Fes, Morocco· Concierge · Mon–Sat · 09:00–18:00 GMT+1
Near Zagora · Photo: Richard Allaway, CC BY 2.0
A faded road sign in Zagora reads 'Tombouctou 52 jours', 52 days to Timbuktu by camel. The town is the chief oasis of the Draa Valley and the nearest to the remote Erg Chigaga dunes. Travellers based in Fes reach it only at the far end of a long arc, through Ouarzazate or from the Marrakech leg.
Zagora belongs to the deep south, and travellers based in Fes meet it only at the far end of a long arc: down through the Middle Atlas and the kasbah road via Ouarzazate, or looped up from the Marrakech leg. It is the chief oasis town of the Draa, Morocco's longest river valley, which runs about 200 km south-east from Ouarzazate through a ribbon of date-palm groves, mudbrick ksour and nomad camps before the green gives out to pre-Saharan hammada. The faded road sign here — 'Tombouctou 52 jours', 52 days to Timbuktu by camel — recalls Zagora's centuries as a trans-Saharan caravan staging post and a Saadian stronghold. Today its draw is access: it is the nearest town to Erg Chigaga, the remotest and least-trodden of Morocco's great dune seas, reached only by 4x4 from M'Hamid, 98 km further south.
Among the longest date-palm oases anywhere — the two-hour run south from Ouarzazate threads hundreds of thousands of palms, walled ksour and walled gardens that have fed Berber and Arab communities for generations. The valley drive is half the reason to come.
Morocco's wildest dune field, 45 km south-west of M'Hamid on rough piste — an ocean of sand cresting at 100m, with no asphalt and only a handful of camps. The dune choice we suggest for guests who have already stood on Erg Chebbi north of Fes.
A steady 90-minute climb on a marked path up the flat-topped volcanic mesa above town, opening onto the full sweep of the oasis corridor and the Anti-Atlas skyline beyond.
The last settlement on tarmac, 2 hours south of Zagora — the launch point for camel treks, overnight bivouacs under the stars and the cross-country piste west toward Foum Zguid.
Trips we build around Zagora. Tell us which one fits and we'll write the days and quote them for your group.
5 days
A private 4x4 run down the Draa to the remote dunes of Erg Chigaga, with three nights under canvas and Berber hosts — the wild-Sahara cap to a long imperial-and-desert journey.
2 days
A private drive through the palm corridor from Ouarzazate, an overnight in Zagora, sunset from Jbel Zagora and the road on to M'Hamid.
Getting there. 2h from Ouarzazate on the N9; 6h from Marrakech via Tizi n'Tichka and Ouarzazate
4x4 required. The piste to Erg Chigaga is unpaved and requires a high-clearance 4x4 — we arrange the vehicle and an experienced driver
Best combined with. Ouarzazate, Aït Ben Haddou and the Dadès Gorge on a full southern loop
Currency. Cash only in M'Hamid; ATMs in Zagora town centre
Read next. Merzouga vs Zagora — Which Sahara Desert Should You Visit?; Is Volubilis Worth Visiting, and How Do You Do a Meknes & Volubilis Day Trip from Fes?; Can You See Wild Monkeys Near Fes, and Is the Ifrane & Azrou Cedar Forest Day Trip Worth It?.
The places closest to Zagora, easy to join on one private route.
Read these before you add Zagora to a trip.
