Deserts of Morocco

If Morocco is a mountainous country, whose majestic Atlas appears to be like his backbone that traverses it, it is also largely open on the sea and bordered by great coastal plains. But desert holds a predominant place in the South Moroccan and its culture.

The hamada of Guir to the east, like this one of the Drâa to the south, announce the arrival on the threshold of the desert as much towards the Algerian border as it goes along all the Atlantic coast until the Saharan Provinces.

The desert alternating regs and ergs, like the dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga, is dotted with oases and large palm groves like Tinghir, Skoura, Errachidia and many others, and providing most of the agricultural activity. Magical places like the ruins of Sijilmassa, the ancient capital of the Tafilalt during the eleventh century, keep in the imagination and memory of men the traces of trade with the large caravans arriving from sub-Saharan Africa after several months of travel.

The Drâa valley, starting from Zagora in the direction of Mhamid, sets the tone and leads us to the gates of the Saharan desert towards the border of south-west Algeria. From the outskirts of Zagora, the dunes of Tinfou and the ksar of Aït Isfoul, enclosed within small dunes, announce the imminent arrival at the threshold of the vast desert expanses. The erg Lehoudi accentuates the Saharan impression with its sandy slopes and high dunes.

Finally, when you left Mhamid behind, the Erg Chegaga with the alternation of its dunes over several tens of kilometers, plunges you literally into this expected desert . We advise you to always be accompanied with a guide from the region.