Alternative Erg Chegaga Pistes
 

Has anyone any advise as to alternative Chegaga pistes please?

Red is MS7/MS8
Blue I think is based on a Gandini route.
Green is a prominent route on viagens4x4's map.

Has anyone done either the blue or the green routes and can offer advise on the track condition's or offer any other routes around this area? :)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...ErgChegaga.jpg

Hi, I have just been across that way. I took 3 days to do it as it was so bumpy! No damp ground, easy but bumpy driving as it is so dried out.

See post on moglander blog to see my route, or I can email my tracks if you like. I don't think I went the best way!

Stock up n zagora, veg all a lot fresher.

Several of the Erg Chigaga bivouacs for tourists (tents arranged in a square) are in the area of N29 50.708 W6 12.196. If you create a waypoint, then view through Google Earth, the photos you'll see give a pretty good indication.

I'm planning to cross the lake this April, Mervifwdc could you e-mail me your tracks to clubman_x@yahoo.co.uk ? I was told the lake was flat and smouth, maybe you took a difficult route ?

24/7 I've got a track that I'm planning to follow, It was done by an experienced Morocco traveller,please e-mail me and I'll reply with the track. If you can send me yours that would be nice so that I can compare them myself.

Tito

Hello Tito

I have travelled the Red route a few times over the years, but I have a feeling there maybe another piste passing closer to the dunes. The Red route is very rough in places.

I will email you later this afternoon and we can swap tracks. :)

Matthew

Done! Hope they are of some use. Let me know if they got through, internet pretty hicky for me right now.

Hi
we did the blue route last September in a Discovery 2 and a Series 2 landy

the only problem we had was getting to close to the Algerian border and being

turned around on the second day, bit of a trip report here if your interested .

Leggy and Dusty | Africa | The Overlander Trip Reports

Laki Iriki routes
 

Hi all,

The red route to the north of the lake is what the locals call the "route de la montagne". It's very rocky, much slower than corrugations and very tough on suspensions. It's the only route between Foum Zguid and Mhamid when the lake is flooded.

If the lake is dry the blue route is well defined and easy to follow. Part of it was balised for a rallye a while ago. Not sure why the blue route has a kink near Zaouia - a bit of sightseeing perhaps? The lake bed is flat and fast; the section through the Chegagga dunes is a wide easy track best driven on lowered tyre pressures. Around the mid point you can see the link piste heading ENE to the Source Sacre oasis.

From here to where red & blue converge the piste is flat, rubbly and tiring with several strands before you enter the smaller dunes to the west of Mhamid.

Drove part of the green route a couple of years ago. The lake bed was dry but really rough, more like crossing a broken Arctic ice sheet. Hard work and not much fun.

Hope that helps,

Mathew, Merv, thanks for your e-mails, I've replied to you both.

Tito

Thanks very much for the information Guys. :)

Hi all,

sorry for hijacking this thread.

I will be in Morocco with my family (Pregnant wife and two year old kid so riding a bike is out of the question:() in two weeks. :D

4x4 rental was too expensive and apparently not necessary anyway, so we will now be in a tiny little econobox..

I would love to satisfy my desert dreams :palm: and want to visit the area around the Erg Chegaga dunes.
Most tours I can find are 2/3 day rushed trips down to the Dunes from Marrakesh. That feels like a bit of a waste, since we have our own transport for most of the way anyway.

Any suggestions for locals I should turn to?

Erg Chegaga
 

I've seen regular cars make it to the Chegaga dunes but it's a long rocky drive from Mhamid and you're likely to puncture a road tyre and/or bend something on the car. Not recommended.

There should be plenty of folks in Mhamid who would drive you out there in a 4x4 for not much money.

Alternatively, you can drive quite easily to the dunes at Erg Chebbi, just take the N13 south from Rissani for about 30km and then turn off onto one of the many tracks leading to the dunes.

It should be fairly quiet at this time of year.

Hope that helps.

As mentioned, if you arrive in MHamid in an econobox (easy to do), you will be swarmed over by guys wanting to do 4x4 tours with you, any length you want.

We met 3 guys there who had just done that, and I think 600 dirham passed hands for a few hours in a nice looking landcruizer in the dunes. Not 100% sure on the price, but that's what it seemed to be. Also loads of camel options, including overnights.

If you fancy a few nights down there, Take a look at this spot: Dar Sidi Bounou Mhamid auberge - M'hamid maison d'hotes Mhamid

We stayed there in our camper, but they specialise in their rooms, and can arrange camel pickup from their place, and straight into the sand from there. The food is good!

Merv.

Hi, thanks, I am not planning to take a small rented roadcar offroad. I have done in the past, but not with a screaming two year old in the back.

I figured there would be a lot on offer, just wondering if someone had anyone they would recommend.

Cool, sounds nice, thanks.

I can second that, very welcoming, great food and they can help you to arrange what you want. We went in December

erg chebbi
 

admanz, we were at erg chebbi about a week ago (now at chefchouen), merzouga is an easy drive with a surfaced road all the way. When you arrive at the town, drive through an arch across the road and into the area with a few cafes and shops to your left. Here you will be approached by touts, you can ignore them and drive straight on, the road at that point turns into a piste but it is easy to drive, after a few hundred meters there are signs for camping on the left hand side, the one we stayed at was called little prince and was very nice,then follow the track toward the campsites, just to the right of the camping is a parking area, you can wild camp there if you like. The dunes are right there ! We walked into the dunes and climbed the large dune you can see from the car park, not an easy task ! But the view from the top is fantastic. We also visited Mhamid and took a 4x4 to the dunes at erg chagaga, this was a full days outing as the large dunes are about 40k from the town,but it was a great day out.We were camped on a small site called camping la'boussole and the owner Kalifa, arranged the excursion...
Marty

Thanks for the Merzouga suggestions, but mileage will have to be limited so visiting both is not really an option. (First trip we take with our son, he also has to enjoy it) and I really have my sights set on the Erg Chegaga, mainly since it is a bit more remote than the Erg Chebbi at Merzouga.

Hi all,

Old thread, but I thought people might be interested in an update. I took the piste from M'Hamid to Foum Zguid as shown on the map below 4 weeks ago. Only one other car during the day / 145 km. Some parts with really deep sand, so slow going and with tires deflated to 60%. Many alternative tracks to choose from, but a reliable track on a GPS makes navigation easy. If you're looking for a campsite near M'Hamid, try the one just outside the village. No hassle and a magnificent view of the desert, sunset and camel caravans. No hot water/shower or electricity though.
If anyone wants the GPS track, send me a PM.

Click here for a short video impression.



http://www.geehurkmans.com/erg.jpg

Safe travels,

Gee

Hello,
How is the trail from M'Hamid to Erg Chegaga? Is it sand? I'd like to go there but I'll be on motorbike on my own and no experience of sand...

The soft sand begins just west of Mhamid and it'll be hard work on a heavy bike.

Much better to take the fast piste heading NW out of Tagounite as shown on the map above. After a few km it swings S through a small pass and then SW. This bit is bumpy! Follow for a few km until you cross the main piste near the Oasis Sacré. You can then head directly for Erg Chegaga dodging the soft sandy bits.

Let me know if you want co-ords.

Happy trails,

Peter

Thanks Peter,
It looks better, I saw the trail on Google Earth and Basecamp.
You think this is possible with an AfricaTwin 1000 loaded??

Frédéric

Hi Frédéric,

Yes, should be fine. There are several pistes to choose after the Oasis Sacré and then the ground is pretty firm all the way to the Erg.

We'll be there about 12 April.

Have a great trip,

Peter

Thanks,
Seems fine, I'll try anyway!
I should be there around 27 to 30 March...
And do you know how is the rest of this piste from Erg Chegaga to Foum-Zguid?

West from the Erg the piste is soft sand all the way to Lac Iriki. With a big bike, you’ll need to hack back to the main piste near Oasis Sacré and then head W to the Lac near the Titanic auberge. Call in to see Mustapha and the guys. It’s a cool place to hang out for a coca. Across the lake is hard surface as long as it’s dry. You can pick up speed but watch out for the odd rough bit. If wet, take the very rocky track to the north; it’s hard going! This piste and the lake post converge before the final corrugated run into FZ.

Peter

Thanks Peter for all the details!
I hope I'll be able to cross from Tagounite to Foum-Zguid


Frédéric

We did the piste through the pass to the junction with the Mhamid - FZ piste, and I must say I was surprised how sandy it got towards the junction at MS7KM111 – deep sandy ruts and scrub to dodge to either side.
Fun swerving around in a fourbie but I remember thinking I wouldn't fancy tackling that on a bike. Perhaps we went a bit wrong somewhere, or just a wide oued. Or perhaps I've gone soft.
Once on the main northern piste (MS7), an AT ought to eat up the notorious corrugations (unlike a car).

Looks like the sandy bit at MS77 km54, I followed that SW down to the dunes last October. Not a bad option in a 4x4

The track SW from Mhamid along the river is a quite pleasant (unless like my companion last year you drive through a Moroccans fence and then get into a heated argument about paying for it) bit sandy if you stay in the river

HI Peter
On second thought, I'd like to have your co-ords, I'll compare with the ones I picked on Basecamp with OSM map!!
Thanks

Frédéric