Zagora to M'Hamid — Gateway to theSahara.
Distance
98 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
600 m
Zagora to M'Hamid — Gateway to the Sahara.
The final tarmac of the Draa Valley, following the palm ribbon south from Zagora to M'Hamid El Ghizlane — the last town before the great dunes of Erg Chegaga and the Algerian frontier. Kasbahs, a 13th-century manuscript library and the slow fade of oasis into open hammada.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance98 km
Days1
Total climb600 m
DifficultyEasy
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The route.
ZagoraStart · Draa Valley town famous for the 'Tombouctou 52 jours' camel sign. Fuel up and head south on the N9 into the deep desert.
TamegrouteScenic Point · Home to a 13th-century Koranic library of 4,000 manuscripts and a famous green-glazed pottery cooperative. The underground ksar is worth a wander.
TagouniteScenic Point · Last real town before the dunes, reached over the Tizi Beni Selmane rise. Palmeries give way to open hammada and the first sand.
M'Hamid El GhizlaneEnd · End of the tarmac and the gateway to Erg Chegaga. A former caravan staging post 40km from the Algerian frontier; desert bivouac camps run from here.
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