Erg Chebbi — Dune Summit High Point Viewpoint

Walking or camel-trekking to the crest of Erg Chebbi’s highest dune is the defining experience of this corner of the Moroccan Sahara. From the top you get an unobstructed 360-degree view — the great orange sea of dunes rolling south, the flat hammada and the distant Atlas foothills to the west, and the Algerian border haze to the east. At sunrise the light is extraordinary. Wind sculpts the dune crest into sharp knife-edges overnight, and by midday bootprints and camel tracks have softened everything again. No vehicle access to the summit — this one’s on foot from the auberge edge.

The climb takes 30–45 minutes on soft sand depending on your fitness and the wind. Go at first light or in the last two hours before sunset for the best light and manageable heat. In summer midday temps at the dune surface can exceed 60°C — do not attempt a summit between 10am and 4pm in July or August.

Top of the erg — Algeria on the horizon.