Travel guide · 6 min read

Erg Chigaga or Erg Chebbi? Choosing Your Sahara Dunes

Written by the Kasbah Trails team

Published November 3, 2026

A guide leading a loaded camel caravan across the Sahara dunes at golden hour, Morocco

Morocco has two famous dune fields, and travellers planning a Sahara trip usually meet both names at once. Erg Chebbi, beside Merzouga in the east, is the one most itineraries use. Erg Chigaga, near M'Hamid in the far south, is wilder and takes more effort to reach. Here is how they compare, so you can pick the one that fits your time and your tolerance for rough roads.

The short answer

Choose Erg Chebbi if you have three to five days, want the tallest dunes and a straightforward drive, and like the idea of a camp that is easy to reach. Choose Erg Chigaga if you have a week or more, want a quieter and more remote night, and do not mind a long drive that ends on tracks rather than tarmac.

Getting there

Merzouga is a long day from Marrakech, around 560 km by road via the High Atlas, Ouarzazate and the Todgha or Dades valleys, with the final approach to the dunes on a short, easy track. That is why it suits the classic 3-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech, where the drive is the main cost.

Erg Chigaga sits beyond Zagora and M'Hamid El Ghizlane. The usual route runs from Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Ouarzazate, down the Draa Valley to Zagora, then on to M'Hamid, roughly 100 km further. The last stretch to the dunes is off-road and needs a 4x4 with an experienced driver. Sources put it at around two hours from M'Hamid, so plan on a full day of travel at each end.

The dunes themselves

Erg Chebbi is the more dramatic of the two: a single, sharply defined wall of high orange dunes rising out of flat stony desert, with dunes commonly described as reaching about 150 metres. Erg Chigaga is far broader, a wide sea of dunes with fewer sharp ridges and more open space. Published figures for its dune height and area vary widely, so treat any single number with caution and judge by the photographs and by recent traveller accounts.

Camps and company

Erg Chebbi has the larger choice of camps, hotels at the edge of the dunes and other visitors, and the camel trek is a well-worn route; our guide to camel trekking from Merzouga covers what the ride and the night are like. Erg Chigaga has fewer camps and fewer people, so the night sky and the silence are the draw. The trade-off is that facilities are simpler and there is little to do beyond the dunes.

Which one suits your trip

Short trip, first time in the Sahara: Erg Chebbi, with the shortest practical journey.
A week or more, and already seeing Zagora and the Draa Valley: Erg Chigaga is a natural extension.
Travelling with young children or anyone who dislikes long rides on rough tracks: Erg Chebbi.
Wanting solitude over convenience: Erg Chigaga.

What we run

All of our listed Sahara routes finish at Erg Chebbi near Merzouga, with the camel trek and a night in a desert camp included. Erg Chigaga is not on a set itinerary. If it is the dune field you want, message us with your dates and group size and we will tell you what is realistic and quote it as a custom route. For the best season to go to either, see the best time to visit the Sahara.