Many travellers arrive in Ouarzazate by air, or at the end of a stage from the Dades gorges, and assume they must drive up to Merzouga or down to Zagora to see real dunes. There is a shorter way: the N10 to Taznakht, then the R111 due south to Foum Zguid. Two and a half hours on a wide, near-empty road, and you are at the desert gate.
From Foum Zguid, Erg Chegaga is 2.5 hours of track away via Lake Iriqui. Leaving Ouarzazate in the morning puts you in the dunes for sunset the same day. It is the format chosen by guests touring the south in a rental car: they leave the vehicle in the village and drive on the following midday.
The Ouarzazate – Foum Zguid road
- 0 km
Leave Ouarzazate on the N10 towards Taliouine.
- 85 km
Taznakht, carpet country: the last large village, fuel stations, cafés.
- 160 km
Foum Zguid. Tea, transfer into our desert 4x4s, and out towards the dunes.
Practical details
- Pick-up at your Ouarzazate hotel or riad
- Secure parking in Foum Zguid if you arrive in a rental car
- Ouarzazate airport is 2 h 45 from Foum Zguid
- Drop-off possible in Zagora or Marrakech at the end of your stay
Frequently asked questions
Can I do a round trip from Ouarzazate in two days?
Yes, and it is the most efficient desert format in southern Morocco: leave in the morning, camp night at Erg Chegaga, back in Ouarzazate late the following afternoon. Allow five hours of tarmac and five hours of track across the two days.
Is it faster than going to Merzouga from Ouarzazate?
Considerably. Merzouga is about 5 hours from Ouarzazate via the Ziz valley; Foum Zguid is 2.5. And from Foum Zguid the track to Chegaga crosses Lake Iriqui, which no Merzouga approach offers.
What happens to my rental car?
It stays in Foum Zguid, parked safely with us or at your auberge, for the duration of the tour. Desert tracks cannot be driven in a saloon car, and most rental contracts explicitly forbid it.
Other departure cities: see all options · Understand the region: Foum Zguid, Erg Chegaga, Lake Iriqui.