Also of note en route are Zawiya Moulay Ali Ash-Sherif ( GOOGLE MAP ; h8am-6pm), the shrine built to honour the Alawite dynasty's founder, and the royal Ksar Oulad Abdelhalim ( GOOGLE MAP ), a glorious 19th-century ruin with huge ramparts.
The circuit is signed 1.5km west of Rissani along the N13.
4Sleeping
With the dunes barely 35km further south, few people choose to spend the night in Rissani, instead visiting on a day trip either from Erfoud or Merzouga.
Hôtel SijilmassaHOTEL€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 57 50 42; [email protected]; Pl al-Massira al-Khadra; s/d with air-con Dh180/230, without air-con Dh120/180; aW)
Located near the bus and grand taxi station (good for late or early arrivals), Hôtel Sijilmassa has clean, air-conditioned rooms with cramped en suites, plus a downstairs restaurant featuring a hearty kalia. Excursions are available here.
8Information
There’s a post and phone office at the northern end of the medina, and two banks with ATMs on Place al Massira.
8Getting There & Away
Bus
CTM ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pl al-Massira) has an office in the centre of town. It runs one bus a day at 8pm to Meknès/Fez (Dh150/160, eight to nine hours) via Erfoud (Dh20, 30 minutes) and Er-Rachidia (Dh35, 1¾ hours).
Supratours runs an evening service to Meknès (Dh140) and Fez (Dh140) via Er-Rachidia (Dh40), a morning service to Marrakesh (Dh190, 12 hours) and an early morning and evening service to Merzouga (Dh30, 30 minutes).
Local buses leave from the central bus station ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), 400m north of the square on the road to Erfoud. There are services to Fez (Dh140, 13 hours) via Meknès (Dh110, nine hours) and to Marrakesh (Dh190, 10 hours). Buses run occasionally to Tinerhir (Dh40, six hours); check at the station for departures. There are six buses a day to Er-Rachidia (Dh30, two hours) via Erfoud.
Taxi
Grands taxis ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) run frequently from opposite Hôtel Sijilmassa to Erfoud (Dh10), Er-Rachidia (Dh30), Tinerhir (Dh75), Merzouga (Dh20) and occasionally Taouz (Dh30).
Merzouga
When a wealthy family refused hospitality to a poor woman and her son, God was offended, and buried them under the mounds of sand called Erg Chebbi. So goes the legend of the dunes rising majestically above the twin villages of Merzouga and Hassi Labied, which for many travellers fulfill Morocco's promise as a dream desert destination. But Erg Chebbi's beauty coupled with Merzouga's accessibility has its price. Paved roads across the Middle Atlas from Midelt and east from Ouarzazate mean that desert tourism is booming. In high season, coaches and convoys of 4WDs churn up huge dust clouds as they race across the hammada in time for sunset camel rides, and purists lament the encroachment of hotels flanking the western fringes of the dunes – although there’s no denying the spectacular dune views from rooms and terraces.
1Sights & Activities
The classic Merzouga excursion is to head into the desert and overnight in safari tents. Plan on sunset camel rides, fireside music jams and star-filled nights, followed by an early morning walk to the tallest nearby dune to watch the sunrise. To best experience the desert's ethereal beauty, plan carefully and come out of season. The end of November, and January and February are the quietest times and some of the best weatherwise.
Most hotels offer excursions into the dunes, ranging from Dh150 to Dh300 for two-hour sunrise or sunset camel treks. Overnight trips (Dh350 to Dh700 per person) usually include a bed in a Berber tent, dinner and breakfast; 4WD outings (up to Dh1200 per day) for a vehicle taking up to five passengers are more expensive. Invasive quads (dune buggies), which level dunes and disturb residents and wildlife, are not recommended.
If you show up in town unaccompanied by a guide or a dromedary, you can anticipate repeated offers of both. Try to keep it in perspective: getting by in the desert is notoriously tough. If you feel pressured, step away from the interaction.
oErg ChebbiDUNES
Shape-shifting over 28km from north to south and reaching heights of 160m, Erg Chebbi may be modest compared with the great sand seas of Algeria, Libya and Namibia, but it is extraordinarily scenic. The rose gold dunes rise dramatically above a pancake-flat, black hammada and glow stunning shades of orange, pink and purple as the afternoon sun descends.
Lac TamezguidaBIRDWATCHING
(Lac de Merzouga, Dayet Sriji)
At the southern end of Erg Chebbi, between November and May, you'll find the seasonal lake of Tamezguida. This is perhaps the best area in Morocco for spotting many desert birds, including Egyptian nightjars, desert warblers, fulvous babblers and blue-cheeked bee-eaters. Sometimes, in good years, the lake even attracts flocks of flamingos and other waterbirds.
CAMEL QUERIES
With over 70 camps in the Erg Chebbi dunes, picking your place is key. Before you agree to a dromedary trek, ask the guide the following questions.
How big is your camp, and how many people are headed there tonight? Overnight treks often congregate in the same spot, so if you have a romantic notion of being alone in the dunes under the stars, find an outfit with a separate camp.
How far is it to the camp site? Not everyone is cut out for dromedary-riding – it makes some seasick, and others chafe. For long treks, bring motion-sickness pills and cornstarch or talcum powder.
Does the trek guide speak English, or another language I know? This is important in the unlikely case of emergency in the desert, and to avoid awkward hand-gesture explanations when you need to use the bathroom.
Are the camels well rested? Don’t take it personally. Cranky, overtired camels are notorious for sudden shifts, dead stops and throat-rattling spitting.
4Sleeping & Eating
Merzouga has an excellent range of accommodation from humble, family-run guesthouse to lavish kasbah-style hotels. Many hotels are reached by pistes that run 1km or more east off the N13 tarmac road. Since they’re strung out over 5km between the village of Hassi Labied to the north and Merzouga to the south, book in advance and find out the exact location of your hotel. At some places you can sleep on a terrace mattress or in a Berber tent for Dh30 to Dh60 per person. Bring warm clothing for overnight trips in desert bivouacs as it can get very cold.
There aren't many options when it comes to restaurants; most visitors take their meals at their lodging.
Hassi Labied
Auberge Camping SaharaINN, CAMPING€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 57 70 39; www.auberge-sahara-merzouga.com; N 31°08.100, W 004°01.122; d per person incl half-board Dh200-400, terrace camping per person/caravan Dh50/70; paWs)
Twenty basic, spotless rooms with en suites in a friendly Tuareg-run place with a pool, backing right onto the dunes at the southernmost end of the village. Four rooms feature dune views and three rooms air-con.
oMaison MerzougaGUESTHOUSE€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0661 25 46 58 0535 57 72 99; www.merzouga-guesthouse.com; N 31º07.869, W 004º01.034; s/d incl half-board from Dh500/700, ste incl half-board Dh1000-2000; aWs)
Guests receive a heartfelt welcome at this lovely family-run guesthouse that focuses on Berber hospitality and not just desert-themed decor. Woven carpets, tadelakt walls, stone fireplaces and peaceful terraces with desert views add to the appeal. This is a fine spot to lounge poolside, arrange village trips or set off to explore the palmeraie.
Kasbah Kanz ErremalHOTEL€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 57 84 82; www.kanzerremal.com; N 31°07.765, W 004°00.769; d/tr/q incl breakfast Dh480/720/950; paWs)
Eschewing the rustic vibe of many other Merzouga hotels, Kanz Erremal favours understated stylish decor. Cushioned banquets line the airy, central courtyard while rooms with desert views are swathed in cool, white linens and gauzy curtains. Best of all is the wide terrace that overlooks the sand and a sleek infinity pool with dreamy dune views.
Kasbah MohayutINN€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0666 03 91 85; www.hotelmohayut.com; s/d/ste incl half-board from Dh490/620/840; pWs
)
Find your niche in 18 sculpted-tadelakt guest rooms, in the shade by a small pool or on the roof overlooking the dunes. Canopied beds, Berber rugs and tataoui ceilings add charm, though the suites are the real draw – each with a rooftop terrace, well placed for taking in the desert views.
Merzouga
Chez JuliaGUESTHOUSE€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 57 31 82; www.chez-julia.com; d with/without air-con from Dh300/180; aW)
Pure charm in the heart of Merzouga, behind the mosque: seven simply furnished rooms (with three shared bathrooms) in sun-washed colours (rose, lemon, blue) with straw-textured pisé walls, antique mantelpieces and white-tiled shared bathrooms, plus a furnished family apartment (Dh400 to Dh800). Ask about birdwatching tours, Saharan music concerts, fossil-hunting and overnights in the desert.
Riad AliGUESTHOUSE€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0670 62 41 36; www.hotelriadali.com; N 31°05.799, W 004º00.302; s/d incl breakfast Dh400/600; paWs)
A mod kasbah provides instant relief from the white-hot desert with 11 guest rooms in Majorelle blue and lemon arranged around a shimmering courtyard pool. Overnight dromedary trips are led by an experienced, local official tour leader inclusive of standard, high-end or luxury bivouac accommodation (Dh450 to Dh1300 per person), the latter two boasting en suite showers and toilets.
It's conveniently located 600m from the centre of Merzouga where the bus terminates.
Chez YoussefGUESTHOUSE€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0666 36 71 74; www.chezyoussef.com; Merzouga Village; d/tr incl breakfast Dh330/440, s/d/tr incl half-board Dh275/510/710; aW)
Youssef's simple pisé home offers four rooms arranged around a tiny courtyard shaded by a single palm. The oasis-inspired decor is sparing, but beds are firm, linens are spotlessly clean and food home-cooked. Your host offers good-value camel treks and overnights in a peaceful camp far from the crowds (Dh450 per person).
oAli & Sara's Desert PalaceCAMPGROUND€€€
(%0668 95 01 44; [email protected]; per person incl full board Dh975; W)S
Make friends with Romeo, George and Casanova – no they aren’t local lads trying it on, but your trusty dromedaries – as you head out from Merzouga for a trip of a lifetime. Husband-and-wife team, Ali and Sara, have spent four years crafting a personalised experience that gets rave reviews.
Coming from a nomadic family of 11 brothers, Ali’s knowledge of the desert is second to none, while Sara’s know-how makes for a luxurious and organised camp, first-class cooking and beautifully decorated tents. To keep things small, intimate and hassle-free the camp, 8km east of Merzouga, accommodates only 12 people and rates are fully inclusive, including non-alcoholic drinks. Reserve in advance.
8Information
Al Barid Bank ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h8am-4.15pm Mon-Fri) Next to the post office at the entrance to Merzouga, this handy bank has the only ATM in town.
Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ) At the entrance to Merzouga.
8Getting There & Away
The N13 runs from Rissani to Merzouga, and the piste from Erfoud will probably be sealed in the next few years. That said, most hotels are some distance from the road on pistes marked with signs. If you're driving a standard rental car, don't head off-road as you'll likely get stuck in the sand. Minibuses will pick up or drop off in Hassi Labied – your hotel can make arrangements. Minivans run from Merzouga between 7.30am and 9.30am in high season.
Supratours ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) has a daily 8am service from Merzouga to Marrakesh (Dh220, 12½ hours) and a 7pm bus to Fez (Dh170, 10½ hours). The bus stop is on Merzouga's main street, just off the highway leading north to Rissani.
Grands taxis ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) leave from Merzouga centre heading north to Rissani (Dh15). Transport is harder to come by for Taouz to the south; you might have to hire out all six places (Dh100).
Taouz تاوز
Come to Taouz to spot mineral formations and possibly dinosaur bones where the desert swallows the road. Between Merzouga and Taouz is the village of Khamlia, whose inhabitants are believed to be descended from escaped slaves. This frontier town is home to notable Gnawa musicians, including Les Pigeons du Sable (Sand Pigeons). Their music is available online, and they occasionally perform locally and at Er-Rachidia’s Festival du Desert. Ask at their house (marked by a banner) for details.
A house beyond Taouz village, Casa Taouz, offers tea and occasional food. If you have a 4WD, several places to stay in the desert are signposted from the road with GPS locations.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
BEYOND THE END OF THE ROAD: OUZINA
Instead of turning back at Taouz, you could take the piste by 4WD about one hour (30km) southwest towards the 2km stretch of dunes at Ouzina, a seldom-visited desert destination known only to Sahara savants. Here you’ll find Kasbah Ouzina (%0668 98 65 00; www.kasbahouzina.com; s/d incl half-board from Dh500/800), a small, tidy auberge with mercifully sand-free beds. At Ouzina the piste turns west toward the Drâa Valley, heading 45km to Mharje village, where you can turn north onto a well-graded piste to Alnif, where it intersects with the tarmac road to Zagora. Otherwise, you could follow a bumpy piste from Taouz west towards the Drâa Valley south of Zagora. Either way, the Taouz–Zagora journey takes at least seven hours, equipped with plenty of water, petrol, food, a spare tyre, a mobile phone and a Sahara-savvy guide.
Rissani to Zagora
Rather than retracing the N10 back to Marrakesh via Tinerhir and Ouarzazate, adventurous desert travellers opt for the N12, which traces the southern foothils of Jebel Saghro via Alnif, Tazzarine and N'Kob. The road sees little traffic and few tourists and provides an interesting link through prime fossil-hunting territory to the Drâa Valley, where it emerges at Tansikht 63km north of Zagora and 98km south of Ouarzazate. Kasbah-studded N'Kob is the most atmospheric place to stay and provides a good base for Jebel Saghro treks and exploration.
8Getting There & Away
Local buses ply the road between Rissani and Zagora (six hours), via Alnif, Tazzarine and N'Kob. More reliable, though, are grands taxis between Rissani and Alnif (Dh30), Alnif and Tazzarine (Dh30), Alnif and Tinerhir (Dh30) and Tazzarine and Ouarzazate (Dh75).
CTM runs a 6.30am bus from Tazzarine to Marrakesh (Dh135, 7½ hours) via N'Kob (Dh20, 30 minutes) and Ouarzazate (Dh60, three hours).
Alnif النيف
Much of Morocco’s Anti-Atlas Mountains are built of Paleozoic rocks, dating back to between 245 and 570 million years. When these rocks were deposited, a shallow sea covered the region. Trilobites scuttled along the seafloor, and huge schools of Orthoceras, squid-like nautiloids with cone-shaped shells, swam above. When they died, their shells were preserved in the limy mud of the Maidir basin located between Erfoud and Alnif, awaiting resurrection as the polished curios, coffee tables and ornamental sinks that now cram Alnif’s roadside shops.
Today more than 50,000 Moroccans earn their livelihoods in the fossil and mineral specimen mining and export business. It's hard, labour-intensive work where men work the fossil-rich seams and old mining spoil heaps by with chisels, picks and hoes. Prices depend on rarity, condition and the quality of the workmanship in the preparation, and can range from tens of dirhams to tens of thousands of dirhams for museum-quality specimens.
2Activities
Ihmadi Trilobites CentreTREKKING
(%0666 22 15 93; www.alnifearth.com; h9am-5pm)
Mohand Ihmadi, the geologist owner, leads short trips to local fossil sites (Dh200 for the afternoon). Ihmadi has a wealth of information on the geological history of the region, and was in the process of creating a new museum nearby (slated to open in 2017). Stop in the shop to get the latest info.
4Sleeping & Eating
Kasbah MeteoritesHERITAGE HOTEL€€
(%0661 70 26 30; www.kasbahmeteorites.com; per person incl half-board Dh300; aWs)
This pleasant pit stop 13km west of Alnif has plain but comfortable air-conditioned rooms and an oversized pool. It's popular with tour groups.
La Gazelle du SudMOROCCAN€
(%0670 23 39 42; mains Dh40-75; h8am-7pm; W)
A popular lunch stop, serving large meals of tajine, brochettes or omelettes. It's the calmer of the two hotel-eateries facing each other at the town's main intersection. Simple rooms (doubles from Dh100) are available.
Hotel Restaurant BougaferCAFE€
(%0535 78 38 09; Alnif; meals Dh30-60; h8am-10pm)
Bougafer has limited options (tajine or rotisserie chicken and chips), but that hasn't affected its enormous lunchtime popularity.
Tazzarine تزارين
The small desert town and oasis of Tazzarine is located in the heart of the Aït Atta tribal area, midway between Alnif and N’Kob. Despite many years of drought, the palm groves and henna fields are still a pretty sight. Although there is little to stop for in the small straggling town, a few kilometres southwest you’ll find the prehistoric site of Aït Ouazik with its wonderful petroglyphs clearly depicting images of elephants, giraffe, buffalo and antelope. They date from about 5000 BC when the area had a savannah-like character. Also south of Tazzarine is the small, but picturesque dunefield of Foum Tizza, an area of sandy sahel contrasting with blue-black rocks. The dunes are rarely visited and offer travellers a chance to appreciate the désert profond on a small scale.
4Sleeping
Lonely Planet Morocco Page 28