Erg Chebbi

Merzouga, Morocco, Morocco

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Erg Chebbi is Morocco’s most famous Sahara Desert destination, a stunning sea of golden-orange sand dunes located just west of the village of Merzouga on the far western edge of the Sahara near the Algerian border.

This is Morocco’s only true erg (dune sea), stretching about 40 km (25 mi) from north to south and 5–7 km (3–4 mi) east to west, with dunes that rise up to 150–170 meters (500–560 ft) above the surrounding rocky hamada desert. The dunes are shaped like fat beans and shift slowly with desert winds, creating ever-changing colors from apricot to deep orange depending on the time of day, especially at sunrise and sunset when the light is most dramatic.

Merzouga serves as the main tourist hub, with hotels, riads and desert camps lining the western side of the dunes, and countless companies offer camel treks that take visitors deep into the erg for overnight stays under star-filled skies, often ending with traditional Berber music around a campfire. The best time to visit is between October and April when temperatures are milder, though even in summer some locals use the scorching sand for traditional rheumatism treatments by burying themselves neck-deep for a few minutes.