Trekking from Faija Plateau to Chegaga dunes – February 2020

This trekking from Faija plateau to Chegaga dunes is athletic and requires training. In total 160 kms on foot in 8 days, daily average of 20 kms. From Faija, two days of approach walking on a plateau to reach the beautiful dunes of Chegaga and to walk in the sand ! The next days, we are in the middle of the desert, hike between ergs (dunes) et regs (trays, ancient river beds). We are in total autonomy, we live and move like nomads. Exchanges and conviviality guaranteed with our local team. We discover magnificent landscapes, constantly changing. Campsites are wild, quiet. Everything is conducive to letting go.

11st day : we leave Marrakech at 06 H30 and join in the company of Mohamed, our guide, in a comfortable vehicle, the Faija plateau located at 40 kms de Zagora. We have done 450 kms of road through the Tichka pass 2 260 m, road which is still under construction and so as not to be blocked for too long, it is important to get around early in the morning. When we arrived in Faija, meeting with Ibrahim, our cook, Moha and Mohamed, nos chameliers. Our dromedaries for their part "wander" quietly around. After having a mint tea in the Berber tent, we pitch our tents and prepare our bed. At dinner, our cook serves us a delicious tagine. Then some seasonal fruits and a glass of "Louisa", a verbena infusion before going to bed.

2day : we dismantle our tents and have breakfast. Our team takes care of dismantling the kitchen tents, "Dining room" and start tidying up the camp, loading the material on the dromedaries. Start of the hike, rise of 300 m on a trail with large bends to the Oum Laachar pass. The passage of the pass allows us to cross the DJebel Bani, this mountain barrier that separates the atlas from the desert. Beautiful view of the Faija plateau and its cultivated fields. Leisurely hike to the Iferda n’Adiad oasis, lunch break in the shade of palm trees, nap before leaving to join the dry river Lehmacer. In the river, the pebbles are smooth and flat and give the impression that there is water .... We walk on a well-marked path that overlooks the river. There are a few small lakes, bowls filled with water, foam. Mohamed tells us it rained last October. The landscape is wonderful. We meet a herd of dromedaries with their young. Camp on a plateau.

Hiking 6 H 30 – 23 kms Elevation + 300 m

3 day : wake, same ritual as the day before, we have to tidy up the camp and take care of the loading of the camels. Ensuite, start of the hike. Are still on a large plateau. At the end of 1 H walking, we stop at a family of semi-sedentary nomads. Girls rush to exhibit objects they have made with makeshift means : dromedaries, bracelets. We then continue our walk. Lunch break in the shade of an acacia tree and hike to the beautiful dunes of Chegaga. Today, the physical effort is sustained ! Barely arrived at our camp, we climb on a large dune to admire the sunset. We run straight down the slope, they are the same sensations as in fresh snow ! At dinner and as usual, it's a real treat "to put your feet on the mat" : soup, tagine or couscous always superbly well prepared by Ibrahim, outstanding cook who mixes the spices wonderfully !

Hiking 8 H – 29,5 kms

4 day : everything is put away and loaded, we are ready to go. Hike in large dunes which are magnificent and devoid of any trace, the wind reshaped them overnight. Ensuite, hike on a huge plateau. At the start of the plateau, we walk in greenery ! this is the "Schouwia thebaica" the cabbage, desert salad. This plant grows fast after rain and makes the desert look like a meadow ! No wonder the presence of several large herds of camels there because this cabbage is an excellent pasture for them.. Then desert plateau and dune crossing before arriving at our Bougarn camp. Bougarn means "horns" in Berber (the horns which represent the top parts of the dunes). After dinner, we observe the sky and the stars. Free from any light pollution, the skies are particularly splendid in the desert !

Hiking 6 H – 21 kms

5 day : pleasant hike in small dunes. To cross a dune as easily as possible, you have to take a momentum just before the crest of the dune, take small steps, stay upright ... which requires some effort. Then crossing a huge plateau that does not end until Wadi Naam (the river of ostriches in berber). We are in front of Djebel Bani. Lunch break in the shade of a tamarisk. Ensuite, 1.5 hour hike to our wild camp at the foot of a large dune. Beautiful sunset at the top of the dune.

Hiking 6 H 30- 23 kms

6 day : hike in small dunes, then on a plateau and again small dunes before arriving at Ouled Driss. Installation in a campsite. A little comfort and the shower which is welcome after a few days of bivouac… Before dinner, we visit the kasbah and have a snack in one of the village cafes.

Hiking 19 kms – 6 H 30

7day : after a good night's rest, start of the hike. We leave the palm grove of Ouled Driss. Small dunes, then we cross a large plateau to our bivouac at the Sahel erg.

Hiking 15 kms – 6 H

8day : superb route in the dunes with Mohamed. Ensuite, plateau. We climb from 150 m to cross Tidri mountain. The landscape is lunar ! And dune course to our camp in Tidri.

Hiking 15 kms – 6 H

9day : quiet hike in the Draa Valley to get out of the desert and get closer to civilization. We pass the village of Zaouit Sidi Salah and continue to the village of Nesrate. Installation at our camp under a large tamarisk.

Hiking 17 kms – 6 H

This Trekking from Faija Plateau to Chegaga dunes is a beautiful experience of a trek in the Moroccan desert !