M’hamid is the last Moroccan outpost before the Algerian border, where the road dissolves into sand and the desert takes over. It’s the jumping-off point for the dramatic dunes of Erg Chigaga, 60 kilometres to the west – around two hours by 4x4, or a thrilling three day trek by camel.

Erg Chigaga, Morocco’s longest and highest sand sea, ripples for around 40 kilometres with dunes topping 300m. It’s wilder and less visited than Erg Chebbi, and its camps are more isolated, but the off-road journey to get there is more expensive. On the way, there are stops at panoramic viewpoints and perhaps a mint tea break with desert nomads outside their goat-hair tent.

From your campsite, you can trek on foot or by camel, scramble up and sandboard down a towering dune, and savour the sunset and stellar desert views before stargazing from a carpet spread across the sand and music around the campfire. Look out for nocturnal wildlife: the fennec, with its enormous ears, is the smallest fox species, and sand cats are the only desert-dwelling felines. On a morning trek, your guide will point out its tiny tracks zigzagging across the dunes.