The Dunes of Tinfou are a small but beautiful dune formation about 20 kilometres north of M'Hamid on the road toward Zagora. They are far more accessible than Erg Chegaga — you can walk to the top of the main dune in twenty minutes — and less visited than the larger formations near Merzouga. For travellers without the time or budget for a full desert excursion, this is the most accessible taste of Saharan dunes in the region.
The dunes are at their best in the late afternoon when the shadows make the surface texture visible and the colours shift from gold through orange to deep red. A handful of local nomads offer camel rides around the base. The site is simple and unhurried; there is no ticket or crowd management. From the top you can look north toward the palm oases of the Draa Valley and south toward the open hammada that eventually gives way to larger dune fields.