Price and reviews for excursion + overnight to Erg Chegaga from M'hamid

Hi there,

We found a guide who offers the trip from M'hamid to a camp (departure at 3 PM, tea, meal, camel ride, overnight stay, breakfast, and return to M'Hamid by 11 AM the next day via the sacred oasis). He quoted us a price of 380 € for April. What do you think of this rate? This might sound like a silly question, but is it common to negotiate the price for this kind of thing (we're booking from France)? It’s still a big part of our travel budget.

Thanks

Hopefully there are at least 7 or 8 of you at that price... 😅

You can negotiate anything, sure... But going to Chegaga should cost around 4000 MAD. This guy is clearly trying to take advantage of you without hesitation... Probably a fake guide...

Cut off the conversation with him... It's obviously a scam... Unless you're a big group with several 4x4s...

https://www.espritdesert.com/en/

Contact him... Phil, really friendly... you’ll get a reliable price

His WhatsApp: 0617066783

https://www.espritdesert.com/fr/

Contact him... Phil, really nice... you’ll get a reliable price

His WhatsApp: 0617066783

Yes, I also recommend Phil—he’s super attentive and a great contact.

https://www.espritdesert.com/fr/

Contact him... Phil, really friendly... you’ll get a reliable price

His WhatsApp: 0617066783

That’s what I’ve been recommending since the start of their search...😉

"That" might not be the best advice on this forum...😅

I almost did this one...😄 I already told her to give Phil a call 🤪 ...it...doesn’t commit you to anything.😏

We found a guide who offers the trip from M'hamid to a camp (departure at 3 pm, tea, meal, camel ride, overnight stay, breakfast, and departure the next day to return to M'Hamid by 11 am via the sacred oasis). He quoted us a price of 380 € for April

The "sacred" oasis... I love it! I think if this guide finds tourists every couple of days at that price, he must be making a good living!

P.S.: We've been giving you tons of tips from the start, and it seems like you're not taking any of them into account at all...

Enjoy your desert excursion and don't do what I did: set an alarm if you want to admire the stars in the middle of the night. I'm usually a light sleeper, but for once, I slept so deeply that I woke up too late—the sun was almost up. 🤪

Why do you say we don’t take your tips into account at all? That’s absolutely not our intention—quite the opposite, in fact. We actually skipped Merzouga based on this forum’s advice, extended our stay, and even adjusted our trip thanks to all of your suggestions. It’s possible we might’ve accidentally missed a piece of info—that’s all. Which tips didn’t we follow?

For Phil, here’s the thing—and it might sound silly—but we’d really like to do it with a local Moroccan from the region.

And FYI, the prices we were quoted went up to 500 €.

I thought you were told not to linger in Ouarzazate, and now you're leaving from that airport. Not only do I imagine the flight is more expensive than from Marrakech, but it also forces you to return the car in that city, so there's an extra fee... Gros chats had suggested an itinerary that I think is optimal and doesn’t go through Ouarzazate... You're also burdening yourself with a useless car in Marrakech. Etc...

- We won’t be visiting Ouarzazate—we’ve ruled it out based on your feedback. As I mentioned, we’ll only go there for the return flight. Where did you see that we’d "linger in Ouarzazate"? If I wrote that, it was a mistake. - The flight was the same price whether we took off again from Ouarzazate, and it saves us 4 to 5 hours of driving. - The itinerary we’ve put together takes all the advice we’ve received into account.

Thanks

For Phil, the thing is, and it might seem silly, but we’d like to do it with a local Moroccan from the region

Actually, Phil *is* one of the locals—he’s helping revive the village of Bou Nou by employing people from the area. His "partner" is Moroccan, and he’s worked hard to raise funds to dig a well so the women in the village can live off their farming. He’s also got a farm project to support the villagers’ needs... He’s not some "French guy" trying to make a quick buck in Morocco. If he organizes your trip (for the time you’re interested), he’ll do it with the *real* people from the village—not the fake guides or touts from the hotels and agencies in the area.

OK, thanks, that’s great then!

500 €?

Just for info, where did you find the guides offering that... uh, that?

Facebook pages? Did someone contact you by PM? (if it hasn’t happened yet, IT should happen)

Perju, because of you, I don’t know how to write that anymore...

Imagine someone saying: give that to that

I saw 500 € per person mentioned on a blog, or maybe I found it via Google Maps—I can’t remember. That seemed huge to me. Based on your experiences, what’s the normal price?

I contacted Phil and I’m waiting for his reply. Thanks

https://www.espritdesert.com/fr/

Contacted on.. Phil, really nice... you’ll get a reliable price

His WhatsApp: 0617066783

Just so you know, the price is higher

Higher than the first price of 380 €? Personally, I wasn’t shocked by that first price for what was included (4x4 transport, one night, meals, breakfast, camel trek for 4 people). The 500 € one started to feel a bit expensive. Now, I don’t know what Phil offered you—are the services the same, and where exactly is he suggesting you go? Some tent "camps" are very close to Mhamid and quite far from the Chegaga dunes, right on the edge of small dunes and kilometers away from the big erg... easier for the organizers to access, but the vibe is completely different.

+ than 380 yes For the services, it seems similar—both include a 2-hour 4x4 ride to the camp, meals, breakfast, etc. On paper, it’s pretty much the same.

So I don’t feel as much like a sitting duck, as the first reactions made me think.

I’ll chat more with Phil to find out exactly what’s included ;)

Thanks

Is this price of 380 € for one person or for 4?

Well, I’m the first to be surprised, but I don’t doubt Phil’s services are good...

I randomly checked a few blogs offering this kind of service... I was pretty stunned by the prices... You’re right, it stings a bit... Last year, I took 10 adults on a similar trip... We paid way less per person than what I’ve seen online generally... I didn’t go through an agency, but I didn’t want to hassle with organizing everything, so I let a local buddy handle it—I just kept the aperitif management for myself... Rental of two 4x4s... 2 hours of dune bashing and a nice bivouac under a *khaima* with a great meal... plus a stop at the sacred oasis... He charged 1200 MAD for each 4x4, 200 MAD for the camels per person, and 350 MAD for the half-board night... That worked out to around 70 € per person roughly... There are two of you, right?

Is this 380 € price for one person or for 4?

Per person??? ....🤪

That seems really expensive to me... I'm surprised, but if you say so!

That really seems way too expensive... I'm surprised, but if you say so!

No no, there’s a mistake... I actually think assuming it’s per person is shocking... hence my smiley...

Why do you say we don’t take your tips into account at all? That’s definitely not our intention—quite the opposite, in fact. We actually skipped Merzouga based on this forum’s advice, extended our stay, and adjusted our trip thanks to everyone’s suggestions. It’s possible we accidentally missed a piece of info, that’s all... Which tips didn’t we follow? For Phil, the thing is—and this might sound silly—but we’d like to do it with a local Moroccan from the region.

Just so you know, the rates we were quoted went up to 500 €.

With Phil from Esprit Desert, you can go without worry—he’s like a Moroccan himself, no scams, and he lives with Moroccans just like they do.

hi

les coordonnées de la ferme Touareg chez Hassan sur google map

Oh really? The Tuaregs settled in Morocco? Since when?😕 And they have farms now?! Have they become farmers?🤪 Is all of this really authentic?

https://o-maroc.com/hommes-bleus-merzouga The tribes south of M’hamid (like in the north) aren’t Tuaregs—they’re Arabs, Hassanis. Just so you know: Tuaregs live in Algeria, Mali, Niger, and northern Burkina.

There are no Tuaregs in Morocco... It's just a tout advertising his business...

Anything mentioning Moroccan Tuaregs is a tourist scam.