The Sahara

The Sahara: Choosing Your Entry Point

The Sahara is 9.2 million square kilometres. It covers most of North Africa, touching 11 countries. Saying “visit the Sahara” is like saying “visit Asia”: the statement is true but meaningless without a more specific choice. The three most accessible entry points for tourists with limited time are Morocco’s Erg Chebbi, Tunisia’s Ksar Ghilane and Douz, and the Egyptian Western Desert. Each is a different experience.

Erg Chebbi, Morocco

Erg Chebbi is the dune field southeast of Merzouga in the Draa-Tafilalet region of Morocco. The dunes reach 150 metres and extend about 22 km south-north. They are the most photographed Sahara dunes in the world, which means they are the busiest. Merzouga has been heavily developed since 2000, with hundreds of desert camps ranging from basic Berber tents to luxury “glamping” properties with private pools.

The camel trek at sunset and overnight desert camp is the standard package, costs around 400-700 MAD per person, and is genuinely pleasant despite being a very managed experience. The dunes are real, the stars are real, the silence after the generators go off is real. The men in “traditional dress” guiding you to a pre-placed tent with electricity and a mattress are part of a profitable tourism operation, which is fine.

For a less staged experience, hire a 4WD in Merzouga and drive south along the desert edge to the small oases at Taouz and Tissardmine. The landscape here has fewer tourists and the dunes blend into gravel desert and dried lake beds (dayas). Erg Iguidi to the west, accessible from Figuig near the Algerian border, sees almost no visitors and is more representative of actual Sahara character.

The best time to visit Erg Chebbi is October through April. July and August temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius and the experience of the dunes becomes genuinely hazardous rather than adventurous.

Southern Tunisia

Ksar Ghilane is a spring-fed oasis in the Tunisian desert, accessible by 4WD from Douz (100 km) or Gabes (150 km). The oasis itself has a warm-water natural spring and a dozen or so desert camps around its perimeter. The dunes nearby are smaller than Erg Chebbi but the Roman fort (Tisavar) visible from the camp and the remoteness of the location make it feel more authentic.

Douz, the gateway to the Grand Erg Oriental, is a market town with a Friday camel market that is still operational and not primarily for tourists. If you arrive on a Thursday and see the camel trading in the early morning, you are watching something that has been happening here for centuries.

The Matmata area, where Berber cave dwellings are still inhabited and served as filming location for the original Star Wars (Mos Eisley), is 100 km northwest of Douz and easily combined.

Egyptian Western Desert

The Egyptian Western Desert contains several distinct landscapes accessible from Cairo or Luxor: the White Desert (chalk formations eroded into mushroom and chicken shapes, genuinely surreal), the Black Desert (dark volcanic rock), the Dakhla and Kharga oases (Roman and early Christian ruins in an arid setting), and the Great Sand Sea bordering Libya.

Organised tours from Cairo or Aswan drive the desert circuit over 4-5 days, stopping at the oases and wild camping in the White Desert under extraordinary starfields. This is for travellers who are comfortable with real remoteness. The infrastructure is thin once you leave the asphalt roads, and political considerations near the Libyan border require awareness of current conditions.

Wadi Rum, Jordan

Technically not the Sahara (Wadi Rum is in the Arabian desert), but worth mentioning here because it offers Sahara-adjacent desert landscape with better infrastructure, year-round accessibility, and an established tourism ecosystem that ranges from budget Bedouin camps (20-30 JOD per person) to Martian-themed luxury tents. The sandstone formations are more dramatic than the Sahara’s sand seas. Petra is 1 hour north by car.

What to Pack Regardless of Location

Long-sleeve base layers in light fabrics (sun protection, not warmth, in summer). A proper headcover, not a baseball cap. 3-4 litres of water per person per day in heat, more in active conditions. Good-quality sunscreen and lip protection. Sturdy closed-toe footwear for rocky terrain, sandals for sand. A torch.

Mobile phone reception disappears quickly outside of towns. Inform your accommodation of your planned route if driving independently.