2 Best Sights in The Great Oasis Valleys, Morocco

The splendid Erg Chigaga dunes are the principal reason why visitors make the trek south to M'hamid. Wild, remote, and largely unspoiled, they’re only accessible by heading west out of the village on 50 km (31 miles) of dusty and stony pistes. The journey takes three hours in a 4x4 vehicle or three days on a camel, though hurried jet-setters bound for Erg Chigaga’s luxury bivouac camps sometimes come by helicopter direct from Marrakesh. Morocco’s highest dunes, rising almost 1,000 feet, are approached by crossing smaller dunes, hammada (rocky Martian-like terrain), and flat expanses, which are sometimes flooded in winter. A few nomadic families still live in the region, herding their camels and goats through the pasture, which can be surprisingly lush.

The ruins of the ksar Ksebt el-Allouj, dating from the Saadian dynasty, lie across the Drâa riverbed on the other side from the village from M'hamid, about 2 km (1 mile) from the town center. The ksar is uninhabited and is interesting to explore.