Updated: 11 November 2026
A day to Chigaga, hour by hour
The one-day outing to the dunes (trip details, from €100) gives a good sense of how a short departure flows.
- Morning: the 4×4 leaves Foum Zguid and follows the line of the former Paris–Dakar rally through Iriki National Park. At Zaouait Sidi Abdenabi, lunch is served in a traditional mud-brick house.
- Afternoon: the track winds between tamarisks before opening onto the dunes. Welcome tea awaits at camp, and then you are free to climb a crest. An optional one-hour camel ride can round off the afternoon.
- On the way back: you recross the dried-out bed of Lake Iriki, stopping to photograph the flat immensity, before returning to Foum Zguid.
Driving takes 2.5 to 3 hours in each direction, since it depends on the ground and the pauses. It is a long day and you leave before nightfall; to enjoy dusk on the sand, sleeping on site is far more comfortable. For more, see our page on Erg Chigaga from Foum Zguid.
Three day-trip ideas that do not go all the way to the dunes
Not every wish leads to an erg. Three one-day outings bet on other scenery, with fewer kilometres.
- Lake Iriki and Titanic Iriki (from €80): the great pale plain, then lunch at the inn dressed as a ship.
- Laarjimia oasis (from €80): about 25 km of track lead to a palm grove, where lunch is cooked over a wood fire.
- Tissint waterfalls (from €90): falls, a Berber village and a canyon, a contrast of green and stone.
Our page on Lake Iriki explains the lake’s changing water levels.
Sleeping in the desert: four ways to spend the night
Staying over changes everything: low evening light, dinner around the embers, a sky without street lamps, then dawn on the sand. Depending on where you sleep, four two-day, one-night options are open to you.
- Camp at Erg Chigaga (from €140): a 4×4 crossing of Iriki, a camel ride, the sun dying on the crests, dinner by the fire, sleep in a nomad tent and the return the next morning after breakfast.
- Foum Zguid desert, 2 days (from €120): pick-up at noon, then a stop at a marine fossil site; around 4 pm you reach the Erg Lamhazil dunes for an evening of music and a night under canvas. Next day: Zaouit Sidi Abdennabi, a visit to a nomad family, lunch at Laajamiya oasis and the return around 5 pm.
- Camp at Erg El Mhazil (from €130): the peaceful version, away from the big dunes: a traditional dinner, an evening by the fire and a camel ride as an option.
- Titanic Iriki and a night at camp (from €130): you eat lunch and dinner at the Titanic, sleep outdoors or in a mud-brick room, and head home around midday.
To grasp how these landscapes differ, browse our pages on Erg Lmhazil and Erg Chigaga.
Three days: time to settle into the silence
From three days on, you are no longer just visiting the desert; you live in it for a while.
- Foum Zguid to Erg Chigaga (from €260): on day one you set off after lunch for roughly 60 km of track, see fossils and sleep at the Titanic. Day two brings a nomad school before camp at Chigaga. Day three is a dawn stroll over the dunes, then the way back across Lake Iriki.
- Desert hike and nomad school (from €250): the first night is at Erg El Mhazil. Next day, about four hours of walking with the bags on camels, then camp at Erg El Ghoule. On the last morning, two hours on foot lead to a nomad school, which you enter when the families are able to receive visitors.
To walk further, the Morocco desert trekking guide details itineraries of four to seven days.
Why a private departure changes the day
With us, the vehicle and guide belong to your group, whether that is a couple, a family or friends. In practice:
- Tempo: an extra photo stop or ten more minutes on a ridge is simply a matter of asking.
- Start time: it can be discussed around your arrival in Foum Zguid; mention it when you book.
- Conversation: your guide talks about the desert, nomad life and Iriki park.
Group tours, common from the big cities, bring strangers together on a set programme. They are sometimes cheaper but leave little room to adjust. Either way, weigh the price against what is covered and how many seats the vehicle holds.
On the track: what a 4×4 changes and how to prepare
Beyond Foum Zguid the tarmac stops and the tracks of Iriki (Iriqui) park begin. With the lake plain, sand banks and dune approaches, you need a sturdy vehicle and a driver who can read the ground.
- After heavy rain, water may linger on Lake Iriki for a while, and the route is changed accordingly.
- Keep water, a hat and sunglasses close to hand.
- The track is bumpy: mention a bad back or a tendency to travel sickness.
- Summer often passes 40 °C by day; the good season runs from October to April.
What the programmes provide
Each trip page spells out the service. Reading across our published itineraries:
- private 4×4 transport from and to Foum Zguid, with the guide;
- on overnight trips: dinner, a bed in a nomad tent, at camp or in a mud-brick room depending on the trip, and breakfast;
- the lunches named in the route (Titanic Iriki, Zaouait Sidi Abdenabi, the oasis);
- the camel ride when it features in the programme; otherwise it is marked optional.
For drinks, extras and the rest, ask for confirmation before booking.
Booking with Abdul on WhatsApp
You write straight to Abdul, the guide based in Foum Zguid, on +212 649 598 615.
- Give your dates, the number of travellers and the trip that appeals.
- Say where you are coming from and flag what matters: children, health, diet.
- Receive the programme and price, confirmed.
- Read the payment and cancellation terms we send before you agree.
Our Google profile shows 5.0 from 5 reviews. You can also use the contact page, open the full excursion catalogue or browse the Foum Zguid desert page.
Travellers’ questions
Which one-day trip should I choose from Foum Zguid?
For big dunes, the Erg Chigaga day (from €100) crosses Iriki park to Morocco’s largest erg. If you would rather drive less, the Lake Iriki day with lunch at the Titanic Iriki (from €80) and the Laarjimia oasis (from €80) are quieter.
What is the lowest price for a night in the desert?
The cheapest two-day, one-night option is the Foum Zguid desert programme (fossils, Erg Lamhazil, oasis), from €120 per person. The El Mhazil camp and the night at the Titanic start from €130, and a night at Chigaga from €140. A final price reaches you on WhatsApp before you book.
How long is the road between Foum Zguid and the Chigaga dunes?
Count 2.5 to 3 hours behind the wheel of a 4×4, with variation from terrain and stops, across Iriki park and the lake plain. On a day trip you make this journey both ways, which is why many travellers prefer to sleep at camp.
Will my group be the only one in the vehicle?
Yes, every departure is private. The vehicle and guide are for you, your family or your friends, and the pace can be adjusted within the programme. State how many of you are travelling in your message so that you receive a confirmed price.
Can I reach the dunes without a 4×4?
No, not for Erg Chigaga, Erg El Mhazil or Lake Iriki. The tracks in Iriki park alternate open plains with sandy sections, so you need a suitable vehicle and a driver who knows the ground. All our trips run by 4×4 with the guide from Foum Zguid.
What are the payment and cancellation terms?
They are not listed on this page: we send them in a written WhatsApp message, together with the programme and the price, before you book. Read them calmly and ask questions before confirming. The number is +212 649 598 615.
Can I bring children?
Yes, if you choose a short format. The Lake Iriki day, or a night at El Mhazil, involves less driving than a trip from a big city. Give the children’s ages when you write, and the guide will adjust the breaks and advise on the camel ride.
