Morocco Desert New Year Trek – New Year’s Eve 2026/2027
A Morocco Desert New Year Trek is a unique way to welcome the New Year in the heart of the Sahara. Walking between sand dunes, rocky desert landscapes and oases, you discover southern Morocco at the pace of a traditional camel-supported trekking team. Each day brings a new walking stage and a different desert camp, surrounded by vast landscapes, peaceful silence and the beauty of the Sahara.
A New Year's Eve Desert Trek in Morocco makes this adventure especially memorable. Watch the sunset over the dunes, enjoy a festive New Year's Eve dinner, gather around the campfire and spend the night beneath a sky full of stars. This New Year hiking experience in Morocco can be arranged for couples, families or friends, with a walking pace suited to the group. It is a special way to celebrate New Year's Eve in the Sahara, far from crowded cities and everyday distractions.
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Experience New Year on Foot in the Moroccan Desert
A Morocco Desert New Year Trek lets you welcome the New Year at the pace of walking, far from roads and the hustle and bustle of cities. Accompanied by our local team and a camel caravan carrying your luggage and camping equipment, you walk each day through sand dunes, rocky desert terrain, oases and vast Saharan plains. The walking stages give you time to appreciate the scenery, share mint tea in the shade of tamarisk trees and discover the simplicity of traditional nomadic life.
At the end of each day, camp is set up in a peaceful, remote natural setting. On December 31, your New Year's Eve Desert Trek in Morocco takes on a special atmosphere: enjoy a freshly prepared dinner, traditional sand-baked bread, a campfire, music and activities with the local team, followed by an evening beneath the stars to welcome the New Year. This Sahara New Year Trek is a friendly and authentic experience where walking, desert landscapes and meaningful encounters are at the heart of the adventure.
Which Desert Trek Should You Choose for New Year's Eve in Morocco?
To welcome the New Year on foot in the Sahara, we offer two trekking routes with very different atmospheres. Both allow you to explore the desert at the pace of walking and spend New Year's Eve at a wilderness camp, but each offers its own landscapes and experiences. Choosing between them depends on whether you prefer varied scenery and local culture or a more remote desert immersion.
The Draa Valley trek offers the greatest variety of landscapes. This Draa Valley New Year Trek combines Berber villages, palm groves, oases, lunar-like desert plateaus and sand dunes. It is ideal for travellers who want to combine encounters with local life and the wide-open spaces of the Sahara, with scenery changing throughout the walking stages.
The Chegaga dunes trek offers a wilder experience focused on the desert itself. This Chegaga New Year Trek crosses vast open spaces dotted with tamarisk trees before reaching the great dunes of Chegaga. With no villages or extensive palm groves along this stretch, the setting feels more isolated, offering a deeper sense of immersion in the Sahara and camps surrounded by remote desert landscapes.
Draa Valley New Year Trek in the Moroccan Desert
The Draa Valley New Year Trek offers a remarkable variety of landscapes and an authentic introduction to southern Morocco. Each day's walk takes you through traditional Berber villages, palm groves, oases, desert plateaus with almost lunar-like scenery and stretches of sand dunes.
This Morocco Desert New Year Trek also gives you the opportunity to discover local life before gradually venturing deeper into the Saharan landscapes. Camps are set up in peaceful, remote natural surroundings, while the local camel team accompanies the trek and transports your luggage and camping equipment. On New Year's Eve, celebrate beneath the stars in the heart of the desert.
Trek highlights
Draa Valley New Year Trek Programme – 5 Days
Day 1 – December 29: Marrakech → Ouarzazate → Draa Valley → Bouygaywaren Dunes
Depart from Marrakech and cross the High Atlas Mountains towards Ouarzazate, then continue into the Draa Valley. Stop for lunch at the beginning of the valley before driving through traditional earthen villages and palm groves to the starting point of the trek.
Meet the local camel team, organise the luggage and begin your desert adventure. Set up camp among the Bouygaywaren dunes for your first night beneath the stars, surrounded by the peaceful landscapes of southern Morocco.
7 hours driving – 424 km
Day 2 – December 30: Bouygaywaren Dunes → Sidi Salah Village → Tidri Dunes
Begin the first full day of walking on this Draa Valley New Year Trek. The route follows the Draa Valley through palm groves and several Berber villages, offering a wonderful mix of local culture and desert scenery.
Enjoy lunch in the shade of the palm trees at Zawyat Sidi Salah, then cross the Draa River before continuing towards the Tidri dunes. Set up camp at the foot of the dunes and spend the evening in the quiet surroundings of the Sahara.
5 hours walking
Day 3 – December 31: Tidri Dunes → Erg Essahel – New Year's Eve in the Desert
Leave the Tidri dunes and walk towards Erg Essahel. The route crosses a vast desert plateau before reaching the dunes, where camp is set up for the final evening of the year.
Spend the afternoon exploring the dunes, with the option of a camel ride and free time to enjoy the sunset. In the evening, celebrate New Year's Eve in the Sahara with a festive dinner, traditional bread baked in the sand, activities with the local team and a campfire gathering beneath the star-filled desert sky.
4 hours walking
Day 4 – January 1: Erg Essahel → Lunar-Like Plateau → Oulad Driss Palm Grove → Ouarzazate
Wake up on the first morning of the New Year in the heart of the desert. After breakfast, set off on the final walking stage across a rocky plateau with lunar-like landscapes, dotted with tamarisk trees and acacias.
Enjoy lunch in the shade of the tamarisk trees before reaching the Oulad Driss palm grove, where the trek comes to an end. Transfer to Ouarzazate, check into your hotel, and enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.
4 hours walking – 4 hours driving
Day 5 – January 2: Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou → Ounila Valley → Marrakech
Leave Ouarzazate, with the option to visit the film studios or cinema museum, before continuing to the famous fortified village of Aït Ben Haddou.
Continue the return journey through the red landscapes of the Ounila Valley, passing kasbahs, villages and spectacular High Atlas scenery. Stop for lunch along the way, then cross the Tizi n'Tichka Pass before arriving in Marrakech.
5 hours driving – approximately 200 km
New Year's Eve Trek to the Chegaga Dunes
This Chegaga New Year Trek takes you deep into the vast landscapes of the Sahara, towards the spectacular Chegaga dune field. The walking route crosses open desert terrain dotted with tamarisk trees before reaching towering sand dunes that stretch as far as the eye can see. Here, the silence and sheer scale of the Sahara create a truly wild and remote atmosphere.
During this Sahara New Year Trek, each day ends with a desert camp surrounded by dunes. After sunset, the evening unfolds beneath the stars around the campfire. On December 31, enjoy a festive New Year's Eve dinner, music and activities with the local team before welcoming the New Year in the peaceful surroundings of the desert.
Trek Highlights
Chegaga New Year Trek Itinerary – 10 Days
Day 1 – December 27: Arrival in Marrakech
Meet and greet at Marrakech Airport, followed by a transfer to your riad. Depending on your arrival time, enjoy some free time to explore the atmosphere of the medina and the famous Jemaa el-Fna Square.
Overnight: Riad with breakfast.
Day 2 – December 28: Marrakech → Draa Valley → Rgabi Dunes
Leave early in the morning for southern Morocco, crossing the Tizi n'Tichka Pass and travelling through Ouarzazate. Continue across the Draa Valley, known for its palm groves, kasbahs and traditional earthen villages.
Arrive in the desert and meet the local camel team. A short walk takes you to the first dunes of Rgabi, where your camp is set up in the heart of the Sahara. This marks the beginning of your Morocco Desert New Year Trek.
Walking time: 30 minutes – Driving time: approximately 7.5 hours.
Day 3 – December 29: Rgabi Dunes → Lunar-Like Plateau → Hnanich Dunes
Begin your Sahara trek across a vast rocky plateau dotted with tamarisk trees and acacias, two types of trees adapted to the harsh conditions of arid landscapes.
Enjoy lunch in the shade of the tamarisk trees before continuing deeper into the desert, far from villages and well-travelled tracks. Reach your camp among the beautiful Hnanich dunes.
Walking time: 5 hours.
Day 4 – December 30: Hnanich Dunes → Sidi Naji Shrine
After the camels are loaded, set off towards the Sidi Naji erg and its well-known shrine. This site has strong traditional significance and hosts gatherings of the Naji tribe each year.
Enjoy a picnic beneath a large acacia tree, then continue walking through the golden dunes. Spend the night at a desert camp, in a tent or under the stars, depending on your preference.
Walking time: 5 hours.
Day 5 – December 31: Sidi Naji → Great Ezhar Dune – New Year's Eve in the Sahara
Cross an immense desert plateau where mirages sometimes shimmer on the horizon. Gradually, the impressive dunes of the Ezhar erg appear ahead.
Here, the Sahara reveals its wild and rugged character. Set up camp at the foot of the great dunes, then climb to a summit to admire a spectacular sunset over the sea of sand.
In the evening, celebrate New Year's Eve in the Sahara around the campfire, with a festive dinner, music, activities and time shared with the local team. It is a special way to welcome the New Year beneath the stars in the heart of the desert.
Walking time: 4.5 hours.
Day 6 – January 1: Ezhar Erg → Sedra Dunes
Wake up on the first morning of the year in the heart of the Sahara. Your New Year Trek in Morocco continues through sand dunes and vast open desert landscapes, surrounded by a remarkable sense of peace and solitude.
Enjoy lunch near a well before continuing towards Erg Smar, a partly sand-buried abandoned village that offers a glimpse into the region's former nomadic life. Set up camp among the Sedra dunes.
Walking time: 5 hours.
Day 7 – January 2: Sedra Dunes → Kherte El Glzim
Enjoy a beautiful walking stage through a remote desert where the colours of the sand shift between red, pink and yellow. This wild region is also known as one of the last refuges of Morocco's gazelles.
Arrive at the beautiful Kherte El Glzim camp for your final night in the Sahara, far from roads and inhabited areas.
Walking time: approximately 5 hours – Accommodation: traditional desert camp.
Day 8 – January 3: Kherte El Glzim → Iriki Lake → Foum Zguid → Tisselday
Set off early by 4x4 to cross the legendary Iriki Lake area and its vast desert landscapes. Reach Foum Zguid, where you change vehicles and continue by minibus towards Tisselday.
Travel through the Anti-Atlas landscapes, passing Taznakht, a town known for its Berber carpets. Settle into a guesthouse with a swimming pool. Enjoy some free time to relax, with a hammam and massage available at an additional cost.
Driving time: approximately 5 hours.
Day 9 – January 4: Tisselday → Tizi n'Tichka Pass → Marrakech
Travel back to Marrakech through the spectacular landscapes of the High Atlas Mountains, crossing the Tizi n'Tichka Pass along the way.
Arrive in Marrakech in the afternoon and enjoy free time to explore the medina. Overnight in a riad with breakfast.
Driving time: approximately 3 hours.
Day 10 – January 5: Marrakech → Airport
Depending on your flight schedule, transfer to Marrakech Airport for your departure. This marks the end of our services.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Morocco Desert New Year Trek
➤ Why Choose a Morocco Desert New Year Trek?
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A Morocco Desert New Year Trek is a unique way to welcome the New Year in nature, far from the hustle and bustle of cities. Several days of walking through sand dunes, rocky desert plains, oases and wide-open landscapes allow you to immerse yourself in the Sahara, accompanied by a local team and a camel caravan. On December 31, celebrate New Year's Eve at a desert camp around the campfire, beneath the stars.
➤ Draa Valley or Chegaga Dunes: Which New Year Trek Should You Choose?
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The Draa Valley New Year Trek is ideal for those looking for varied scenery, combining Berber villages, palm groves, oases, desert plateaus and sand dunes. The Chegaga New Year Trek offers a wilder, more remote Sahara experience, with vast desert expanses, tamarisk trees and impressive dune fields. The best choice depends on the type of landscape and atmosphere you would like to experience.
➤ What Level of Fitness Is Needed for a New Year's Eve Desert Trek?
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Our trekking routes are suitable for people who are used to walking and are in reasonably good physical condition. Depending on the Morocco Desert New Year Trek you choose, walking stages generally last between four and five hours a day. There are no major technical difficulties, but walking on sand and covering long distances in the desert require a reasonable level of stamina.
➤ What Happens on the Evening of December 31 During the Trek?
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After the day's walk, camp is set up in the heart of the desert. Enjoy the sunset before sitting down to a special New Year's Eve dinner. The evening continues around the campfire with music, activities, traditional sand-baked bread and time spent with the local team. This Sahara New Year Trek offers a friendly, memorable celebration beneath the starry desert sky.
➤ Where Do You Sleep During a New Year Desert Trek?
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During the Sahara trekking stages, nights are spent at traditional desert camps, usually in tents, with the option of sleeping under the stars when conditions allow. Campsites are chosen along the route in peaceful, remote locations. In Marrakech or Ouarzazate, accommodation is in a riad or hotel, depending on the itinerary.
➤ What Food Is Served During the Trek and New Year's Eve Celebration?
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Meals are freshly prepared by our local team and may include tagines, couscous, salads, soups, fruit, mint tea and other Moroccan specialities. In the desert, you can also discover traditional bread baked in the sand. On December 31, a special dinner is served as part of the New Year's Eve celebration at camp.
➤ What Is a Typical Day of Hiking in the Sahara Like?
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After breakfast, the camel team prepares the animals while you set off on foot. The morning walk crosses dunes, rocky desert terrain or open plateaus before a lunch break, often in the shade of a tamarisk or acacia tree. Walking then continues to the next camp. The end of the day is a chance to rest, watch the sunset and enjoy the evening around the campfire.
➤ What Does the Camel Team Carry During the Trek?
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The camels carry the main luggage, camping equipment, food and supplies needed for the trek. You only need to carry a small daypack with the essentials for the day's walk. The local team also helps set up camp and prepare meals throughout the trek.
➤ Can Families Join a New Year Trek in the Moroccan Desert?
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Yes, some routes can be adapted for families depending on the children's ages and walking experience. The pace, daily distances and arrangements can be adjusted to suit your family. For an experience designed specifically for families, discover our family trek in the Draa Valley desert .
➤ Is It Cold in the Moroccan Desert at New Year?
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Days can be pleasantly warm in the sunshine, but temperatures drop quickly after sunset and nights can be cold. To enjoy your New Year's Eve in the Sahara comfortably, bring warm clothing, several layers, a suitable jacket and a hat for evenings and nights at the desert camp.
➤ Can We Book a Private New Year Desert Trek?
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Yes. A Morocco Desert New Year Trek can be arranged privately for a couple, a family or a group of friends. We can adapt the route, duration, accommodation and certain stages to suit your group. A private trek allows you to discover the desert at your own pace while benefiting from the support of our local team.
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