Erg Chigaga is one of the two large dune fields of southern Morocco and the more remote of them. It sits beyond M'hamid el Ghizlane, the last town on the road south. Between the town and the dunes lie roughly 60 kilometres of desert piste, an unpaved track that vehicles can cover but that also forms the corridor for walking. A trek to Erg Chigaga is therefore not a quick excursion. It is a multi-day crossing of varied desert terrain, ending at a dune field about 40 kilometres long with high crests near 300 metres. This guide describes the route in plain terms.

M'hamid el Ghizlane is the natural starting point. The town marks the end of the paved road and the edge of the cultivated land along the Draa valley. Most treks use M'hamid as a base for the first night, allowing the group to organise the support caravan, check kit, and meet the guides. Walking usually begins the following morning. The first day moves out of the green fringe of the valley and into open desert, and the change in landscape is rapid. Within a few hours the cultivated ground is behind you and the surface underfoot becomes the defining feature of the walk.

Daily distances on the Erg Chigaga route generally fall between 15 and 20 kilometres. This is a deliberate range. It allows a steady pace, an extended rest through the heat of midday, and arrival at camp with time to spare before sunset. On firm ground 18 kilometres is an easy day. On soft sand the same distance is noticeably harder, because each step gives a little. Most itineraries spread the crossing over three to five walking days outbound, with the option of a vehicle transfer for part of the return. The pace is moderate by design, not a test of speed.

The terrain changes in recognisable stages. The early sections cross hamada, flat stony plateau where the walking is firm and the going quick. This gives way to wide gravel plains and the dry beds of seasonal rivers, where scattered acacia and tamarisk mark the few water-holding spots. Closer to Erg Chigaga the ground softens into smaller sand sheets and low dunes, a transition zone before the main erg. Each surface walks differently. Hamada is fast and hard on the feet, gravel is steady, and sand is slow and tiring. Knowing the sequence helps you pace the days.

Elevation change on this route is modest. The desert here is not flat in the strict sense, but it lacks the sustained climbs of mountain trekking. The significant ascents are the dunes themselves. Climbing a 300 metre dune crest is short in distance but demanding, since sand gives way underfoot and the angle is steep near the top. Most trekkers do this once or twice rather than every day, often at sunrise or sunset when the light is best and the sand is cooler. The rest of the route stays close to a gently undulating desert floor.

Landmarks on the route are subtle but real. The Draa valley fringe marks the start. Isolated hills and rock outcrops break the horizon and serve as navigation points. Dry riverbeds, known locally as oueds, cut across the plains and often hold the only trees. The first sight of the Erg Chigaga dunes, a long pale wall rising on the horizon, is the clearest marker of progress. Guides also read the wells and seasonal grazing spots that nomadic families use, which are invisible to an untrained eye but central to how the desert is actually crossed.

Camps move with the trek. Each night the support caravan sets up in a sheltered spot, often near a dry riverbed or in the lee of a dune where the wind is broken. The final camps sit within or against the Erg Chigaga dunes themselves, which is the high point of the route for most walkers. Camp is simple but organised, with tents, shared meals, and a fire after dark. Because the camp moves daily, no two nights are in the same place, and the sense of crossing a landscape rather than circling one is constant.

An honest word on difficulty is useful. The Erg Chigaga trek is not technically hard, and it does not require mountain skills. What it requires is the ability to walk 15 to 20 kilometres a day for several consecutive days, much of it on soft sand, in a hot and dry climate. Heat and surface are the real challenges, not gradient or exposure. With a reasonable base of fitness, sensible hydration, and a willingness to walk at the guide's pace, the route is achievable for most people. It is a serious walk, but a measured one.

Walked in the season from October to April, the Erg Chigaga route offers a clear and well-defined desert crossing. It begins in a real town, follows a known corridor of piste and open desert, passes through distinct terrain in a logical sequence, and ends at a dune field of genuine scale. The distances are reasonable, the landmarks are real, and the difficulty is honest. For anyone wanting to understand the Moroccan Sahara on foot, the route from M'hamid el Ghizlane to Erg Chigaga is among the most coherent ways to do it.