Erg Chebbi Dunes : MOROCCO
Erg Chebbi is the only Saharan erg in Morocco. This flat area of desert is 22 km long and 5 km wide. Its dunes reach a maximum height of 150 meters. It is located roughly 40 kilometers south-east of Erfoud. The Erg Chebbi dunes near the little town of Merzouga are renowned for their great height and size. This vast pile of sand that stretches east into the Algerian Sahara has dunes that reach heights upwards of 50 meters (164 feet). Jen and I probably would not have made it to the dunes ourselves if we hadn't bumped into Nancy and Harriet; in addition, we pretty much picked up our guide accidentally by the side of the road. All this made for an incredibly serendipitous and memorable experience (see blog for details). We snapped this picture of Yusouf by the side of the road, thinking, "Here's a chance to get a picture of a local Berber". Little did we know it, but Yusouf turned out to be a desert guide and owned 15 camels of his own. Bumping into him was an incredible stroke of good luck. Nancy and Harriet survey the first sight of the Erg Chebbi Dunes as we climb over the last rise in our little Pugeot 206 rental car. Jen, Nancy, and Harriet sit atop a dune to watch the sunset while our camels are being prepared for our one night trek. The fine sands of the dunes were shaped into all kinds of fascinating ridges and patterns. Winston's camel bumps Nancy's elbow as we set out into the dark stillness of the desert. Under a blanket of stars, we enjoyed a dinner of tajine poulet with our desert guide Sayid. Sleeping on the dunes under the stars was an incredible experience.
Harriet is silhouetted against a sliver of the moon in the morning sky, as we got up at 5am to watch the sunrise. Our guide's traditional blue kaftan is common to many of the Berbers who live in the desert. One of my favourite shots: the ripples of sand on the surface of a large dune are highlighted by the rising sun. Sometimes the dunes were rounded on top, other times they had a sharp edge like this. You can see where we slept in this picture; literally in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Winston climbing a dune to get the best vantage point, shooting off ridiculous numbers of pictures on the way. On top of the Erg Chebbi; from the top the only thing that could be seen in all directions was sand dunes. Leave nothing but footsteps, take nothing but pictures; we did a lot of both out there! Erg Chebbi Dunes are located 30km From Rissani, 50km from Erfoud. Its most well known nearby village is Merzouga. Merzouga is the most famous villages surrounding Erg Chebbi After Rissani’s entrance gate you will take 19km of asphalt road direction Merzouga until you reach or road sign with advertising the hotel (You can see the picture aside). From the sign you will drive yourself 10km of desert tracks following the small white sticks on the tracks until you reach our hotel. You can also take the more difficult 38km desert tracks from Erfoud directly to our Hotel without passing in Rissani. If by any chance you don’t feel comfortable on doing this by yourself, they will be more than happy to wait for you on the road near the sign. contact them before you reach Rissani. Rooms Auberge Berberes offers Single Rooms, Double Rooms, Triple Rooms and Berber Tent in Sahara. The rooms are decorated with Saharan taste and will make you enjoy each moment. Their staff will join you for that “Tea in Sahara” you always dreamt of.
Erg Chebbi (Arabic: عرق الشبي) is one of two Saharan ergs in Morocco (the other is Erg Chigaga near M'hamid). This portion of the Sahara desert is located in southeastern Morocco. Distinctive ergs — large dunes formed by wind-blown sand — reach nearly 500 feet high. The village of Merzouga, about ten hours from Marrakesh or Fes, is located on the edge of these distinctive dunes. Tourists flock here for the opportunity to camp, ride camels and view the incredible sunsets and sunrises over the otherworldly landscape. The erg is 22 km long (North-South) and 5 km wide. Its dunes reach a maximum height of 150 meters. It is located roughly 40 kilometers south-east of Erfoud. The local center for tourists is the village of Merzouga. Supposedly, the locals believe that these dunes were sent as a punishment for turning away a weary traveller from the desert. They say that after they sent away this traveller, the gods made the dunes pile up right outside their town; to teach them a lesson and to never send away weary men and women ever again.[citation needed]
