Our story
A family from the Iriqui plain
We are the Hasnaoui family, and we have lived in this desert for generations — at Zaouit Sidi Abdenabi, out on the Lake Iriqui plain.
We were born between the dry bed of Lake Iriqui and the Jbel Bani mountains, in a nomad camp where the water came from wells and school was a day's walk away. The desert was not a destination — it was home.
When we founded Desert Foum Zguid the idea was simple: show travellers the Sahara of our childhood, and make tourism finally pay a fair price to the families who keep nomad life going. Our guides are our cousins, and our camels have names.
Today we welcome travellers from all over the world, and we still work with the nomad families of the Iriqui plain — the same ones we grew up among.
What we don't compromise on
- Trust Prices published on every page, a detailed itinerary confirmed in writing before you pay anything, and no surprises on arrival.
- Authenticity No cardboard folklore. Real nomads, real tracks, real desert life — shared with respect, not staged.
- Fair local economy Everyone in the chain is paid fairly and transparently: drivers, cooks, camel handlers, host families.
- Respect for the land Leave-no-trace camps, water in refillable bottles, and routes that spare the fragile ecosystem of Lake Iriqui.
The people you travel with
Guides, drivers and cooks — all born in the region, between Foum Zguid, Lake Iriqui and Jbel Bani. These are the people who will meet you at the start, not a subcontractor hired the day before.
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Abdelghani Hasnaoui
Agency owner
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Abdeljalil Hasnaoui
Partner
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Abdel Fatah
Tour guide
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Abdel Rahim
Tour guide
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Abdel Hafid
Tour guide
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Abde Samad
Tour guide
The camp crew — cooking, tea, raising the camp and handling the camels — are family members and nomad families from the Iriqui plain, whom we do not photograph without their consent.
Why book with a local agency?
Most Erg Chigaga tours sold online depart from Marrakech or M'hamid and subcontract the desert part. Booking in Foum Zguid means dealing directly with the people who drive the 4x4s and run the camp: no middleman, a displayed and transparent price, and guides who know every ridge between the village and the dunes.
A registered agency — and the trap of look-alike names
Desert Foum Zguid is a registered Moroccan agency . In this region agency names are widely copied, so always check who you are writing to. Our official WhatsApp number is +212706050534, shown on every page, and you can find us on our Google listing and on Facebook.
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