Merzouga and Erg Chebbi: A Practical Guide to Morocco's Sahara Gateway
Merzouga is a small village in south-eastern Morocco, about 50 km from the Algerian border, that sits on the western edge of Erg Chebbi, the tallest dune field in the country. Most of our Sahara itineraries end here, because this is where the sand is: dunes up to about 150 m high, a sunset camel ride away from the village. This guide covers where Merzouga is, how to reach it from Marrakech, Fes or Agadir, when to go and what there is to do once you arrive.
Where Merzouga is
Merzouga belongs to the Errachidia province of the Drâa-Tafilalet region. The nearest towns are Rissani, 35 to 40 km to the north-west, and Erfoud, about 50 to 60 km away, both on the road in from the gorges and from Fes. A string of smaller villages sits along the edge of the dunes: Hassilabied about 4 km away, with the oasis fields our Fes excursions visit, and Khamlia about 7 km to the south.
Erg Chebbi in numbers
Erg Chebbi runs roughly 28 km from north to south and 5 to 7 km from east to west, lining the Algerian border, and its highest dunes reach about 150 m. Morocco's other great dune field, Erg Chigaga near M'Hamid, is larger in area but reached only by track, while Erg Chebbi sits at the end of a paved road. How the two compare, and how Zagora fits in, is in our comparison of Merzouga and Zagora.
Getting to Merzouga
Merzouga lies between Marrakech and Fes, so it is the natural mid-point of a trip that crosses the country, and our Marrakech to Fes and Fes to Marrakech tours spend a night here. If you are still deciding how long to travel, our guide to trip length in Morocco explains what fits in three, five, seven or ten days.
From Marrakech
The classic approach: about 535 to 555 km and nine to ten hours of driving over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, past Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate and the Dades and Todgha gorges. Our tours split it over two days with a night in the gorges. Every leg, with distances and times, is in the Marrakech to Merzouga road guide; our three-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour is the shortest round trip.
From Fes
Fes is the closer gateway: about 460 km and seven to eight hours, through Ifrane, the cedar forest at Azrou, the Ziz valley and Erfoud. Supratours runs a daily coach from Fes that takes around eleven hours. Because the road is shorter, an overnight in the dunes with a return the next day is realistic: see our two-day Fes to Merzouga tour, or the three-day version with a full day in the desert. All departures from the city are on the tours from Fes page.
From Agadir
From the coast the desert is a genuine expedition through Marrakech or the Anti-Atlas; our seven-day trip from Agadir to Merzouga is built around that distance.
By air
The nearest airport is Errachidia, about 120 km or two hours by road from Merzouga, with flights from Marrakech on selected days; schedules change by season, so check before planning around them.
Things to do around Merzouga
- Camel ride into the dunes at sunset and a night in Berber tents. This is the centre of our desert tours, from the two-day Fes trip to the week-long routes; our camel trekking page describes the one-, two- and three-day desert programmes. What the evening and the night are actually like is in our Sahara desert tour guide.
- Exploring the dunes and their villages by 4×4. Our six-day Fes to Marrakech itinerary includes a four-wheel-drive excursion around Erg Chebbi, and the Fes day excursion visits the Hassilabied oasis at the foot of the dunes.
- Gnawa music at Khamlia. The village 7 km south of Merzouga is known for its Gnawa musicians; Gnawa was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019. Gnaoua music is listed among the highlights of our three-day Fes to Merzouga trip.
- Rissani market and the ruins of Sijilmassa. Rissani's souk runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The town grew up beside Sijilmassa, the trans-Saharan trading city destroyed in the fourteenth century, and our desert trips from Fes and the Marrakech to Fes crossing pass through it.
- Fossils at Erfoud. The fossil mines and workshops around Erfoud feature on our Fes desert trips; if you are interested in buying, read Erfoud fossils for sale in Morocco.
- Birdwatching. Lake Srij, about 5 km west of the village, attracts large numbers of migrating flamingos, and Merzouga is the base for our shortest birding trips; the programme is on the Morocco birding tours page.
Merzouga weather by season
Merzouga has a dry desert climate with about 63 mm of rain a year; October is the wettest month and July the driest. The figures below are long-term averages for the two extremes of the year.
| Month | Average high | Average low |
|---|---|---|
| January | about 19 °C | about 6 °C |
| July | about 43 °C | about 29 °C |
The comfortable window is October to April: warm days, cold nights and clear skies. From June to early September the afternoon heat makes the dunes hard to enjoy, and in December and January you will want a warm layer for the night in the tents. Our best time to visit Morocco guide compares the desert with the coast and the cities. For every month in every region, see Morocco weather by month.
Frequently asked questions
How high are the Erg Chebbi dunes?
The highest reach about 150 m; the field is around 28 km long and 5 to 7 km wide.
How far is Merzouga from Fes?
About 460 km, seven to eight hours by car or around eleven hours by the daily Supratours coach.
When is the best time to visit Merzouga?
October to April. Spring and autumn give warm days and cool nights; mid-winter nights are cold; summer afternoons average over 40 °C.
Is Merzouga near the Algerian border?
Yes, the village is about 50 km from the border and Erg Chebbi runs along it.
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