Sahara
Travel Guide
The Experience Of A Lifetime
The Sahara is more ethereal than material, a feeling of going off planet when you find yourself standing there and if the trek up the dunes doesn’t make you catch your breath then the views once you have reached the top surely will!
To witness the way sand dunes move and reform in the desert air, to stare at the entire desert floor as it moves and ripples in the breeze, is to believe that you are witnessing an optical illusion.
A night in a tented camp under a vast blanket of stars, with no light pollution, no noise, no electricity is without a doubt the experience of a lifetime.
Nowhere in Morocco in our opinion, delivers quite such forbidding, dramatic and seductive panoramas than that of the Moroccan Sahara, comprising part of the ancient caravan route that brought gold, silver, salt, spices and slaves from Sub Saharan Africa to the Imperial city of Marrakech and beyond. To experience traditional Saharan food, hospitality and live music in the Desert may have you pinching yourself in a quiet moment!
To acquaint yourself with ‘The Ship Of The Desert’, the camel, will at the very least make you smile and to take a camel ride in such a location as the Moroccan Sahara, is beyond thrilling.
Escape The Modern World
To journey to the Desert regions of the South is to experience the feeling of having escaped the modern world, a feeling enhanced, should you choose to book a camel excursion or camel trek into the desert and leave the world as you know it, behind.
It has been said, to enter into the Sahara, is to enter into what surely must be the place, they empty the worlds hourglasses! Whilst observing the desert from the vantage point of a Saharan dune, you might well agree.
The 3 Entrances Into The Sahara
The Moroccan Sahara is vast and extensive, inhospitable and inaccessible in areas. However within reach of Marrakech, three southern locations are known gateways into the Sahara and all three locations offer you unique journeys, desert experiences and the very best of photographic opportunities, throughout your journey and stay. Should you be unfamiliar with Morocco’s Desert Region, as Liz was when she first visited Morocco, we hope to clarify for you, the three different Dune Areas Mor’hara travels to and their geographical location.
From Marrakech head South, then South again at Ouarzazate through the Draa Valley, to reach the Lihoudi Dunes and the Chigaga Dunes.
From Marrakech head South, then South East at Ouarzazate through the Dades Valley, to reach the Chebbi Dunes.
Zagora The Entrance To Erg Chigaga Via The Draa Valley
Zagora is Mor’hara’s hometown, located south of Ouarzazate in the Draa Valley.
The Draa is an extraordinary natural wonder, a two hundred km long valley stretching just south of Ouarzazate to Zagora, consisting of vast date palm groves as far as your eye can see, great rivers and irrigation streams, sandcastle architecture and red earth fortified villages and Kasbahs.
Timbuktu 52 Days
Historically Zagora was a strategic trading post for the camel caravans crossing the Sahara, famously indicated by a weather-beaten sign depicting a camel and a nomad in a faded indigo turban, above which is the legendary statement ‘Timbuktu 52 Days’, on foot or by a camel that is!
Rolling Dunes
The Erg Lihoudi, beyond Zagora, are long, rolling, beautiful, rustic and earth coloured sands and although not the highest dune set in Morocco, are still large enough to make you catch your breath. These sands create surreal patterns and views of overwhelming natural beauty. The Lihoudi Dunes are an inspiring and wonderful introduction to the desert and southern region.
A desert tour to and from Zagora provides you with the opportunity to experience the Sahara and the magnificent Draa valley, even if your time is limited whilst in Morocco.
M’hamid Entrance To Erg Chigaga Via The Draa Valley
Continuing south from Zagora toward the oasis village of M’hamid will bring you literally to a halt, for M’hamid is located at the ‘end of the road’ and known as the last southerly outpost in this region, prior to entering the Sahara, beyond stretches 4,800 kilometres of desert.
A lunar rock landscape, hauntingly beautiful, lies beyond M’hamid and thereafter spectacular sands come into view, the magnificent, towering and extraordinary Erg Chigaga, only accessible by 4×4 and by camel.
Authentic & Remote Dunes
To enter the desert from M’hamid is arguably a more authentically southern and historical experience. M’hamid was once the first big oasis the historic trade caravans entered after travelling across the Sahara for months at a time.
A desert tour from M’hamid to the Chigaga Dunes provides you with the opportunity to discover and experience some of the most remote, highest and largest dune set in the Moroccan Sahara. In addition you will journey through the entire magical Draa Valley.
Merzouga, Entrance To Erg Chebbi Via The Dades Valley
To arrive at Merzouga a small village located south east of Ouarzazate, is to have journeyed through a valley of picturesque Berber villages, a valley of Kasbahs, the magnificent Dades and Todra Gorges and Valley of Roses.
To finally to find yourself at the edge of the great Erg Chebbi dunes, is quite something.
Pyramids Of Sand
As you approach Merzouga the ground begins to turn from dark brown to golden sand and the mammoth colourful dunes of Chebbi stand before you. Pyramids of Moroccan, ochre sand, which regularly host film crews shooting camera on location.
It has to be said that you may meet more visitors here than you would at Erg Chigaga. The village of Merzouga is located directly on the edge of the dunes, making it possible for you to walk straight into the dune area. However, that said, Hassan can lead you to areas to experience the dunes in more relative peace and quiet.
A desert tour from Merzouga provides you with the opportunity to experience and discover some of the highest dunes in the Moroccan Sahara, more accessible than Erg Chigaga, despite being the furthest dune set from Marrakech.
In addition, on route, you have the opportunity to marvel at the geographical wonders of the entire Dades Valley.
Our Award-Winning Service
My now wife is Moroccan, and we wanted to organize a pre-wedding trip for our friends and my family members who wanted to take in the sights before our wedding in Marrakech. The group quickly ballooned beyond our wildest expectations with 63 people wanting to join in! We had made arrangements with a different tour company who mysteriously cancelled on us several months after we thought everything was all set. We scrambled at short notice to find another tour company and are so happy we found Mor'hara. I will never forget! I cannot recommend this company enough for large or small group travel.
Steven M - Morocco / USA
My sister and I had talked about visiting Morocco for several years. How lucky we were that she found Mor'hara Morocco Tours. Our 10-day trip was planned in detail with assistance from Liz and from the first day that we were picked up at the airport by Hassan we set sail on a fabulous journey through Morocco. Camel riding into the desert, traversing the Atlas Mountains, shopping in Marrakech, tasting all kinds of exotic foods, interacting with local people and their children - day after day of wonderfully exciting activities. Hassan was the ideal guide- informative, funny, engaging. This adventure was truly the trip of a lifetime.
Gerri L - USA
The experience Morhara Morocco Tours provided us was "simply" unforgettable. Perfect from all service perspectives (logistics, 4x4 vehicles, amazing accommodations and in the camp, cultural content, routes, spectacular food, personnel, flexibility and security) and more importantly to me, everything was handled with care, love and passion by Hassan, our guide and leader of the tour. Hassan was great, generous and seemed to be driven by the ambition to make this tour an outstanding event for all us. We are deeply thankful and happy with your services.
Marcelo L - Brazil
I don't even know where to start! Hassan was an incredible guide, translator, driver, coordinator during our entire time in Morocco. We were female travelers and felt very safe with Hassan and had a great time from start to finish. The desert tour was unforgettable. We learned how to cook tajine, rode camels, climbed sand dunes, saw beautiful Kasbahs, went off-roading, and glamped like pros! We had a wonderful, surreal experience and I would 100% recommend Hassan and Liz's company. Our trip exceeded my expectations and it was all thanks to Hassan and Liz at Morhara.
Jennifer W - USA
I contacted Morhara due to their great reviews and I couldn't be happier with my decision. We had a once in a lifetime experience. The trip was well paced and included the flexibility you need travelling with young children. A lot of the success of the trip was due to our lovely driver Hafid, my children and my husband and I all loved him! In turn his love for his country, especially the Sahara, was infectious and we truly felt like we saw the real Morocco. We can't wait to come back when the children are older, Morocco is such a beautiful, friendly country.
Cleo W - UK
As a group of 5, we spent wonderful 11 days in Southern Morocco. From the very first contact, we were pleased with the personalized contact and arrangements of our private tour and then... we arrived in Morocco and it was even better! Hassan who was guiding us proved to be extremely friendly, helpful and informative and made us feel relaxed and comfortable during the whole journey. If you are looking for a first-class service and personalized, friendly assistance while in Morocco I can clearly recommend you get in touch with Liz and Hassan of Mor'hara Tours. Thank you both for all your efforts and fantastic holiday we had on and off the 'beaten' visitor track!
Jacek A - Poland
My husband and I just got back from our holiday in Morocco, and we had the best time, thanks to Mor'hara. During the planning process, Liz and Hassan (owners) are extremely responsive and provided comprehensive information. Now that we have travelled with them, I am even more supportive of their business and we greatly enjoyed our time with Hafid, our driver. I would highly recommend traveling with Hafid and Mor'hara. Even though we only interacted with Liz and Hassan via e-mail, I feel like part of the family. Thank you team Mor'hara for the amazing experience and memories!
Akikio I - USA
This is the company to hire if you want an authentic and unforgettable experience in Morocco. Hassan will go out of his way to make you fall in love with Morocco. Our experience in the Sahara was exceptional. We never once felt lost or out of place as Hassan made sure to make us feel like Morocco was our home too. We didn't feel like we were over paying, and every recommendation came with genuine intention for us to have a once in a lifetime experience in Morocco. I wish we had more time to see the entire country with this tour company.
Parastoo B - USA
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