NIK5444 Erg Chegaga November first morning photo Nikbarte

Erg Chigaga (or

Erg Chegaga The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7 joules (100 nJ). It originated in the Centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). It has the symbol ''erg''. The erg is not an SI unit. Its name is derived from (), a Greek word meaning 'work ...

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–19 ...

: ⴻⵔⴳ ⵛⴳⵉⴳⴰ, ar, عرق شقاق or Edaya el-Hamra, ar, الضاية الحمراء) is the largest and still untouched of the major ergs in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

, the other is Erg Chebbi near

Merzouga Merzouga is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about southeast of Rissani, about from Erfoud and about from the Algerian border. The village is known for its proximity to Erg Chebbi and is a popular destination for tourists. It has been ...

. This

erg The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7joules (100 nJ). It originated in the Centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). It has the symbol ''erg''. The erg is not an SI unit. Its name is derived from (), a Greek word meaning 'work' o ...

made of beautiful dunes is located in the Drâa-Tafilalet area about 45 km west of the small rural oasis town of

M'Hamid El Ghizlane M'Hamid El Ghizlane, also known as Lamhamid Ghozlane, (in Berber : ⵜⴰⵔⴰⴳⴰⵍⵜ Taragalt, in Arabic: محاميد الغزلان for "plain of gazelles") is a small oasis town in Zagora Province, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco, with abou ...

, itself located about 98 km south of the town of Zagora. Some dunes are over 50m above the surrounding landscape and with an area of approximately 35 km by 15 km, it is the largest and wildest erg of Morocco. The north border is represented by Djebel Bani, the east border is represented by M'Hamid

Hammada A hamada ( ar, حمادة, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by deflation. The majority of the Sahara is in fact hamada. Other examples are Negev dese ...

. At south-east it is located the Erg Smar adjacent to Erg Ezzahar. At west it is located the Iriki Lake, a dried lake now set

Iriqui National Park Iriqui National Park was set up in 1994 as a national park in Morocco with 123,000 hectares. Location Iriqui National Park occupies the space between the Draa River and the South foothills of the Anti-Atlas, in the provinces of Zagora and ...

since 1994. Because it is relatively difficult to access, Erg Chigaga remains significantly less visited than Erg Chebbi. For this reason Erg Chigaga is considered more romantic and overall reputed a beloved set by purists and artists like landscape painters and fineart photographers. Starting from the oasis of

it is possible to reach the dunes area, by

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with de ...

, by

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...

and by off-road

motorbike A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

along an old caravan trail, however the approach route is not obvious and unless you have a GPS navigation system and relevant waypoints you are advised to engage a local guide
Erg Chigaga map

Curiosity

In 2018, Erg Chigaga Desert was the site of an extreme sports record from Italian runner Stefano Miglietti. In November 2018, Miglietti crossed the desert by foot, taking only 4 days and 10 hours to cover a trail of around 500 km. He has crossed 4 Erg of dunes (Erg Smar, Erg Ezzahar,

, Erg Lihoudi), 2 Hammada (rocky plateaux), running also along the dried Draa River and crossing also the arid Iriki Lake. Tribes people have received the runner at M'Hamid's Kasbah.

External links

Crossing the deserts in the land of M'Hamid's Tribes (2018)
Stefano Miglietti, Avventurando.
Morocco Travel Guide, Lonely Planet (2017)
''Morocco'', p. 25, 125, 127. Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. Authors: Jessica Lee, Brett Atkinson, Paul Clammer, Virginia Maxwell, Regis St Louis, Lorna Parkes .
The crossing of Erg Chegaga (2018)
''Morocco'', Extreme Marathon in the land of Taragalte.
Stefano Miglietti, the ultra runner conquers six deserts
''Morocco'', Extreme Marathon in the Erg Chegaga and 5 deserts. {{coord, 29.8278, N, 6.2500, W, source:wikidata, display=title Sahara Ergs of Africa Landforms of Morocco Zagora Province