3-day desert off-road adventure by a 4x4 jeep with wild camping
- Price: from €250 per person
- Start: - Desert Camp Chraika
- Begins: 10 am on Day 1
- Ends: 5-6 pm on Day 3
Highlights
- Experience night camping in the desert
- Enjoy a 300-kilometre off-road adventure
- Ride a camel & walk in the dunes
- Visit historical places in the remote desert
- Drive an iconic Paris-Dakkar route
- Drink tea with nomad family
- Savor the sunset in wilderness
- Try Saharan bread freshly baked in hot sand
- Enjoy the taste of tajines cooked on the fire
- Try a “Berber omellette”: hearty breakfast
Sample itinerary
Day 1
The total distance on this day covers about 40 kilometres of scenic driving through untouched wilderness. After an about 1-hour drive, you will arrive to the dunes of Sidi Naji to visit a historical site – ruins of an ancient town and the Sidi Naji Marabou. a tomb of a wise man who lived here in the XIV century and founded a town. In the meantime, the cook will prepare lunch which will be served after the sightseeing.
In the afternoon, you will continue driving – to a place where guides will set up a camp for this night. You will stay in Erg Zahar National Park – a pristine area of big sand dunes. There will be several hours for climbing the biggest dune – it takes about 40 minutes to get to the top, and the views are amazing.
After the dark falls, your guides will light a camp fire and cook traditional nomadic dishes: harira soup and tajines, followed by a fruity dessert. The night will be spent in big comfortable tents, with all the camping gear provided.
Day 2
On this day you will have a chance to watch the diverse desert landscape: ergs, regs and hamadas, oasis, as well as dry riverbeds and abandoned agriculture fields. You will stop by a well where herdsmen bring their camels. It is quite possible that you will meet a wild gazelle around.
In the morning, after breakfast, you will continue your journey, aiming other equally captivating dune areas like of Erg Smar, Bougarn, and Erg Cidra, to arrive to the famous dunes of Erg Chegaga by the sunset. There, you will have a camel ride into the dunes to enjoy mesmerising outlooks to the area of gold sand dunes stretching to the horizon – covering over 500 km2 of land.
In Erg Chegaga you can either choose wild camping, or we can book a room for your in a comfy, permanent camp with bathrooms and hot showers.
Day 3
Includes
- Two nights camping in the desert with all gear needed
- 3 wholesome meals a day
- Water, hot and cold beverages, snacks (fruits, cookies)
- Transport by a 4×4 vehicle (around 300 k off-road driving)
- Camel ride at the sunset
- Good company of our desert guide, a driver and a cook
Things to know
Here is the list of things useful while wild camping in the desert:
- A refillable bottle for water
- Long-sleeved and long-legged, comfortable clothes
- A long scarf or a turban
- Sandals or light trekking shoes
- Sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses
- A travel towel
- Power bank
- Headlight
You may sort things out and leave the remaining luggage at our camp. It can be safely kept there until your return from the trip.
All supplies like water, beverages and food will be provided, as well as all camping gear: tents, mattresses, toilet paper and blankets.
Best months for desert tours in Morocco are October, November, March and April, when you can expect mild temperatures – around 25-30°C in the daytime, and 10-15°C at night.
February and December are a bit cooler, but with good preparation also very good for a desert trip.
On the other hand, May and September are good for those enjoying temperatures above 35°C, allowing the sand hammam rituals in the daytime and sleeping under open sky at night.
Traditional desert cuisine is very simple, yet wholesome and diverse. Exemplary dishes served on a desert tour are: harira soup, tajines made on fire, bread baked in hot sand, lentils in tomatoes, beans, various salads with both cooked and raw vegetables, “Berber omelette”. Also, refreshing and energising Moroccan mint tea is an every day treat on a desert tour.
You should be ready to sleep in a tent, on a 4-cm thin mattress, as well as to eat meals while sitting on a cushion. The plan of the jeep tour is relaxed and you can adjust the daily amount of walking to your preferences. Some areas is an uneven terrain, so be ready for this, too.
You must also be ready to use the “wild bathroom” in the dunes.
In order to meet your physiological needs during camping wild in the desert you must be ready to return to the roots and use a wild bathroom, i.e. find a secluded place. Since usually there is nobody in the radius of kilometres, it should be quite easy.
To keep the desert clean, put the toilet paper in a dug whole, and cover thoroughly with sand. The paper can be also burned. Remember not to put any sanitary products other toilet paper into the sand.
The proper toilet paper which is easily dissolved, is provided during the tour.
Yes, of course! From our experience, children enjoy being in the desert. Running in its vast spaces, playing with the sand, learning how to make fire, collecting the wood – all these activities are not only playful, but also educational.
From the age of 5, kids are usually ready for this kind of adventure.
It is good that you have your own sleeping bag with you, but it is not necessary – we provide blankets.
Let's create your best travel story
Salam, friends! If you have any questions regarding your journey, or wish to create your own plan, simply let us know – we will be happy to help.
