A Meditation Pilgrimage · Southern Morocco
Zen Sand
Sifting the Self
Erg Chigaga Desert, Morocco
January 28 – February 6, 2027
Zen Sand
at a Glance
- Duration: 10 days (7.5 days desert trekking, 2 nights hotel)
- Dates: January 28 – February 6, 2027
- Location: Erg Chigaga Desert, Southern Morocco (29.32°N, 6.28°W)
- Walking: 3–5 hours daily across dunes, plains, and dry riverbeds
- Group size: Maximum 15 participants, invitation-only
- Experience required: None — beginners welcome
- Meditation style: Zen kinhin (walking) and zazen (seated)
- Cost: $3,950–$4,950 early bird (shared/solo accommodations)
- Facilitated by: Peter Corbett (1,000+ students taught) & Joanna Riquett (tea ceremony & mindfulness)
The
Journey
The remote, endless horizons of the desert become our guide to clarity. Raw and unhurried, the Erg Chigaga is one of the last landscapes that can genuinely interrupt the pace of a driven life. Wind reshapes its dunes overnight. Sand holds no agenda. And in that vast, unbroken silence, something in the mind finally has room to settle.
This is not a tour. Zen Sand is a 10-day pilgrimage through the heart of the Moroccan desert, for those who seek the conditions to think clearly, feel deeply, or to live simply under the starry night.
Over 7.5 days of supported passage through dunes, plains, and starlit nights, we move together in a rhythm shaped by the land itself. Contemplative practices — mindful walking, deep listening, conscious breathing — become the tools of navigation. Tea rituals, drawn from ancient desert traditions, punctuate each day as moments of stillness and inner return. Silence is observed through most of the day, not as deprivation, but as one of the most clarifying environments you will ever inhabit.
Facilitated by Peter Corbett and Joanna Riquett, alongside a local outfitter with decades of ancestral knowledge of these lands, this is a journey where genuine clarity doesn’t need to be extracted — only arrived at.
“There is much to learn by those who understand the language of the great silent places.” Harry Carstens, 1924
The
Desert
The Erg Chigaga and Maidr Desert lie south of Morocco’s Anti-Atlas mountains, a pristine expanse rarely touched by mass tourism. Its vast plains, sculpted dunes, and ancient rock formations offer a raw beauty and a sense of boundless space. Tamarisk groves and traces of nomadic life punctuate the horizon, yet much of the desert remains untouched, carrying a deep stillness that feels both intimate and infinite.
South of the immense Anti-Atlas chain, our crossing leads us from “gateway to gateway” as the nomads say, discovering ever-changing landscapes. The terrain of the Great South — vast plains and ribbons of dunes — is interspersed with small mountain chains and ridges, remnants of geological folds from the Mesozoic era. We alternate between stony plains bordering rocky ridges, depressions, and golden sand ergs where great herds of over 100 camels roam.
“We don’t go into the desert to escape people but to learn how to find them.” Thomas Merton
Who Is
This For
For those whose lives are full — full of responsibility, full of achievement, full of motion — and who sense that something essential is waiting quietly on the other side of all that noise.
The desert does not ask you to become someone else. It simply offers conditions that are nearly impossible to find anywhere else: radical simplicity, uninterrupted space, and the kind of silence that allows what matters most to rise to the surface.
No prior meditation experience is required. Peter has guided over 1,000 people in seated (zazen) and walking (kinhin) Zen practice, and our group will learn this form together. You’re welcome to engage in other forms of silent meditation on the trip if you have a preexisting practice.
This experience is by invitation only. Peter and Joanna will personally curate the group to ensure the kind of company that makes the journey richer for everyone.
We are calling in:
- Those who have built something meaningful in the world and are ready to explore the landscape within
- People who want to move — body and mind — through vast, raw terrain and feel genuinely alive in it
- Creators, thinkers, and leaders who know that stillness is not the opposite of productivity, but its deepest source
- Anyone ready to walk under endless skies, share stories by the fire, and let conversation go somewhere real
- Those who want to laugh easily, live simply for a stretch, and connect with a carefully chosen few
What this journey asks of you: Stamina and openness. A willingness to be surprised by what emerges when the pace finally slows. This is a vigorous trek through a living desert — not a retreat from life, but a journey back into it.
Kinhin — walking meditation through the Erg Chigaga · Southern Morocco
Day by Day
| Day | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | January 28, 2027 | Arrival in Ouarzazate via group transfer. Welcome and opening circle. Sleep at Dar Daif guesthouse. |
| 02 | January 29, 2027 | Transfer through the Draa Valley. Cross the Anti-Atlas at Tinifift pass. Drive through Agdz, the Draa palm groves, Zagora, and visit Tamgrout's 13th-century library. Continue to M'hamid El Ghizlane. Local 4x4 to Sidi Naji — ruins of the ancient caravanserai. Meet the camel drivers, load the caravan, and walk 1 hour south. First bivouac (camp). |
| 03 | January 30, 2027 | Dune plains to the southwest, Erg Zmila. 4 hours walking. |
| 04 | January 31, 2027 | Southern plain to the wadi edge and Sidi Ahmagh marabout. Dunes of Zair Srigh. 4.5 hours walking. |
| 05 | February 1, 2027 | A day among the dunes heading north toward the Draa wadi, past Erg Smar. 4 hours walking. |
| 06 | February 2, 2027 | Crossing plains and dunes to reach Khald Guerzimi. 4.5 hours walking. |
| 07 | February 3, 2027 | Reaching the south of the Boutilla dunes. 5 hours walking. |
| 08 | February 4, 2027 | Arid plain through the small dunes of Hassi L'milh. Bivouac at 550m altitude. 4–5 hours walking. |
| 09 | February 5, 2027 | Dawn crossing due west to Lake Iriki. Final hour of walking — end of camel trek. Transfer by 4x4 through Foum Zguid and Taznakht back to Ouarzazate. Closing circle. Evening at Dar Daif. |
| 10 | February 6, 2027 | Breakfast at Dar Daif. Group transfer to Marrakech. Departure (or stay!). |
Daily Rhythm in the Desert
3–5 hours of walking per day. 1–2 hours of seated meditation by day and night. Star gazing. Mindful meals prepared by a dedicated cook — fresh, generous, vegetarian-friendly with vegetables and grains. Teachings and sharing circles. Rest under the stars. Tea with nomads along the way. Every day we walk towards our next basecamp. Our team of cameliers will carry our camp infrastructure, we only carry what we need for the day.
What might you discover when silence becomes your guide?
Guidelines
Retreat Guidelines
All electronics (phones, computers, tablets, cameras) will be left behind — strongly encouraged. Expect a space free from distractions. Emergency contacts will be provided for families. Guides carry satellite communications for emergencies.
Physical Requirements
Ability to walk 3–5 hours per day on varied desert terrain in good physical condition.
Living Conditions
- Seven nights in shared nomadic tents (private option available)
- Bathing under the open sky, with simple shower structures in camp
- A return to elemental, minimalist living — simple, but not without basic privacy
The camel caravan carries all camp equipment across 7.5 days of desert terrain
Your
Facilitators
Peter Corbett
Peter Corbett is a facilitator and executive coach who guides high-performing leaders into the disciplined, transformative practice of Zen as a path to clarity, resilience, and authentic power. Blending decades of experience building and selling a company he founded, advising founders, CEOs, and Fortune 500 executives with deep roots in meditation and contemplative practice, he creates immersive environments where insight is not intellectualized but directly experienced. His retreats integrate zazen, nature immersion, and carefully designed group processes to help leaders quiet the noise of achievement, confront their inner patterns, and return to their lives with greater precision, presence, and compassion. An expert wilderness guide, in the past 2 years, he's lead over 500 people on retreats in the Amazon, the desert, and forests of North and South America for organizations including YPO, Hampton, Summit and more.
Joanna Riquett
Joanna Riquett is an experience designer, tea practitioner, and facilitator of contemplative journeys. With over a decade of crafting immersive environments, her work lives at the intersection of presence, beauty, and embodied learning. She founded Mindful Immersions, dedicated to slow, intentional pilgrimages in locations of natural silence, including the Moroccan Sahara and Colombian mountains. As the creator of La Sultana Tea House — a nomadic tea concept blending Middle Eastern, Chinese, and Indian influences — she brings the discipline of tea ceremony into every gathering. Joanna is the author of A Mindful Tea and former publisher of the award-winning Hayo Magazine. Her facilitation is grounded in deep listening, gentle structure, and years of practice within the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Throughout the journey she will accompany the group with care, creativity, and presence.
Local Outfitter
Our local outfitter is a family-run organization with decades of experience leading journeys through the Sahara. Their desert guides bring deep knowledge of the land, warm hospitality, and the wisdom of nomadic traditions. They provide full logistical support: guide, cook, assistants, camel caravan, tents, and all equipment.
Investment
10 days · Erg Chigaga Desert, Morocco · Price per person in USD
Only 15 spots are available for this experience
What’s Included
Included
- Group roundtrip private transfer from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate
- 2 nights at Riad Dar Daif Hotel
- 7 nights in the desert in shared (or solo) nomadic tents
- Full board from Day 1 dinner to Day 10 breakfast — fresh, cooked meals & mineral water throughout
- All desert logistics: guide, assistants, cook, camel caravan for baggage and assistance
- All group equipment: tents, kitchen tent, meditation rugs
- 1 mattress per person (8–10 cm thick)
- 1 low temperature sleeping bag with fleece interior and protective sheet, a pillow and a small towel
- 1 bathing tent for women and 1 for men
- 1 WC tent for women and 1 for men
- Sleeping tents according to accommodation preference
- Cups, plates, bowls and cutlery
- An extensive first aid kit
Not Included
- Flights to/from Marrakesh
- Travel/repatriation insurance (mandatory — details provided before arrival)
- Lunches on Day 1 and Day 10 / Dinner on Day 10
- Personal expenses (drinks, wine)
- Tips for local outfitters
Evening meditation at dusk · Erg Chigaga, Morocco
Safety & Ecology
Safety
Walking and camping in the desert has inherent risks. Our facilitators and local team have decades of experience guiding groups safely. All participants are asked to follow the instructions of the trek guide at all times. Avoid unnecessary risks so the focus remains on mindfulness and presence.
Ecology & Community
We will travel in a fragile natural environment. All trash must be collected and brought back to town. Do not leave anything behind in the desert. Tips for camel drivers and guides are customary and can be pooled and shared at the end of the retreat. Donations of useful clothing or gear at the end of the journey are also welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a silent retreat?
Zen Sand is not a full-time silent retreat. Silence is observed during walking meditation periods and some evenings, but there are also group sharing circles, dharma talks, and communal meals with conversation. The balance of silence and connection is intentional — both are part of the practice.
Do I need meditation experience to attend?
No prior meditation experience is required. Peter has instructed over 1,000 people in zazen (seated meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation). You will learn the practice together as a group. You are also welcome to practice any other silent form of meditation if you have a preexisting practice.
How physically demanding is the desert trek?
Participants walk 3–5 hours per day on varied desert terrain including sand dunes, stony plains, and dry riverbeds. Good physical condition is required — you should be comfortable walking 10–15 km per day with a light daypack. This is a vigorous pilgrimage, not a spa retreat.
How much does the retreat cost?
Early bird pricing (before September 1, 2026): $3,950 for shared accommodations or $4,950 for solo tent. After September 1: $4,500 shared or $5,500 solo. Price includes all meals, desert logistics, facilitation, hotel nights, and ground transportation from Marrakech.
What is walking meditation (kinhin)?
Kinhin is a form of Zen walking meditation traditionally practiced between periods of seated meditation (zazen). It involves slow, deliberate walking with focused attention on each step and breath. In the desert, we won’t be walking slowly but hiking mindfully across vast open terrain where the horizon stretches unbroken in every direction.
What happens if I can’t walk anymore?
You have the option to rent a private camel during the desert immersion (special cases only please). The camel can carry your backpack, and you are welcome to hop on and off as needed throughout the journey. Please note that camels must be booked at least one week prior to arrival and are subject to availability.
What is the weather like in the Sahara in late January?
Late January in the Erg Chigaga region is cool and dry — ideal for extended walking. Daytime temperatures range from 15–22°C (59–72°F). Nights can drop to 2–5°C (36–41°F), so warm layers and a good sleeping bag are essential. Rain is extremely rare.
What should I bring?
A detailed packing list is provided after acceptance. Essentials include: sturdy walking shoes (broken in), warm layers for cold desert nights, sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses), a headlamp, personal medication. All group equipment — tents, foam mattresses, kitchen, shower — is provided.
What is the cancellation policy?
Full refund if cancelled before November 1, 2026. 50% refund if cancelled after November 1. Full payment is due upon approval of your invitation (ask for payment plan if necessary). Travel insurance is mandatory and should cover trip cancellation.
The journey begins with a single step
This experience is by invitation only. Request yours below.
Request an InvitationCancellation Policy
| Timeframe | Charge |
|---|---|
| Before November 1 | Full refund |
| After November 1 | 50% of total |
Full payment due upon approval.