3 Day Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi

We really have to thank your company for putting us in such capable and welcoming hands, we had an absolutely amazing experience with the two guides that conducted us from Marrakech to Erg Chebbi and back, and recommend a tour with either as highly as is possible.

Our main guide, Ilyas, was a wonderful tour leader in every respect, displaying a comprehensive knowledge of local history and culture. His enthusiasm for these subjects was infectious -- there's really nothing to help a place come alive like somebody who really knows it, loves it, and loves sharing it, and this is certainly a description of Ilyas. Aside from his helpful asides about out-of-the-way places that we passed on our whirlwind few day trip, or lessons on Amazir language and culture, Ilyas really did everything he could to make sure that we felt at ease and comfortable. Spending a couple near uninterrupted days in a small car with new acquaintances really helps one appreciate this. No question that we had was foolish, no request to stop ignored or unheeded. When we asked to stop somewhere for some camel milk, for instance, both Ilyas and Mohammed (our driver) took this request very seriously indeed. Combined with the clinic that Mohammed put on when it came to cornering and basic highway citizenship (police would recognize him along the way, and ask him for reports on highway accidents), both Jason and I are sure that we couldn't have asked for any better pair of guides to conduct us on our journey.

Sara D reviewing 3 Day Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi on 12 December 2012

We really enjoyed both the Toubkal climb and the dessert trip! Very well organised.

We had the same guide for both, Elias, who treated us pretty well and was extremely flexible on changing routes or stopping where we wanted to. If I have to pick on something, and I may be a bit too fussy, is that he knew and explained broad historical/cultural issues but sometimes it felt that it was a bit limited. Probably give him a 4/5.

Accommodation was pretty basic, but I do realise that there is not a lot of choice when you are up there!Give you a 3/5

The meals in the toubkal trip were very good and very large amounts. We had the vegetarian option, and the only thing is that they were a bit the same throughout the trip. Another 4/5

Very good service arranging/organising the trip prior and during it- sorting out taxis, etc. Super reliable. Give you a 5/5.

Very good overall impressions. Very well selected routes and very enjoyable experience overall. Give you a 5/5 again and will definitely be looking for tourdust trips in the future!

Ignacio V reviewing 3 Day Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi on 11 December 2012

Overall tour was fantastic, our tour guide was really really friendly and made a big effort to ensure we got to see the key attractions on the road to the Sahara, very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The guides in the Sahara were equally good, overall a great experience and one of the best activities we did in Morocco.

warren g reviewing 3 Day Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi on 14 December 2011

My thoughts on the trip was that it was over all an amazing experience. The Erg Chebbi trip was the most enjoyable part of our stay in Morocco, Im glad we booked it through yourself as everything ran smoothly and we feel we got an excellent service. We heard some bad experiences of similar trips but were a lot cheaper so I think you get what you pay for.

Anon reviewing 3 Day Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi on 08 December 2010

Trip to Erg Chebbi

What a really wonderful trip – many thanks to everyone involved in making it happen. Riding over dunes in the desert at sunset has to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, watching the sun going down behind the orange glowing sand and crescent shaped shadows. I found, to my great relief, that camels are actually quite cooperative animals – or maybe that was down to our guide, Zaieed, who led them patiently for an hour, until we reached our tent. Then a delicious tagine, cooked on the spot, followed by sleeping under the brightest moon and stars imaginable. To top it all, we set off (again guided by Zaieed) in the morning while it was still dark so that we could park our camels on the side of a dune so we could clamber up and watch the sun rise. Pure magic.
It was a long drive down to the desert from Marrakech, but we stopped off at some fascinating places along the way, and enjoyed getting a feel for Moroccan villages after the bright lights of Marrakech. And the drive was worth every minute for such a wonderful experience.

Anon reviewing 3 Day Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi on 30 November 2010

Firstly, you guys at Tourdust- what can I say really?! perfect service, informative, timely, reasonably priced etc etc Can't fault you, thanks so much, i'm really glad we didn't leave it to our Riad to book or just risk someone selling tours on the side of the road when we got there! The few extra quid was very well spent.

We had 2 guides (just for Andy and I!) the whole time. Met us at our front door and dropped us off practically at the next front door. EXTREMELY sensitive to our wimpy British needs (always checking we were cool enough, had enough water, wanted to take pics, stop for lunch, loos etc) They couldn't have been more thoughtful, even moreso considering they were both without food and water all day because of Ramadan.

The tour was very comprehensive- mountains, gorges, the desert and other stops like fossil factories, film studios and various places of interest along the way. The dessert was an INCREDIBLE experience, the most bizarre silence I've ever experienced and I now know camels regurgitate their food and eat it as mine did this for the entire trip back (rather nice at 5am!)

Things that may be useful in terms of other clients doing the same tour and asking questions: we had no idea we would be travelling quite so far, so although the first and second day were fine and split up with visits and obviously a night in a hotel, the full journey back on the 3rd day was a marathon. I think we stopped twice for the loo and once for lunch in almost 12 hours because there was so far to go.

We also had no idea we'd be leaving our guides once we got on the camels, and trekking 4km to the camp. Our Berber 'host' there was amazing, the tagine the best we had the whole holiday and the 4 other guests a real nice bunch. But we then trekked back at 5am to see the sunrise. Again, a fab experience but we were in shock when we were told at camp we'd be getting up before 5am and going back on camels as 1- Camels are the most uncomfy beasts ever, and 2- We were absolutely knackered!

Also, the sleeping in the desert- we had packed a fleece and our toothbrushes along with wipes medication other items on the list etc. The torch was the most valuable item listed, we would have been lost without it! But anything other than maybe medication and wipes is pointless as there are NO facilities whatsoever, just a loo in a tent. We slept in our clothes and went back in them the next day, there's no point doing anything else really. It is a complete myth that it gets cold in the desert- it was a good 30 degrees all through the night with no wind whatsoever and the camp has thin mattresses and sheets to use if needed so no need for sleeping bag hire either, it was all just extra stuff to lug around. Our guide told us it very rarely gets cold in the desert and this is at the time of year when they move their camp out anyway so no-one would be staying there, doing tours etc

Anon reviewing 3 Day Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi on 18 October 2010

We had the most amazing time. It exceeded all my hopes of what the trip would be. The guides, the hotels - everything was of such a wonderful quality. Thank you for organizing everything. I will absolutely recommend Tourdust and use you again.

Claudia L reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday on 11 January 2024

Thank you, Lisa! Our trip was wonderful even with the weather disruption. We loved seeing so many different parts of the country, meeting people and experiencing the culture. The desert was surely a highlight for our boys and the creativity and artisanship of everything from food to crafts were a highlight for me. A special shout out to our guide and driver, they became a special part of our trip and we will forever be grateful for meeting them and learning from them. I cannot believe we had to wait three years for this adventure but it was certainly worth the wait! Thanks for all your help building the itinerary, modifying it and troubleshooting during our stay. Leslie B

Leslie B reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday on 01 March 2023

It was totally awesome!! Climbing the Toubkal summit by moonlight is just breathtaking!!! Yes it was absolutely freezing and so glad I took layers of thermals and hat and gloves!!

The Riads you booked were great, we both loved them, although we preferred the second Kasbah in Imlil we stayed in to the Kasbah Toubkal on our first night, our room was great especially after being in hostels for several nights!! Boy were they cold!!!!

El Fenn is fabulous, Lilly Allen had been staying with her band that week and left the day we arrived! Love that place, we are planning to go back next year! Caravanne was like walking into a little boutique hotel, loved that place as well.

There's something special about the mountains, loved it!

The desert camp was really well organised, although to be honest I think two nights are enough as there is not a lot to do and it is blisteringly hot by 9.00!! But we were looked after really well and had my first glass of wine for two weeks, went down very well!!! The sundowners were so much fun, especially trying to walk through the dunes after a couple of wines!!

Really great adventure and thank you so much for putting such a fab trip together for us!

Liz R reviewing Sahara, Souks and Mountains Explorer on 14 October 2015

We had a a wonderful time in Morocco. We were delighted with our guide Mustapha. He was a brilliant pairing for us as he tuned into what we liked and didn't, taught us lots about history, culture and geology and really looked after us at all times. I would recommend him to anyone in the future. Hamid our muleteer and Sayed our driver were also excellent.

We loved the itinerary that Rebecca put together for us. She was right about how much we could fit in and so we will have to return another time to try Essaouria!

Apart from the additional bed-fellows during the trekking (which was in itself a learning experience!), we were really happy with all our accommodation. We loved the fact they were small, often family run and that the staff would look after you completely. It was so reassuring to see the clear process of quality assurance by Tourdust. It was great to meet Anna at Riad Adore and to know that the company really is passionate about its customers having a great time and the lengths they go to test that for themselves.

We were really happy with the service we got from Tourdust which can be best described as friendly, efficient and expert. The team showed genuine interest in us and our trip and I felt that Rebecca was almost as excited as we were by the time all arrangements were in place. The information pack provided was invaluable too and I must admit I printed the lot because it turned out to be more useful than guidebooks. We usually travel independently and like to do so. We'd forgotten how relaxing it can be to have someone do all the hard work of planning and scheduling and even making a decision of where to stop for lunch. I'm certain that these things made the holiday the special experience that it was.

I am struggling to think of just one thing which could have been improved. The only thing I can think of is to add 'hat and gloves' to the itinerary for the Toubkal summit. Although I think this is included in the winter trekking advice, I don't think its listed otherwise. It was darn cold up there due to the wind chill, but Mustapha had a spare pair so I was ok. If I missed it on the list then apologies.

We will definitely be using Tourdust again and look forward to hearing about any new destinations that you add (we are interested in Cuba next!!)

Matthew M reviewing Sahara, Souks and Mountains Explorer on 10 November 2014

We have just returned from Morocco after a splendid trip. Thank you very much for organizing such an excellent trip. The planning and detail put into every aspect of the trip was very obvious and ensured we had such a great holiday.
The four days trekking were superb, culminating in our ascent to the top of Mount Toubkal with its spectacular views and breathtaking scenery. Our guide, Yusuf, was very able and professional and we were particularly impressed by our cook, Abdullah, who produced excellent food, meal after meal, without exception.
We were also impressed by the very high standard of accommodation, particularly Kasbah Ellouze and Dar Hannane whose manager, Mohamed, and assistant manager, Azziz, were incredibly friendly and helpful.
Purely for information and feedback purposes, the only slight hiccup, in an otherwise flawless holiday, was the fact that the driver we had for the two day trip to Ait Benhaddou had little or no English.
Once again, thank you so much for all the planning and detail you put into this trip. As per your e mail, on a score out of five, we would award five out of five to Tourdust and would have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending your company to any prospective traveller.
None of us are on Facebook but please feel free to use any of the above comments in any of your promotional material.
We would love to use Tourdust again in any future trips and with that in mind look forward to being in touch with you both again.

Charles F reviewing Sahara, Souks and Mountains Explorer on 06 October 2014

he trek in the atlas mountains was amazing. We think this was our favourite part of the trip as you could really appreciate the beautiful natural and different landscapes that Morocco has to offer. Our accommodation was great. Douar Samra is just so nice. We never wanted to say goodbye to such a cozy and beautiful place. Mohamed, our guide and Rashid the cook where great companion during all the trek and we really felt comfortable with them. The accommodation during the trek was good as well as we got the feeling for a little more of adventure and less luxury, we where actually looking for that so we founded it great to get outside our comfort zone. The actual trek was very good and it went from easy to hard in the following days. We really had a sense of accomplishment after the last day which was demanding because of the snow.

The stay in Marrakech was very nice. We really liked our accommodation there (Dar Hannae). The perfect description for that place is a peaceful oasis in the middle of a beautiful and hectic city. The staff(Mohamed and Aziz) there are amazing and made us feel like home.

The Desert Camel trek was very beautiful as well. Even though we had a lot of time travelling in the car, Hassan, our guide again and Driver made the trip nice. The accommodation in the Dra Valle was very nice and we happened to notice that Mohamed changed it for us in the last minute so we could had a more pleasant stay. Dinner that day was spectacular. Even thought the desert is a must do it does feel like a more worn out and popular tourist trip.

In general we loved the trip and we are very happy with Tourdust. We always felt like you guys where taking care of us and always trying to get the best out of the trip.

Victor R reviewing Sahara, Souks and Mountains Explorer on 19 March 2014

We had a wonderful time on our trip through Morocco. We would rate the experience a 4/5 overall and Tourdust a 5/5. We had a wonderful time seeing the Moroccan country side. The only negatives were the extensive driving time (couldn’t be avoided) and that we wish we’d had a little bit more time on our own. We loved both our guide and our driver, but four days straight together was a little much.

Tourdust did a completely perfect job coordinating the trip. I was sure SOMETHING was going to go wrong. But the only things that did were our own errors (such as arriving at the airport too late).

Thank you so much for your help! We hope to use you again on a future trip.

Betsy T reviewing Boutique Sahara Desert Tour to Erg Chebbi on 06 June 2012

It was obvious from the start of the trail that the guides know their job well I've been trekking and mountaineering for 30 years and I was confident that the group was in safe and experienced hands.

We had a great trip and will be back again in the future for more of the same.

Eugene M reviewing Sahara, Souks and Mountains Explorer on 24 May 2012