Hotels

M'hamid -- If you need to stay the night in M'hamid, the hotels Sahara and Elghzlane offer very basic rooms for around 120dh ($15/£7.50) double. Five hundred meters (1/3 mile) to the west, across the Oued Dra, is Hassan Naamani's Relais Hamada du Dra (tel./fax 024/848086 or 062/132154; www.relaishamadadudraa.com). Set amongst pleasant grounds of palm, olive, and oleander trees are two en-suite rooms and six Berber tents with communal bathrooms for around 80dh ($10/£5) per person. There's a pool and an on-site restaurant with a large central fireplace.

An alternative to staying in M'hamid is the tented camp, or bivouac, of Zbar Travel, about 2km (1 1/4 miles) south of the village. Nine Berber tents and one restaurant tent encircle the small campsite, with an ablutions block with toilets and hot showers set to one side. Cost is 200dh ($25/£13) per person including all meals.