Erg Chigaga

Erg Chigaga is the bigger and emptier of Morocco's two accessible sand seas, a band of dunes tens of kilometres long beyond Mhamid, where the tarmac and the Draa both give out. Getting there means a couple of hours of rough piste in a 4x4 across stony hammada and dry lakebed, or a multi-day camel trek, and that filter is why it stays quieter than the dunes at Merzouga. The highest crests rise well above the surrounding plain, and camps sit in the hollows between them. Away from the camps the silence is total, the night sky is unobstructed, and there are no lights or roads in any direction.

What you actually see

• The high dunes - the main crests, climbed for sunrise and sunset.
• The piste crossing - hours of stony desert and dry lakebed to reach the sand.
• The desert camps - tented sites in the hollows between the dunes.
• The night sky - stars with no light source anywhere on the horizon.

When to go

October to April, without exception; summer temperatures here are dangerous and most camps close. Winter nights are cold enough for a jacket and a proper blanket. Sunrise and sunset are the reasons to stay overnight rather than day trip. Avoid windy days, when sand fills the air and the dunes are unpleasant.

Honest expectations

The journey is genuinely rough, a couple of hours of jolting piste each way, and it is not enjoyable for anyone with a bad back. Some operators sell trips here and quietly deliver you to smaller dunes closer to Mhamid, so confirm exactly where you are going. Camps range from basic to expensive, and the cheap ones can mean shared tents and cold bucket washes.

Nearby

Mhamid is the last town on the road, and the Draa valley leads back north towards Zagora and Ouarzazate.