Sahara Desert Trek

Experience the Sahara like never before

Take on the ultimate desert adventure as you trek across Morocco’s Sahara, from the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to the towering dunes of Chegaga. Cross dramatic landscapes of shifting sand, rocky plateaus, and tamarisk plains, camping each night beneath endless star-filled skies. With the support of experienced leaders, a local crew, and an expedition doctor, you’ll conquer the desert’s challenges and climb Chegaga’s golden summit for a sunrise you’ll never forget – before returning to Marrakech to celebrate in true Moroccan style.

See the full event information

How does it work?

Our partners at Discover Adventure run the trips, and offer a comprehensive package for all participants. From the moment you book on a Discover Adventure trip, you will be in touch with their office team, who look after everything, including ground operations, flights, crew training, admin and marketing between us.

On your challenge you’ll be in the safe hands of the Discover Adventure crew, including leaders and medics. The leaders are all professional, friendly and experienced at running adventure trips all over the world. You can find out more about our partnership with Discover Adventure and the other challenges we offer here.

We at Spinal Research are here to help with your fundraising every step of the way, and you’ll receive the full #TeamSpinal support package, including 1-1 personalised fundraising support, team e-newsletters and even a branded top to take with you on your challenge. Our team is always happy to hear from you so if you have any questions or need any support, let us know!

Trek itinerary:

Day 1: Depart London – Arrive Marrakech – Ouarzazate
Fly from London to Marrakech and cross the spectacular High Atlas Mountains to Ouarzazate, the desert’s gateway and home to Morocco’s famous film studios.

Day 2: Ouarzazate – Zagora – Erg Lihoudi
Drive through the dramatic Jebel Sarhro and the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to reach the edge of the Sahara. Meet your local crew and camels before trekking into the dunes of Erg Lihoudi for your first desert camp beneath the stars.

Day 3–4: Desert Trek – Oued Naam to Bouguern
Journey deep into the desert across rolling dunes and rocky plateaus. Trek through ever-changing scenery, from tamarisk-dotted plains to sweeping sands where the distant Jebel Bani Mountains rise. Enjoy nomadic lunches in the shade and nights under vast desert skies.

Day 5: Bouguern – Erg Chegaga
Cross remote hamada and dry plains before the spectacular dunes of Chegaga appear on the horizon. Camp at the foot of the region’s highest dunes and soak in the endless views of golden sand.

Day 6: Summit Chegaga – Return to Marrakech
Climb Chegaga at dawn for breathtaking sunrise views over the Sahara. Then jump into 4x4s for a thrilling desert drive before crossing the High Atlas back to Marrakech. Celebrate your achievement with dinner in the vibrant souks.

Day 7: Fly Home
Transfer to the airport for your flight back to London, taking with you memories of a true desert adventure.

October 2026

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February 2027

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October 2027

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FAQs

What comes included with the trip package?

Your trip package includes:

  • Return flight from London to Morocco
  • All known airline taxes
  • Accommodation on twinshare basis – hotels and camping
  • Group camping equipment (including sleeping mats)
  • All meals except where specified
  • Discover Adventure crew (number dependant on group size)
  • Local guides & cooks, camels, cameleers and drivers
  • Vehicle support and back-up equipment
  • Entry to any sites visited as part of the itinerary

Is accommodation provided?

Whilst on the trek you will be camping in tents with room for 2 people plus your luggage, though sleeping out under the stars for at least one night is highly recommended! On this challenge, it’s expected that everyone will share tasks together, like putting up tents each evening in camp. You’ll use good hotels at the start and end of the trip.

 

How do roomshare arrangements work?

From the Discover Adventure website:

Our trips are sold on a shared accommodation basis, usually twin-share. Occasionally we may use hostel-style accommodation.
You can tell us if you are travelling with someone else on the trip when you book or within your passenger portal, and we will do all we can to accommodate this request. It is important that both people complete the room share request on their bookings. For customers booking and travelling together, including same-sex couples, a double bed can be requested if available.
If you’re not familiar with anyone in the group, rest assured, we always pair you with someone of the same gender (as per the information you provided when booking, or passport markers), and a similar age where possible. We’re actively working to improve our system’s gender restrictions to be more inclusive, and we’ve recently made significant strides in this area. If you identify differently from the gender marker on your passport and would like to discuss this before booking, please feel free to reach out to us.

Do I need a certain level of fitness to do this challenge?

Discover Adventure provide the following advice:

This is designed to be a challenge, and it is vital that you train sufficiently for it. We will supply you with a thorough training guide once you have registered. We expect all participants to train hard in advance, but we respect everyone’s limits and do not expect everyone to maintain the same pace. Inadequate training is likely to have an impact not just on your chances of completing the challenge, but enjoying it too – and we want you to have the time of your life!

Our challenges attract people of all levels of experience, fitness and ability as well as all ages and backgrounds. We design our challenges so that everyone can go at their own pace: this is not a race. If you have concerns about your fitness or if you have reduced mobility please do contact us for a confidential chat about whether this challenge is appropriate for you.

For logistical and safety reasons we sometimes need to re-group, so the front-runners may find themselves waiting for the slower ones. Please relax, and remember that this is a team effort that enables people to achieve their personal goals and earn sponsorship.

 

This trip is graded a Yellow 3 – please click here to see how trips are graded and what this means.

Is this suitable for me if I have any dietary requirements?

From the Discover Adventure website:

The food provided is plentiful, often local in style and freshly-cooked, and will give you plenty of energy. Sometimes we enjoy a buffet-style lunch-stop, other times we might have packed lunches. On some trips we stop at small local restaurants. Dinners are generally eaten at our accommodation each evening. In some regions there may be less variety than you are used to, and in others fresh meat or produce can be harder to come by. Any meals not included are listed in the itinerary and are generally on travel / free days, giving you the opportunity to explore and try other culinary experiences! There is always something to suit different budgets.

Being vegetarian or having other dietary requirements is not usually a problem provided you let us know well in advance. Please do not expect as much variety as you would have access to at home – we may be in very rural or remote areas, or among people of a different culture who may not understand your requirements, however willing they are to help. If you know there are plenty of foods you cannot eat we strongly recommend you bring extra snacks from home so you can top up your energy supply. Please feel free to ask us for advice.

Is there a minimum age for taking part in this challenge?

Yes, all participants must be aged 18 or older – you will be asked to confirm your age when you sign up.

 

These dates don't work for me – are there more trips?

Yes! Discover Adventure run a series of trips throughout the year – click here to see the full list of dates.

What is the registration fee and how much do I have to fundraise?

The registration fee and fundraising targets can be found on the individual event pages listed above.

Please note there is a first fundraising target of 75% which is due 10 weeks before departure. The remainder of your fundraising target is due 2 weeks after your return.

There are multiple fundraising options for this challenge – please click here for full details.

Will I get a fundraising top to wear on the day?

Absolutely, we love to send our team a technical t-shirt to wear for their challenge.

These are usually sent out after your first fundraising target.

Can I take part in a wheelchair?

Unfortunately due to the nature of the course this challenge isn’t suitable for wheelchairs. Please click here for a list of wheelchair-accessible events.

I have my own place on this challenge and would like to fundraise for Spinal Research. Can I do this and will I have a fundraising target?

Congratulations on securing your own place – we would love to have you join #TeamSpinal! Please fill out this form.

Please only fill out this form if you have your own place on this challenge.

As an own place runner, you won’t have a fundraising target. We just ask that you raise as much as possible so you can to help us fund essential research.

Who are Discover Adventure?

Our partner Discover Adventure are a third-party organisation who connect fundraisers with charities to support, and are a fantastic way to guarantee a place on incredible challenges connected with a good cause. More information can be found on their website here.

See the full event information

Have another question?

If you have any other questions or need support, please contact us through the button below.

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