New Year's Eve In Erg Chigaga: A Sahara Desert Tour
Skip the countdown in a crowded bar. New Year in Erg Chigaga means a private candlelit dinner, Berber drums, and the Milky Way over Morocco's largest, wildest dune sea — four days from Marrakech, in a private Toyota Land Cruiser.
This Erg Chigaga tour in December is a private, 4-day, 3-night route from Marrakech, built specifically around spending New Year's Eve in the Sahara Desert. Ismail and Mustapha's team drives it in a private Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4, the only vehicle capable of the piste beyond Zagora. The route runs via Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, and Zagora to Erg Chigaga, Lonely Planet's "the largest sand sea in Morocco, snaking along the horizon for 40km", with a full day and a New Year's Eve night at a luxury desert camp before returning via Foum-Zguid and Tazenakht. It suits travelers who want New Year in the Sahara Desert to mean an actual desert, not a resort with a themed dinner.
Erg Chigaga, not Merzouga. Morocco's largest, least-visited dune sea, reached only by 4x4.
A private New Year's Eve. Your own camp, your own dinner, not a shared countdown with strangers.
UNESCO en route. A stop at Ait Ben Haddou on day one, before the desert even begins.
Four days, one vehicle. A private Toyota Land Cruiser for the entire round trip from Marrakech.
A Glimpse of the Journey
Erg Chigaga Desert
Ait Ben Haddou
High Atlas Pass
Erg Chigaga Dunes
Luxury Desert Camp
New Year In The Desert
Sahara Under The Stars
Desert SunsetThe Night This Whole Trip Is Built Around
No hotel ballroom, no countdown on a screen. Just a camp of your own, deep in Morocco's biggest dune sea, and a sky with nothing between you and the stars.
Arrival By Dune
The final stretch into camp, as the light turns the sand gold, then pink, then dark.
A Private Dinner
A candlelit table, Moroccan dishes cooked over the fire, and Berber musicians around you.
The Milky Way At Zero Hour
No light pollution for miles — just the dunes, the cold desert air, and a genuinely dark sky.
One Vehicle, Built For The Whole Route
Erg Chigaga sits well beyond the paved road. Getting there and back needs the right vehicle, not just any car.
Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4
A private, air-conditioned Toyota Land Cruiser handles the highway to Ouarzazate, the piste beyond Zagora, and the open sand into Erg Chigaga — the only vehicle suited to the whole route.
An English-Speaking Driver-Guide
The same driver-guide stays with you for all four days, knowing exactly where the track requires local experience and where it's safe to stop for photos.
Begin Your New Year In Erg Chigaga
Erg Chigaga has a limited number of camps, and December 31st fills up fastest of any night in the calendar. Send us your dates and Ismail or Mustapha will reply personally, usually within minutes.
- Private Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 for the full round trip
- 3 nights, including two in a luxury desert camp
- A private New Year's Eve dinner in the dunes
- A stop at UNESCO-listed Ait Ben Haddou en route
Priced by group size and choice of accommodation. Tell us your dates below and we'll send a private quote — no obligation.
Prefer to talk it through first? Message us on WhatsApp.
Enquire Now
Fill in your details and preferred travel dates — we'll be in touch shortly.
Four Days, Marrakech To Marrakech
One continuous route to Morocco's most remote dune sea, and back.
Marrakech → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Agdz
We leave Marrakech and cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka Pass to Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO site UNESCO calls "a striking example of the architecture of southern Morocco" and a filming location for Gladiator.
We continue through Ouarzazate's film studios to Agdz, a palm-shaded gateway town on the edge of the Draa Valley, for the first night.
Agdz → Zagora → Tamegroute → Erg Chigaga
We follow the Draa Valley's palm groves to Zagora, once the start of the trans-Saharan caravan route to Timbuktu, then Tamegroute for its green-glazed pottery and historic library.
Past Tamegroute, the road becomes piste. We cross open desert to Erg Chigaga, arriving at a luxury desert camp as the dunes catch the last light of the day.
Erg Chigaga Desert, New Year's Eve
A full day among the dunes: a morning walk or camel ride into the sand sea, and time to simply sit with a landscape few travelers ever reach. Erg Chigaga's dunes rise far higher than the more visited Merzouga dunes, with none of the crowds.
As the sun sets on December 31st, dinner is served by candlelight, with Berber music around the fire. At midnight, there are no fireworks, no countdown clock — just the Milky Way overhead and the desert's total silence.
Erg Chigaga → Foum-Zguid → Tazenakht → Marrakech
A New Year's Day sunrise over the dunes, then we retrace a different route home, via Foum-Zguid and Tazenakht, known for its handwoven Berber rugs, before crossing back over the Atlas into Marrakech by evening — four days, one dune sea, and a New Year's Eve unlike any other.
What To Expect On This Tour
Included
- Private Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 for the entire route
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Two-way pick-up and drop-off in Marrakech
- 3 nights, including two at a luxury desert camp
- Half-board with a special New Year's Eve dinner
- Camel ride & sandboarding at Erg Chigaga
- Mineral water throughout the tour
Not Included
- Travel insurance
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Tipping
- Alcoholic beverages
- Lunches & personal expenses
A New Year's Eve For People Done With The Usual
Couples & Honeymooners
A private desert camp and a candlelit New Year's Eve dinner, far from any crowd. See our honeymoon packages.
Small Groups Of Friends
A private camp means the whole New Year's Eve night, from dinner to sunrise, belongs to your group alone.
Desert & Adventure Travelers
Camel treks and sandboarding across Morocco's biggest dune sea. See our Morocco adventure tours.
Photography Enthusiasts
Golden-hour dunes on arrival, then a genuinely dark sky at midnight. See our Morocco photography tours.
First-Time Sahara Visitors
A short four-day route that still reaches Morocco's most remote and least-crowded desert, not just the nearest dune.
Senior & Retired Travelers, At The Right Pace
The piste and camel access make this a more active desert route, but a private Land Cruiser and flexible schedule still suit many senior travelers well. For a gentler New Year, see our Morocco tours for seniors or the tour for retired couples.
The Sahara, Not A Themed Party
Most "New Year in Morocco" packages spend the night in a city hotel with a countdown screen and a buffet. This tour spends it somewhere a screen has no signal at all: Erg Chigaga, a dune sea Lonely Planet describes as bordered by mountain ridges on either side, reached only by 4x4 track well beyond the last paved road.
Four days is enough to make the trip properly, with a UNESCO stop at Ait Ben Haddou on the way down and a different return route through Foum-Zguid and Tazenakht, so the drive there and back never repeats itself.
“The largest sand sea in Morocco, snaking along the horizon for 40km”— Lonely Planet, Erg Chigaga
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is this Erg Chigaga tour in December?
The tour runs 4 days and 3 nights, starting and ending in Marrakech, with a full day and New Year's Eve night at Erg Chigaga.
What makes Erg Chigaga different from Merzouga for New Year's?
Erg Chigaga is Morocco's largest dune sea, reached only by a 4x4 track well beyond the last paved road. It sees far fewer visitors than the more accessible Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga, which makes for a quieter, more private New Year's Eve.
What actually happens on New Year's Eve?
A private candlelit dinner at your desert camp, with Moroccan dishes cooked over the fire and Berber musicians. At midnight, there are no fireworks or organized countdown, just the desert's silence and a dark sky.
What vehicle is used on this tour?
A private Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 for the entire route, the only vehicle capable of the piste beyond Zagora into Erg Chigaga.
How far in advance should we book?
As early as possible. Erg Chigaga has a limited number of camps, and December 31st is the single busiest night of the year for desert camps across southern Morocco.
Which meals are included?
Half-board throughout, including a special New Year's Eve dinner at camp. Lunches are not included, giving flexibility to stop where you like along the route.
Is this tour suitable for couples or small groups?
Yes, from a minimum of 2 guests. The trip is entirely private, so the vehicle, driver, and desert camp are yours alone, not shared with other travelers.
How much does New Year in Erg Chigaga cost?
Price depends on group size and choice of accommodation, since the trip is tailor-made rather than a fixed package. A quote is sent within minutes of an enquiry.
Spend New Year's Eve In The Sahara
Send your dates and we'll reply personally with a route and a private quote. Erg Chigaga's camps for December 31st fill up early.