Erfoud Travel Guide

  ERfoud/Arfoud
by angiebabe
 
  • ERfoud/Arfoud
      ERfoud/Arfoud
    by angiebabe
  • many locals heading for the Date Festival
      many locals heading for the Date...
    by angiebabe
  • up past the main square to the road up the hill
      up past the main square to the road up...
    by angiebabe
  • piste rd passing Erg Chebbi auberge up to Yasmina
      piste rd passing Erg Chebbi auberge up...
    by angiebabe
  • Hotel Salam
      Hotel Salam
    by JessieLang
 

Explore Erfoud

Things to Do  

Erfoud's annual Date Festival

Erfoud's annual Date Festival, Erfoud

 angiebabe Says:  Centred around the enormous number of dates grown around here, being one of the biggest - if not the biggest - palmeraie in Morocco stretching from Er Rachidia down to Rissani, this festival is timed with the harvesting time for dates.This was the first time that Ive been in... 

ERfoud vs Rissani

ERfoud vs Rissani, Erfoud

 angiebabe Says:  if you have to stay in a town well Rissani is the choice - its the historical town/city for the sahara in that area, the major city for the caravan routes that went down through there - there are things to see in Rissani such as the souks which are rather specifically things... 

The dunes of Mergouza

The dunes of Mergouza, Erfoud

 TheLongTone Says:  The sand dunes of Merzouga are one of the stars of the Moroccan tourist circuit.Most tour groups use Erfoud rather than Rissani as the staging post before Megouza: it has the necessary restaurants and hotels. Trips by Landrover can easily be arrranged, many leaving at a... 

Walk up to Burj Est

Walk up to Burj Est, Erfoud

 TheLongTone Says:  Two or three kilometres southeast of town, thie fort is still used by the army so the very top of the hill is, frustratingly, off-limits. 

The Touaregs will find you

The Touaregs will find you, Erfoud

 zrim Says:  It is about a 45 minute drive by four wheel drive from the hotel in Erfoud to the Saharan dunes. The drivers let you out and point you eastward. You can be lazy and take a camel across the dunes or you can set off on foot. We chose to hoof it. There is no danger of getting... 

Take Only Pictures, leave Only Footprints

Take Only Pictures, leave Only Footprints, Erfoud

 zrim Says:  Ok. Ok. It's not really possible to take much of anything from the Sahara. But still, words of wisdom to live by when visiting any fragile ecosystem. The Sahara is spectacularly beautiful in its starkness, but we would not want to have the whole world to be this barren. 

Hotels  

Auberge Derkaoua

 20 Opinions

Kasbah Hotel Chergui

 11 Opinions

Restaurants  

Restaurant on Main Square

Restaurant on Main Square, Erfoud

 johnsakura Says:  You can have all sorts of moroccan dishes from Tajines to Harera, Tanjia, salads etc.Be sure not to pay more than 35 or 40 dirhams for a tajine. usualy is 25 but it some times depends.Be sure if you're a vegetarian and if you ask for a vegetarian tajine to say 100 times that... 

Nightlife  

Only for dogs

Only for dogs, Erfoud

 TheLongTone Says:  Erfoud is pretty quiet. I have to say that there did not seem to be any group tours around during my short stay - all the tourist restaurants at the bottom of Av Mohammed V were quiet or dead - The place shuts down fairly early, with the busy cafe of the Hotel Mergouza empty... 

Transportation  

In and out of Erfoud

In and out of Erfoud, Erfoud

 TheLongTone Says:  Erfoud is well served by long-distance buses. The private ones leave from the main sguare, where the ticket office can be found. CTM ticket office & departures are on Bvd Mohammed VGrandes Taxis depart from the square. This is probably the best way to move on to Rissani. 

Four wheeling in the Sahara

Four wheeling in the Sahara, Erfoud

 zrim Says:  Its a soft, yet bumpy ride from Erfoud to the Saharan dunes. Noting but sand. The road peters out by and by. The drivers pick their way through the sand dunes while keeping the wheels moving. Don't want to get bogged down in the sand and have to push out. We were in a convey... 

Shopping  

Erfoud's major export: Fossils

Erfoud's major export: Fossils, Erfoud

 TheLongTone Says:  The main stores selling stone articles, fossils & decorative minerals are strung out along the main road from Er Rachidia to Rissani.Smaller workshops can be found South of town - on the road that leads over the Ziz towards Burj Est, The same stuff but cheaper. 

Local Customs  

tea drinking

tea drinking, Erfoud

 hat53 Says:  The people are friendly and you are easily invited for tea. This can be in a shop or with people at home or at the street.It is a great way the make contact and learn about the country.We the owners of the shop, who were killing time, waiting for customers. 

Relaxing

Relaxing, Erfoud

 johnsakura Says:  Locals do relax in Erfoud. Check out this 2 guys... ;o) their name are Moha and Omar. 

Warnings Or Dangers  

The way to Merzouga is not the piste road....

The way to Merzouga is not the piste road...., Erfoud

 angiebabe Says:  Im still reading here and there, and noticed it showing still on the new edition of the Michelin map, of which I have always recommended as the best map for the roads around Morocco, that the main road to Merzouga and therefore the desert dunes and so on as being direct from... 

Don't expect great photography from the Tauregs

Don't expect great photography from the Tauregs, Erfoud

 zrim Says:  Our Taureg dune guide was very cheerful and really eager to please. He was insistent that he take our photograph. I handed over the camera and later found out that I had been cut off at mid forehead. Oh well, that's ok. I know what I look like and don't need to have pictures... 

Tourist Traps  

Crouded desert

Crouded desert, Erfoud

 faneka Says:  If you thing that the desert is a lonnely place with sand, hot and camels... you are wrong!It is crouded, lots of people, mostly turists, and of course locals. If you must, go, but take some money with you, because you will find locals asking you to 

Off The Beaten Path  

Algeria

Algeria, Erfoud

 zrim Says:  Over there, on the far side of that big dune, lies Algeria. Just a couple miles from where we watched the sunrise. I'd love to be able to paint Algeria blue on my world vt map, but unless I physically cross the border, it doesn't count, does it? If I understood our Taureg... 

Favorites  

sahara4x4&adventures......

sahara4x4&adventures......, Erfoud

 aryaz Says:  its a stratigic point for tourists to join the desert. 

Local girls

Local girls, Erfoud

 johnsakura Says:

Truck

Truck, Erfoud

 johnsakura Says:

The Place

Plan a Erfoud vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Erfoud locals

Experience Erfoud
  •   31 Tips and Reviews
  •  54 Photos
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Map of Erfoud
 

The People

6 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 The hotel is a 10-15 minute walk from town off a sand road. It has a pool, restaurant, bar and a tv room. Has the most tastefully decorated rooms that I ever... 

6 members live in Erfoud

 

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Top Erfoud Writers

1

Erfoud Gateway to Erg Chebbi

johnsakura profile photo

 This is the city I now live and work. Erfoud is the last city before the desert if you come from Errachidia. It's a big city for desert standards. You'll problably get a guide if you go to Erfoud,... 

2

Sahara Sunrise

zrim profile photo

 The small enclave of Erfoud is in the far reaches of eastern Morocco. It is a day's drive from either Fez or Marrakesh. The main reason to travel all the way to Erfoud is to visit the Sahara Desert.... 

3

ERFOUD: GATEWAY TO THE SOUTH

TheLongTone profile photo

 Erfoud is largely a French colonial creation, the administrative centre fot the Tafilalt. It borders the main road South from Er Rachidia , which proceeds on via Rissani/Sijilmassa to swing... 

4

Not really a lot here but ATMs, service station...

angiebabe profile photo

 Main centre for banks - before the town of Rissani did get an ATM installed, which even when it did it was usually out of action...., Erfoud was the nearest money access for the whole area - we would... 

5

Dunes of Merzouga

hat53 profile photo

 Erfoud is a great place for a daytrip t the dunes of Merzouga, Erg Chebbi. When went there in tha afternoon to see the sun set over the dune. It is an amazing experience. We arrived early so we saw...... 

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