What is the best Sahara desert to visit in Morocco, Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga? This is one of the main travel questions in any Morocco desert tour. Anyone who plans to travel to Morocco will include the desert to experience a camel trekking trip. This is one of the experiences that tourists do at least once in their lives. The Morocco Sahara Desert has two deserts: the Erg Chigaga desert and the Erg Chebbi desert. Both offer high golden and sandy dunes and desert camps where you can spend a night under millions of shining stars. However, if you are planning to visit one of them, and you are confused about which is the best one, we will help you compare them.
The best desert to visit in Morocco is Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga.
In general, it is not the case that there are two deserts in Morocco. But both of them are part of the Moroccan Sahara desert. Besides, not all of this Sahara has large sandy dunes, but it consists of stretches of rock and arid plains called Hamada, and areas of sandy dunes called Erg. This is also the difference between Hamada and Erg.
Where are Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga located?
Both the Erg Chebbi desert and Erg Chigaga desert are located in southeastern Morocco. They are near the Algerian border, but you will need to visit them from different locations. That is to say, if you want to visit the Erg Chigaga desert, you need to visit it from Zagora or Mhamid. And if you want to visit Er Chebbi desert, you need to visit it from Merzouga.
Here is the difference between them in terms of distance. Erg Chigaga is approximately 40 kilometres from Mhamid and approximately 65 kilometres from Zagora. This means that you will need to hire a 4×4 or Jeep with a guide and make some stops in camps, oases and nomads. This tour is typically finished in two hours. If you enjoy a strong sense of isolation, then chose this one. It is located many kilometres from the towns. For this reason, most tourists prefer Erg Chebbi to Erg Chigaga. Visiting The Erg Chigaga desert is more expensive because of its long distance
On the other hand, On the other, Erg Chebbi desert is just a few minutes away from Merzouga. You can just walk from your hotel/ Riad to the dunes. Also, you can take 4×4 or ride a camel to a desert camp. Because it is easily accessible, the Erg Chebbi desert or Merzouga desert is the most visited Morocco desert for travellers. It is included in different Morocco tours. Moreover; it is easy to reach the desert camps, which helps save time to visit other travel destinations in Morocco. If you are interested in experiencing Quad/ Buggy sandboarding activities, you find it easy to get access to them. Visiting the Erg Chebbi desert is less expensive.
What is the best desert to visit in Morocco?
Both Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga offer camel rides, desert camping, and breathtaking scenery. The Erg Chebbi desert is easily accessible near the village of Merzouga. In case you need some services, like hospitals, markets and other suppliers quality of the camp and less price, you can choose this desert. However, Erg Chegaga is Morocco’s most distant desert. It requires several hours of off-road driving to arrive at the camps. Thus, if you enjoy trips to the wildness and isolation, and it does not matter if it is expensive, you can select the Erg Chegaga desert. Here, you know what desert to visit in Morocco.
What is the best time to visit the desert in Morocco?
Moroccan climate varies depending on geographical location and seasons. In general, Morocco has a mild Mediterranean climate in the north and near the coast. But, the climate is more extreme in the south where the Merzouga desert and Zagora desert are.
The best time to visit the desert is in the spring or autumn, but keep in mind that sandstorms become more common in April. In the winter, the temperature is ideal, and you will become overheated if you do not remove your jacket. The pleasant temperature is around 17 to 20⁰C during the day, but it gets cold rapidly after sunset. If you’re planning to travel to the desert during this season, bring a winter jacket. Then you can experience and enjoy all that the Moroccan desert has to offer. The temperature in summer in the desert can reach +40 ° C in some places, so if you plan a trip during this time and still want to visit the Sahara, we recommend that you avoid multi-day excursions.
How to visit the Sahara desert ?
How to visit the desert can also help you answer what desert to visit in Morocco. Thus, Morocco has a variety of options for reaching the Sahara. There are both shared tours where you share all the joys with a group of 10-30 people and private desert tours. They are also divided by time. There are tours with different programs, such as:
2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora
3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
3 days tour from Fes to Merzouga
There are no day trips to the desert. The desert is different from other cities where there are different Morocco day trips, and the transportation to the desert takes time. Furthermore, Morocco desert activities include camel trips, trekking, desert tour by 4×4, desert ATVs, and sandboarding…
Can I travel to Morocco desert by myself?
It is possible to travel to the Moroccan desert on your own, especially if you are adventurous. You simply need to understand that you accept all difficulties and responsibilities. You can, for example, take a bus from Marrakesh to Zagora and then hitchhike to the Zagora desert. But, you have to know that desert is far from the towns and you will expect some difficulties to reach there. However, in the Merzouga desert, you will get access to anything as the desert is near the town. So, you just need to bring a tent, plenty of water, supplies, and appropriate clothing to spend the night.
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