M’Hamid El Ghizlane is a small oasis town placed in southern Morocco. The
town, with 7500 inhabitants, has cafes, hotels, restaurants and several
quirky shops where you can buy refreshments, top up on your toiletries and
even find a Sahara souvenir! The ancient quarter, Ghizlan kashba, is also
nearby.
M’Hamid is the last village before Sahara desert and it is a safe place,
located 24 kilometres from the Algerian border. It is easily accessible from
Ouarzazate (250 km) and Zagora (100 km) by bus. The bus is affordable,
modern and comfortable with air conditioning. M’Hamid is on the edge of the
Sahara, one of the reasons why so many tourists choose this village to begin
their Sahara Desert journey.
The main attraction is of course, the Erg Chigaga dunes, 40km of golden sand up to 300 meters high. Those wishing to capture a sunset perched on top of these dunes will not be disappointed. Nothing else can quite compare to trekking by camel, climbing to the top and being rewarded by the view of the sun setting over an enchanted horizon.
BY AIR:
The nearest airport to M’Hamid is Ouarzazate, (Royal Air Maroc) but there
are cheaper and more frequent flights to Marrakech.
From Marrakech airport to the city centre you can take a Grand taxi (70dh,
50% more at night).
From Ouarzazete airport to the city centre you can take a Grand taxi (50dh,
50% more at night).
BY BUS:
The bus company CTM have a direct bus every day. You can get your ticket
online at http://www.ctm.ma/
– Marrakech-M’Hamid: Departs at 11:15 in the morning, and arrives at 21:30
(160dh)
– Ouarzazete-M’hamid: Departs at 16:00, and arrives at 21:30
(80dh)
– Zagora-M’Hamid: Departs at 19:00, and arrives at 21:30
(35 dh)
The company SUPRATOURS have a direct bus Marrakech-Zagora every day. It
departs at 15:15 and arrives at 23:00. From Zagora you can take a collective
taxi to get to M’hamid.
Their website is:http://www.supratours.ma/horaires/gethoraire_prix
BY COLLECTIVE TAXI:
Departures from Zagora to M’hamid every thirty minutes or hourly from the
grand-taxi rank. The same companies also make many departures from
Ouarzazate and Marrakech.
BY CAR:
You can rent a car in Marrakech or Ouarzazate. Coming from Marrakech you
need to follow the national route 9 to Ouarzazate, Zagora and then drive
along the Draa Valley until M’hamid. M’hamid is the last village before
Sahara desert.
We can also organize to pick you up from Marrakech or any other part of Morocco by a very comfortable Toyota Prado with a professional driver who speaks English and French.