Merzouga or Zagora? Erg Chebbi vs Erg Chigaga, honestly compared
Both are sold as “the Moroccan desert” and they are nothing alike. We will tell you which suits you, even when it is not ours.
The difference that actually matters
There are no big dunes around Zagora town: the province’s big dunes are at Erg Chigaga, much further south, and that is a different trip. Zagora itself is a stony desert with some sand, palm groves and hills around it. It is handsome, but if what you have in your head is the photograph of an orange sea of dunes, Zagora will disappoint you.
Merzouga does have them. The dunes here rise over 150 metres and run as far as you can see. It is what people picture when they say they want to sleep in the desert.
That is the main difference, and everything else follows from it.
Zagora, Erg Chigaga and Merzouga compared
| Zagora (Tinfou) | Erg Chigaga (M’Hamid) | Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Marrakech | About 350 km, 6-7 h | About 440 km to M’Hamid (8-9 h), then 2 h of track | About 560 km, 10-12 h |
| Landscape | Stony, small dunes, palm groves | A vast, remote sea of dunes | A compact sea of dunes |
| Dune height | Small | Over 50 m in places | Up to about 150 m |
| Access | Tarmac | Tarmac to M’Hamid, then about 56 km of 4x4 track | Tarmac to the dunes |
| Days needed | 2 days, 1 night | 3 days, 2 nights | 3 days, 2 nights (or fly to Errachidia) |
| Visitors | Fewer | Few camps, spread out | More, except in the quieter areas |
Real driving times, stops included.
What to do in Zagora
If you are passing through Zagora, this is what is worth stopping for:
- The Draa palm groveZagora is one of the great oases of the Draa Valley: you can walk among date palms, gardens and mud-brick ksour.
- The “Timbuktu 52 days” signThe classic photo: a reminder that Zagora was a stop for the caravans that crossed the Sahara to Mali.
- TamegrouteSouth of Zagora, this village keeps a Koranic library of old manuscripts and workshops making green-glazed pottery.
- The Tinfou dunesFurther south, on the road to M’Hamid, there are small dunes for a first taste of the sand. For a real sea of dunes you need to go on to Erg Chigaga or to Merzouga.
When Zagora suits you better, even though we are in Merzouga
If you only have a long weekend in Morocco, or if the desert is one stop within a short trip, go to Zagora. Getting to Merzouga and back eats two whole days of driving, and it is not worth rushing.
The same if you are travelling with very small children, or with someone who does badly in a car: seven hours is manageable, twelve is not.
We say this against our own interest, because the alternative is that you come with no time, arrive in the dark, leave at dawn and go home feeling you saw nothing.
When it is worth coming all the way to Merzouga
When the desert is the reason for the trip and not an add-on. If you are giving it two nights, the difference between a stony desert and a sea of dunes more than justifies the extra hours.
Also if photography matters to you: sunrise and sunset over big dunes are in a different league.
And there is a shortcut many people do not know about: you can fly to Errachidia, and from there it is about two hours. That turns twelve hours of driving into a morning of travel.
Erg Chebbi vs Erg Chigaga
Zagora town only has small dunes; the big ones are at Erg Chigaga, about 56 km of 4x4 track beyond M’Hamid, and at Erg Chebbi in Merzouga, where dunes reach around 150 m. Chigaga is wilder and harder to reach; Merzouga has paved road to the dunes and Errachidia airport about two hours away.
Chigaga is larger and more remote, with few camps and lower dunes. Erg Chebbi is more compact, with taller dunes, and far easier to reach. The trade-off is that Merzouga is busier, which is why where you sleep matters: we are in Erg Znaigui, away from the strip of camps.
How you get to Erg Chigaga
By road to M’Hamid, the last village in the Draa Valley, about 440 km from Marrakech (8-9 hours). From there it is about 56 km of track, roughly two hours by 4x4.
It is not a drive for an ordinary rental car: most people go with their camp or an agency. Merzouga, by contrast, is tarmac all the way; see Merzouga without a tour.
Which one suits the way you are travelling
The answer depends less on taste and more on how many days you have and who is with you:
- A weekend out of MarrakechZagora. Merzouga eats two whole days of driving and you would arrive with barely enough time to see anything.
- A week or more in MoroccoMerzouga, without question. With time to spare, the difference between a stony desert and a sea of dunes more than justifies the extra hours.
- With young childrenZagora if the trip is short, because of the hours in the car. Merzouga if you can fly to Errachidia, which cuts the journey to about two hours.
- If you came for the photographyMerzouga. Sunrises and sunsets over dunes of more than a hundred metres are not comparable to Zagora.
- If you have already been to ZagoraMerzouga will feel like a different place. The other way round, not so much.
- If you only want the photo and one nightAgafay, an hour from Marrakech. But be clear about it: that is a stone desert, not a sand one.
Common questions when choosing
Is Erg Chigaga better than Erg Chebbi?
Neither is better in general. Chigaga is wilder and emptier; Erg Chebbi has taller dunes and is far easier to reach, with tarmac to the dunes and an airport about two hours away.
How far is Merzouga from Zagora?
About 290 km by road, 5 to 6 hours, via Rissani, Alnif and Tazzarine.
How long does each one take from Marrakech?
Zagora is about 350 km and 6 to 7 hours. Merzouga is about 560 km and 10 to 12 hours of real driving with stops. That gap is what decides most trips.
Can you see both on the same trip?
You can, but we would not recommend it unless you have more than a week. They are two deserts that are similar in concept and very different in landscape, and the time spent getting from one to the other is better used in the Dadès valley or the Todra gorges.
Which has the higher dunes?
Merzouga. The dunes of Erg Chebbi go above 150 metres. Zagora has sandy patches, but not a sea of dunes.
Which of the two deserts is more beautiful?
Merzouga, if what you want is big dunes. Zagora has its charm, with the palm groves and the rocky landscape, but it does not compete with a sea of sand for sheer spectacle.
How many days do I need for Merzouga from Marrakech?
Three days and two nights as a minimum for it to make sense. In two days you spend the whole trip on the road. If two days is all you have, Zagora is the right call.
And from Fes?
From Fes, Merzouga is much closer: 8 to 10 hours. Many people enter the desert via Fes and leave via Marrakech, or the other way round, so they do not repeat the same road.
Which has fewer tourists?
Zagora, generally. But within Merzouga it depends enormously on where you sleep: most camps cluster along the same stretch of dunes. We are outside that stretch, at Erg Znaigui, and you cannot hear anyone from there.
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Does Merzouga fit your trip?
Tell us how many days you have and where you are coming from, and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth it.
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Keep reading
- Agafay or Merzouga: which desert should you choose? One is an hour from Marrakech and made of stone; the other has 150-metre dunes and needs three days. We will tell you which suits your trip, even when it is not ours.
- How many days you need in the Merzouga desert One night covers the essentials. With two, the desert stops being a stop on the way and becomes part of the trip.
- How to get to Merzouga and to our camp We are in Erg Znaigui, 20 minutes from the centre of Merzouga on the N13 towards Taouz. You do not have to drive: we come and get you, and the last stretch is done by 4x4.
- Luxury tents in the Merzouga desert Ten private tents in our luxury tented camp in Morocco, from €100 to €425 a night depending on occupancy. All with their own bathroom, a hot shower and air conditioning and heating.