Quad / ATV and Sandboarding

Overview

For something faster than a camel. After a short safety briefing, you follow your guide on a quad or ATV across the flat desert and along the edge of the dunes, with a stop at a viewpoint over the sand sea.

Then trade engines for a board. Climb a steep dune, strap in (or sit down), and slide. It's harder than it looks and more fun than you'd expect.

Highlights

• Quad or ATV with a guide riding in front
• Routes for beginners and experienced riders
• Sandboarding on big dunes
• Helmets and goggles provided
• Short briefing, no licence needed

Step by step

1. Briefing

   Meet at our base in Merzouga, get a helmet and goggles, and try the controls on flat ground.

2. The ride

   Follow your guide for one or two hours across the desert, at a speed that suits the group.

3. Sandboarding

   Finish on a big dune with as many runs as your legs allow.

A different way to see the desert

The camel is the classic way into the dunes, but if you like speed, a quad ride is a thrill. You follow your guide out of Merzouga onto the open desert, across hard sand flats and soft valleys, past tamarisk bushes and the outer dunes of Erg Chebbi, with the big crests always on your horizon.

The ride is guided the whole time. Your guide sets the pace for the least confident rider in the group, stops for photos and short breaks, and knows where the sand is safe to ride. You don't need any experience: a short briefing on flat ground at the start is enough.

One hour or two?

One hour gives you a good taste: a loop through the desert around the edge of the dunes, with a stop on a viewpoint. Two hours lets you go further, ride more varied terrain and include a longer break for sandboarding and tea on a dune.

If it's your first time on a quad, one hour is often enough. If you enjoy it, you can extend on the spot when there's availability. Groups of friends and teenagers usually go for two hours.

Sandboarding: how it works

At the end of the ride, we stop at the foot of a big dune. You climb up with a board, strap your feet in (or sit on it like a sledge), and slide down. The sand is slower than snow, so it's less scary than it looks, and falling is soft. The hard part is walking back up.

Snowboarders pick it up quickly; beginners usually start sitting or lying on the board. Children love it. Bring goggles or sunglasses, and expect to find sand in your pockets for days.

Safety first

• Helmets and goggles are provided and must be worn
• Your guide leads at all times; don't overtake or ride off on your own
• We ride on the open desert and the outer dunes, never through camps or villages
• Passengers can ride behind an adult driver; minimum ages apply for drivers
• Tell us about any health problems, pregnancy or back issues before you book

Quads are powerful machines and the desert is uneven. Follow your guide's lines, keep your speed under control on the soft sand, and you'll have a great and safe ride.

Best time of day

Early morning and late afternoon are the best times: the light is beautiful, the sand is cool and firmer, and the heat is bearable. In summer we don't ride in the middle of the day. At sunset, the ride ends with the dunes turning orange around you, which is spectacular.

Wear long trousers, closed shoes, and a scarf to cover your nose and mouth from the dust. Sunglasses or the goggles we provide protect your eyes. Leave valuables at your hotel and keep your phone in a zipped pocket.

Quads, buggies and the dunes

We ride in the open areas where motor vehicles are allowed and keep away from the camel routes, the camps and the most fragile parts of the dunes. That keeps the desert quieter for everyone and protects the plants and animals that live around the sand.

If you'd like a different kind of adventure, ask us about buggies (two seats side by side, good for couples or a parent with a child), or combine a short quad ride with a sunset camel trek so you get the speed and the silence on the same day.

Combine it with the rest of your stay

A quad ride fits into almost any plan in Merzouga. Many guests do a morning ride after the sunrise camel trek, or an afternoon ride before joining our sunset trek to camp. It also works on the second day of a multi-day tour, when you have a free afternoon around Erg Chebbi.

Tell us when you book how many drivers and passengers you are and how confident they are, and we'll prepare the right machines.

What you'll see on the ride

Even at speed, the desert around Merzouga is full of surprises. The ride usually crosses the hamada, the black stony desert, then sandy valleys with tamarisk bushes and the low outer dunes of Erg Chebbi. Depending on the route, you may pass nomad tents, herds of camels, old wells and the walls of abandoned ksour, with the high dunes always rising on one side.

Your guide stops at a couple of viewpoints for photos and a drink of water, and on longer rides for tea on a dune. Tell him if you'd like to ride slower and look around more, or faster on the open flats.

What to wear and bring

• Long trousers and a long-sleeved top to protect from sun and sand
• Closed shoes or trainers, not flip-flops
• A scarf or buff for your nose and mouth
• Sunglasses (goggles are provided)
• Sunscreen and a bottle of water
• A small zipped bag or pocket for your phone

Leave jewellery, big cameras and anything valuable at your hotel. You will get sandy, and that's part of the fun.

Groups and celebrations

Quads are a favourite for groups of friends, stag and hen parties, and families with teenagers. We can run several rides at different levels for one group, finish together on the sandboarding dune, and arrange tea or a sunset stop if you're celebrating something.

For larger groups, tell us your numbers well in advance so we can have enough machines and guides ready.

Quad or camel?

They're two completely different ways to meet the desert. The camel is slow, silent and close to the sand; the quad is fast, loud and covers far more ground. Many guests do both: a quad ride in the morning to feel the size of the desert, and a camel trek at sunset to feel its silence. If you only have time for one and it's your first visit to the Sahara, we usually suggest the camel.

Best time to go

Any month works in Merzouga. Spring (March to May) and autumn (October and November) are the most comfortable. In summer we start camel rides late in the afternoon and quad rides early in the morning, and in winter the evenings are cold, so bring a warm layer. Use the month guide and live weather on our home page to see what to expect.

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