The Queen of the South is located at the end of the Draa Valley in a huge palm grove and green fruit trees that disappear into the sands of the Sahara. It is also the starting point for the old caravans and today is the base for entering the last village in the south, M’hamid. It is accessed by the desert sand tracks that lead to this town located at the gates of the great sand mountains of ERG CHEGAGA . 160 km south of Zagora, you reach this impressive area and the beginning of the Sahara in all its extension .
Queen of the South: Gateway to the Sahara and the Majestic Ergs of M’hamid
The presence of the desert is felt on all sides, as only 60km of unusual tracks and caravan routes separate this quiet location from the area of the great dunes of Erg Chagaga . More recently, this route has also been used by the Paris Dakar Rally. It offers a unique safari , where you can contemplate the flora and fauna that inhabit this area of the planet. Large herds of female dromedaries together with their young that graze the fresh shoots of the thorny acacias and seek shelter in the shade of the tamarinds, an endemic species of the desert, nomads walking on the horizon in search of water and sustenance for their homes, humble constructions of resistant fabrics that form perfectly oriented and strong tents to withstand the lash of the sands on the harshest days, make up only some of the unusual images that you will experience.
A unique and unrepeatable Safari along this journey that takes us to the largest expanse of large dunes in the Moroccan Sahara.
∞ Dunes of Erg Chegaga
Hypnotic view as the 4X4 enters the dunes and a feeling of smallness before the magnitude that appears before your eyes. Wild dunes of more than 300m. high make up the most virgin, natural and isolated area of the Moroccan Sahara. You cannot miss this great sea of dunes if it were not for the fact that they welcome you with open arms and a sweet tea accompanied by dried fruits and other local products, to make you feel as special as the landscape that surrounds you. It is not exceptional, the Touareg people are hospitable and generous .
After the first contact and being aware of the moment that is being experienced, the view encourages you to enter the heart of the dunes on a ride on the backs of the dromedaries that await there, to contemplate and experience one of the most beautiful and unusual sunsets on the planet . On the way back everything is ready, the tent camp with a soft light only intensifies the moment. The bonfire prepared in view of the sunset, dinner, the night, the music, the company and the place, make this experience an unforgettable moment .
Everything that awaits the visitor in this Sea of Dunes will also be a sea of sensations .
∞ Erg Lihoudi
From Zagora, we also find another entrance to the desert area of M’hamid. In this case, the dunes are more modest in height but not in beauty. This area is more accessible to enjoy the nomadic experience in the true Sahara, because as we say, it does not compete with the great Ergs of Chegaga or Chebbi in Merzouga, but it provides all the sensations and experiences of the desert, with the possibility of enjoying it in 2 days and 1 night of crossing.
The landscape is beautiful and stimulating, because in this small area you can also experience each of the experiences and coexistence with our people . Because living the sunset with the company of the legendary dromedaries, enjoying a freshly cooked Berber dinner , spending a night under the starry sky to the rhythm of music and the warmth of a bonfire, are unique moments in which the memorable thing is the experience that is happening in that single instant.
These are the Lihoudi dunes , an exceptional place to get a first contact with the Sahara , for all those travelers who have few days, since it is possible to get these experiences just one day from the city of Marrakech and be able to delve into the culture and nature exclusive to the lands of the south.
