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  #1  
Old 19 Feb 2012
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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?

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  #2  
Old 20 Feb 2012
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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.
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Old 20 Feb 2012
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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.
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Old 20 Feb 2012
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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
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Old 20 Feb 2012
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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
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Old 20 Feb 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clubman View Post
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
Done! Hope they are of some use. Let me know if they got through, internet pretty hicky for me right now.
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Old 20 Feb 2012
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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
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Old 20 Feb 2012
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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,
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Old 21 Feb 2012
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Mathew, Merv, thanks for your e-mails, I've replied to you both.

Tito
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Old 22 Feb 2012
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Thanks very much for the information Guys.
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Old 23 Feb 2012
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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.

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 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?
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Old 23 Feb 2012
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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.
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Old 23 Feb 2012
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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.
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Old 24 Feb 2012
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Originally Posted by JoJo1 View Post
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.
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.
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  #15  
Old 24 Feb 2012
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Originally Posted by Mervifwdc View Post
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.
Cool, sounds nice, thanks.
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