby desert destinations include Erg Ezahar , a tall ‘screaming dune’ that
wails eerily when the wind kicks up; the Iriki oasis mirage (Click here ); and smaller dunes at
Mesouria , 8km from M’Hamid.