4-Day Marrakech to Chigaga Dunes Tour via Zagora

Leaving Marrakech behind, the road climbs into the High Atlas Mountains and crosses the dramatic Tizi n'Tichka Pass, the highest paved mountain pass in North Africa, with sweeping views over Berber villages clinging to the slopes. A stop at the crumbling Telouet Kasbah reveals the faded grandeur of the Glaoui dynasty, while a short detour to Ait Benhaddou — the UNESCO-listed fortified village famous from Gladiator and Game of Thrones — is a highlight for photography lovers. After lunch in the former garrison town of Ouarzazate, the route continues along the Skoura palm oasis and through the fragrant Valley of Roses before reaching Boumalne Dades at the entrance to the dramatic Dades Gorges, where the night is spent in a kasbah-style guesthouse.

Leaving the Dades Gorges, the route crosses to the Draa Valley, Morocco's longest oasis, passing a succession of earthen kasbahs and palmeries before reaching Zagora, famed for its historic camel-caravan signpost pointing the way to Timbuktu.

The road continues south through Tamegroute, known for its green pottery and ancient Koranic library, to M'Hamid El Ghizlane, the last village before the true Sahara. From there, a 4x4 or camel convoy crosses into the vast, untouched dunes of Erg Chigaga for an overnight desert camp.

After a desert sunrise and breakfast at camp, the 4x4 or camels return travellers to M'Hamid, from where the tarmac road retraces the Draa Valley through Zagora, Agdz and Ouarzazate, crossing the Tizi n'Tichka Pass back to Marrakech in the late afternoon or evening.