M'Hamid
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M'Hamid

M'Hamid

Saharan gateway village at the end of the Draa Valley road, opening onto dunes and palm groves.

M'Hamid el Ghizlane is the last village before the Sahara on the Draa Valley road, about 100 km south of Zagora. The drive to get here is remarkable: you pass through Zagora (with its famous sign counting down the days to Timbuktu by camel), round the Jebel Zagora, follow the Draa River through a corridor of palm groves, ancient kasbahs, and ksour villages, and arrive at a small adobe settlement half-swallowed by sand.

The village has a Monday souk and a few basic guesthouses. From M'Hamid you can access the open desert on foot, by camel, or by 4WD. The nearest dunes are at Erg Lihoudi, just a couple of kilometres from town. Overnight camel treks to dune bivouacs in Erg Chigaga — about 50 km west — are the main activity, and several local operators arrange them. The dunes at Chigaga are larger and less visited than those at Merzouga.

The experience here is genuinely remote. Beyond M'Hamid the road ends, and the piste into the desert requires local knowledge or a guide.

Guide

Getting There

M'Hamid is about 100 km south of Zagora on a good tarmac road that follows the Draa Valley. From Zagora, shared taxis (grands taxis) run to M'Hamid and take about 90 minutes. From Marrakech, the journey takes around 8–10 hours by car or bus — most people break the trip at Ouarzazate (3 hours from Marrakech) or Zagora.

There is no airport or train station near M'Hamid. CTM and Supratours buses serve Zagora from Marrakech and Casablanca; local bus connections onward to M'Hamid exist but are infrequent. A rented car gives the most flexibility and allows you to stop along the Draa Valley en route.

Guide

Things to Do

M'Hamid's activities all connect to the desert. The town is the launching point for trips into the Sahara — by camel, 4WD, or on foot — and the quality of experience here is arguably better than at more famous desert gateways like Merzouga because the dunes are larger, the crowds are smaller, and the sense of genuine remoteness is real. Even a short walk out of the village at dusk, with the last light fading over the sand, is worth the long drive to get here.

Guide

When to Go

The best time to visit M'Hamid is October through April. Spring (March–April) is particularly beautiful: the daytime temperatures are warm but not brutal, the desert plants flower after any winter rains, and the light is clear. Summer (June–August) is extremely hot — daytime temperatures routinely exceed 45°C — and most experienced desert travellers avoid it. The overnight camel trips that make M'Hamid worth visiting are genuinely dangerous in midsummer heat.

Winter nights (December–January) can be cold, dropping close to freezing in the desert, so bring warm layers for overnight trips even if the days are mild.

The Monday souk in M'Hamid brings in traders and nomads from surrounding areas and is worth timing a visit around if you can.