Challenging · Deep desert
Nine days from Marrakech to Agadir: from M'Hamid to Erg Chegaga and beyond, across the dry bed of Lake Iriki to Foum Zguid.
9 days
From Marrakech to Agadir
6 to 8 hours' walking
on some days, Challenging level
Erg and dry lake
SAC scale T1, long stages
Moving bivouac
character at the start and the end
Beyond Erg Chegaga, the desert opens out still further, as far as the dry bed of Lake Iriki.
A long-distance journey: you leave M'Hamid on foot with the caravan, across stony plains, small dunes and isolated oases, to the great dunes of Erg Chegaga.
Then you carry on west, where few walkers go: the vast, dry Lake Iriki, in the national park of the same name, before reaching Foum Zguid, Taroudant and, on the Atlantic coast, Agadir.
The programme
Indicative programme, being finalised with our partners on the ground: each stage, the walking times and the accommodation will be confirmed.
Day 1 · Marrakech · Tichka Pass · Ouarzazate
Leave Marrakech over the Tichka Pass. Night in a kasbah in Ouarzazate.
Day 2 · Drâa Valley · M'Hamid
Drive down the Drâa Valley to M'Hamid, where the road ends and the desert begins. Night in a characterful guesthouse.
Day 3 · M'Hamid · Towards Erg Chegaga
Set off on foot with the caravan: the dromedaries carry the luggage. Dinner and night at the bivouac.
Day 4 · Stony plains and oases
Stony plains, small dunes and isolated oases on the way to Erg Chegaga. Night at the bivouac.
Day 5 · Erg Chegaga
A day among the great dunes of Erg Chegaga. Night at the bivouac, in the heart of the erg.
Day 6 · Erg Chegaga · Towards Lake Iriki
Leave the erg heading west, towards Lake Iriki. Night at the bivouac.
Day 7 · Lake Iriki
Cross Lake Iriki, a vast dry expanse in the Iriki National Park. Night at the bivouac.
Day 8 · Foum Zguid · Taroudant
A last walk to Foum Zguid, where the crossing ends, then drive to Taroudant and its ramparts. Night in a characterful riad.
Day 9 · Taroudant · Agadir
Drive to Agadir on the Atlantic coast, end of the trip.
At the bivouac
Every evening a different bivouac, at the pace of the caravan.
What's planned
Our partners on the ground
Licensed travel agencies in Morocco
Rando Maroc works with licensed travel agencies in Morocco, chosen for their reliability and their knowledge of the terrain. On the ground, you are accompanied by qualified guides and experienced local teams: muleteers, camel handlers, cooks. Rando Maroc advises you, answers your questions and remains your point of contact, from your first enquiry until departure.
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