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New Year's Eve in the Middle of the Sahara Desert

A 3-day special tour from Marrakech for New Year's Eve in a Berber camp in the Erg Chigaga dunes, with a campfire party, Touareg music and sunrise over the dunes on January 1.

Local guide Small groups 3 days / 2 nights Small group English / French / Arabic

About Us

  • ›This 3-day special tour is built for New Year's Eve in the Sahara.
  • ›We leave Marrakech on 30 December, cross the High Atlas Mountains by the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, the highest road pass in Morocco, and stop at the kasbahs of Tamnougalt and Ait Ben Haddou (UNESCO), the famous mud-brick village used for Gladiator and many other films.
  • ›We follow the palm-lined Draa Valley to Zagora for tea, then continue toward the desert and sleep in a kasbah hotel in M'Hamid.
  • ›On 31 December we ride a camel for 2 hours into the dunes, visit the Sacred Oasis with its year-round spring, and drive 4x4 for 15 km to the high dunes of Erg Chigaga, the biggest set of dunes in the area (up to 300 m high over 40 km).
  • ›At night we celebrate the new year around a big fire in a Berber camp, with Touareg music, drums, castanets and guitars, and a special dinner shared between guests and nomads.
  • ›On 1 January, after sunrise over the dunes and a slow breakfast, we drive off-road across the dry Lake Iriqui and the rocky desert, on the old Paris-Dakar rally tracks, to Foum Zguid.
  • ›We stop for a light lunch in a guesthouse with pool by the Jbel Bani, pass the carpet town of Tazenakht, and reach Marrakech via Tizi n'Tichka in the late afternoon.

Experience Itinerary

  1. 1

    Day 1 (Dec 30) — Marrakech to Zagora

    • ›We leave your Marrakech hotel early in the morning in a 4x4 and climb up to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, the highest road pass in Morocco, with photo stops on Berber villages and snowy peaks.
    • ›We stop at the kasbah of Tamnougalt and then at the famous mud-brick kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site used in Gladiator and many other films.
    • ›We continue down the palm-lined Draa Valley, with a tea break in Zagora, the gateway to the Sahara.
    • ›Dinner and overnight in a kasbah-style hotel in or near M'Hamid.
  2. 2

    Day 2 (Dec 31) — Zagora to Erg Chigaga, New Year's Eve

    • ›After breakfast, a 2-hour camel ride through the small dunes and stony plains around M'Hamid.
    • ›At about 10:30 the 4x4 picks us up and takes us to the Sacred Oasis, a small palm grove around a year-round spring where nomad herds come to drink.
    • ›Light lunch on the way.
    • ›We then drive 15 km off-road to the great Erg Chigaga, the largest set of dunes in the area, up to 300 m high over 40 km.
    • ›In the evening, New Year's Eve dinner around a big fire in a Berber tent camp, with the music of the Touareg nomads — drums, castanets and guitars — and a special meal shared between guests and our hosts under the stars.
  3. 3

    Day 3 (Jan 1) — Erg Chigaga to Marrakech

    • ›We start the new year with the sunrise over the dunes and a slow breakfast at the camp.
    • ›We then take the off-road return route, going west across the dry Lake Iriqui, river beds and rocky desert, on the old Paris-Dakar rally tracks.
    • ›After about 3 hours we reach the tarmac at Foum Zguid.
    • ›Stop for a light lunch in a small guesthouse with pool at the foot of the Jbel Bani.
    • ›We then drive through Tazenakht, well known for hand-woven Berber carpets from the High Atlas tribes, and back over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to reach Marrakech in the late afternoon.
    • ›End of the tour.

What's Included

  • Private 4x4 with driver and fuel for 3 days
  • 1 night in a kasbah-style hotel near M'Hamid
  • 1 night in a Berber tent camp at Erg Chigaga with special New Year's Eve dinner
  • 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts
  • 2-hour camel ride from M'Hamid
  • Touareg music and campfire celebration on 31 December
  • Visits of Ait Ben Haddou, Tamnougalt and Tazenakht

Not Included

  • Drinks with meals
  • Lunches
  • Tips and personal expenses
  • Entrance fees to monuments
  • Travel and medical insurance
  • International flights

Know Before You Go

Duration 3 days / 2 nights
Languages English / French / Arabic
Level Easy
Dietary Vegetarian meals on request
Group type Small group

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