Buggy riding in Merzouga: the complete 2026 guide

Merzouga sits on the western edge of Erg Chebbi, a 22-kilometre-long, 5-kilometre-wide dune sea in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, about 50 km from the Algerian border. The tallest dune reaches roughly 150 metres above the surrounding hammada.

Buggies run on the firm desert tracks that ring the erg and on the sand itself. The northern edge near Hassilabied is busy; the southern side towards Khamlia and the black volcanic desert of Mifis is empty most of the day, and that is where our longer routes go.

• Erg Chebbi dunes — soft sand, climbs and ridge lines
• Hammada tracks — fast, firm, flat desert
• Dayet Srji — the seasonal lake north of Merzouga, flamingos after rain
• Khamlia — the Gnawa village 7 km south
• Mifis — abandoned kohl and antimony mines in the black desert

Four routes cover almost every visitor. If you have one evening in Merzouga, take the one-hour dune ride. If you have a morning, take the two-hour exploration. If the desert is the reason you came to Morocco, take the half-day nomad and Khamlia route.

• 1 hour — dune tracks, viewpoint, sandboarding. €110 per buggy
• 2 hours — quieter southern dunes, palm grove, old well. Price on request
• Sunset — timed to the actual sunset, high ridge for golden hour
• Half day — nomad camp, Khamlia and the black desert. Price on request

Drivers must be 18 or over. No driving licence is required because the tours are guided and run off public roads. Passengers can be as young as 5 on a two-seat buggy with an adult driver.

The machines are automatic — throttle, brake, no gears, no clutch. Every ride starts with a briefing and a practice loop on flat ground before anyone touches sand.

Our one-hour price is per buggy, not per person: €110 per buggy, so a couple sharing pays once. For longer routes we quote per group on WhatsApp, usually within a few minutes.

Fuel, the guide, a helmet for every rider, goggles in wind, gloves in winter, bottled water, photo stops, sandboarding on the short ride and hotel pickup across Merzouga and Hassilabied are all included. You pay in cash — euros or dirhams — at the end.

October to April is the comfortable season. May, September and especially June to August are hot enough that we only ride at sunrise and in the last two hours before sunset — which happen to be the best light anyway.

Sunrise is the quietest slot and the coolest. Sunset is the most requested, so book it a day ahead.

The same ride with the same guides costs twenty to thirty percent more through an online marketplace, because of their commission. Message us on WhatsApp with your date, time and group size and you get the direct price and a written confirmation, with no prepayment.