The Moroccan Sahara isn't one desert but several. Merzouga's Erg Chebbi is closer, more accessible, and busier. Erg Chigaga, four hours by piste beyond M'hamid, is remote, quiet, and still holds the silence that most travellers come to Morocco to find.
Erg Chigaga vs Erg Chebbi
Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) offers taller dunes and a much easier approach — you can drive directly to a camp. It also means a busier landscape.
Erg Chigaga is a full day's travel each way from Marrakech, and the private camps there host far fewer guests. If quiet is central to your trip, choose Chigaga.
When to go
October to April is the comfortable window. May and September are still workable if you plan around midday heat. Avoid June to August unless you're comfortable with 45 °C daytime temperatures.
December and January nights get genuinely cold in the dunes — camps provide heating and thick berber blankets.