If you’ve ever fancied the idea of sandboarding in Morocco with kids, then we can highly recommend Zagora.
I know everyone goes to Merzouga to have a Moroccan sandboarding adventure on the biggest dune in Morocco, Erg Chebbi, but this is partly what made us want to choose somewhere else!
That and the fact that Merzouga is a 10 hour drive from Marrakesh. OK, you can fly from Marrakesh to Errachidia Moulay Ali Cherif Airport which is 55km from Erg Chebbi but this just means another flight and we’re all about road trips and self-drives.
We were surprised to find direct flights from London Stansted to Ouarzazate which is only 160km from Zagora and when we started looking into it, there was so much do see and do near Zagora.
Find out all about Zagora, why we recommend trying sandboarding there and how to do it.
Did you know – there’s another place you can go sandboarding in Africa? Check out our family guide to Swakopmund in Namibia.
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You might want to consider getting a Morocco travel guide. We have the Lonely Planet but the Rough Guide is also good. They have both been recently updated.
Things to know about sandboarding in Morocco with kids
There don’t seem to be any guidelines about age limits for sandboarding in Morocco with kids. Our kids were 8 and 10 but I imagine younger kids can try it.
The only limitation really is the binding on the board. Our kids put their feet into the bindings but there is no way to secure them so it’s more like surfing really.
If you’ve ever been sandboarding somewhere like Dubai where health and safety is stricter than Africa, you’ll know that there is proper gear available. Helmets are recommended. In Morocco, it is much more relaxed. I just wanted to manage your expectations.
Something people also wonder and ask us about is what to wear sandboarding. We just wore shorts and t-shirts. Sand is much more forgiving than snow!
So – where to go sandboarding in Morocco with kids?
Zagora
Zagora is located around 350km to the south east of Marrakesh. You can drive this in around 6 hours or you can fly into Ouarzazate direct from the UK.
If you are visiting Marrakesh and want to take a trip to Zagora, you will really need at least 2 days as it will take around 6 hours to drive.
As we had visited Marrakesh many times, we chose to fly into Ouarzazate which is only 160km (2.5 hours drive) from Zagora.
If you fly from the UK, Ryanair flies direct from Stansted to Ouarzazate at certain times of the year (usually April to October).
You can check this on Skyscanner.
We should reiterate again at this point that Zagora is not actually in the Sahara Desert. It is just on the fringes of the desert.
Why go sandboarding in Zagora?
So why visit Zagora if it isn’t in the Sahara Desert?
Well, one of the reasons to visit Zagora over Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) is the convenience, especially if you fly direct from the UK.
The town of Zagora itself is pretty non-descript. There’s not a whole lot to it but it is surrounded by palmeries and dramatic desert landscape and of course, the odd sand dune.
It is what is nearby to Zagora that makes Zagora worth visiting. The sandboarding was just icing on the cake.
On our trip we stopped by the incredible Kasbah Ait Benhaddou – a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We hiked in the Todra Gorge. We shopped for traditional Moroccan pottery in Tamegroute. We visited deserted Hollywood movie sets.
Whilst Zagora doesn’t have the enormous sand dunes that you find near Merzouga, there is a pretty decent dune at Tinfou AND you get to do so much cool stuff around Zagora.
And the thing about big dunes is that there is further to climb. Believe me, climbing to the top of the Tinfou dunes multiple times was more than enough.
People don’t always realise how hard work sand-boarding can be. It is like snowboarding BUT there are no ski lifts. You take two steps forward and one step back when walking up a sand dune. And it is HOT!
Another reason why we chose to go to Zagora for some sandboarding in Morocco with kids is because it is a lot quieter than other areas.
This is especially important when you’re going with kids. A quieter, off the beaten track place to go sandboarding just makes for a safer environment for the kids.
How to go sandboarding in Zagora
The closest place to go sandboarding in Zagora is Tinfou. Tinfou is around 30km / 30 minutes southeast of Zagora.
We booked a desert experience with Tinfou Desert Camp which included sandboarding, dinner and traditional music around a fire.
Just thought it might be worth mentioning if you are looking at an organised desert tour to Zagora from Marrakesh to check that they actually offer sandboarding. Many don’t.
So – we paid €15 per adult and €7.50 per child with Tinfou Desert Camp and we drove ourselves there from Zagora.
The drive is very straightforward and you pass by Tamegroute (famed for its traditional Moroccan green pottery) so it’s worth leaving yourself a bit of time to stop there.
Tamegroute pottery co-operative is the place to go. You can read more about the pottery here.
We arrived at 7.30pm and had an hour of sandboarding (included in the price) before dinner.
The whole sandboarding experience at Tinfou Desert Camp is pretty relaxed. They have a couple of old snowboards and you can go up and down as many times as you like before the sun sets (or until dinner is ready or until you’ve had enough).
If you can, make sure you catch the sunset from the top of the dunes.
After sunset we came down for dinner which was a traditional tagine and fruit salad. After dinner we all sat around the fire and listened to the Berber staff singing and playing drums.
It was such a lovely evening and a very memorable and unique experience for the kids.
Accommodation in Zagora
You can stay overnight at the desert camp but accommodation is pretty basic. The advantage of staying there is that you will have the sand dunes to yourselves in the morning (not that it was really busy in the evening).
We stayed at Riad Dar Sofian just on the outskirts of Zagora. It is a beautiful riad with an incredible pool and garden area. It offered a very welcome respite from the heat.
Honestly, it was an oasis in the desert. Do yourself a favour and stay there. You won’t regret it.
We had a large suite to accommodate 4 people but they also have smaller rooms. The food was also delicious especially the breakfast by the pool and the fresh orange juice every morning.
Other places to sandboard in Morocco
Here are some other options of where to see sand dunes in Morocco and go sandboarding.
These options are all in the Sahara Desert.
- Erg Chebbi: how about sandboarding on a 3-day Marrakesh to Fez via Merzouga tour?
- Tamri Dunes: maybe a day trip from Agadir – sandboarding in the Tamri Dunes near?
- Erg Chegaga: or a 2-day desert tour from Zagora to Erg Chegaga?
We hope you found our guide to sandboarding in Morocco helpful but please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions.