The Atlantic coast, from Essaouira to Agadir

Marrakech · Essaouira · Taghazout · Agadir

A slow trip along the ocean: three nights in Essaouira, the city of the trade winds, then the surfers’ coast to Taghazout, Paradise Valley and Souss-Massa national park. Little driving, plenty of grilled fish.

Duration7 days
Distance690 km
DifficultyEasy
VehiclesCar, Motorbike

Start from this trip

Notebook from €420

Barques bleues sur le port d’Essaouira

Highlights

Essaouira’s fishing port in the morning
Sidi Kaouki and its wild beaches
A surf lesson in Taghazout
Paradise Valley and its pools
The bald ibises of Souss-Massa

Day by day

The stages as Agnès drew them. Everything can change: one more night here, a detour there.

Day 1
Along the argan road to Essaouira
Marrakech → Essaouira190 km · 2 h 45
A straight road across the plain, then the first argan trees, sometimes with goats perched in the branches. Stop at a women’s cooperative to see argan nuts being cracked by hand. You arrive in Essaouira in the late afternoon, as the wind drops.
Day 2
Mogador, the port and the Sqala
EssaouiraLittle or no driving
The fishing port comes alive from 8 am as the blue boats return and the fish auction begins. Then walk along the Sqala of the Kasbah and its cannons, and wander through the UNESCO-listed medina, among thuya-wood carvers and art galleries. Lunch on grilled fish at the port.
Day 3
Sidi Kaouki and the wild beach
Essaouira55 km · 1 h
South of Essaouira, Diabat and its half-buried Portuguese fort, then Sidi Kaouki, a long windswept beach with its white shrine. Ride a horse or a camel along the sand, or simply nap in the shelter of a dune. Back to Essaouira for dinner.
Day 4
The surfers’ coast
Essaouira → Taghazout175 km · 3 h 15
The road follows the ocean via Tamanar, then drops down to Imsouane bay, a small fishing harbour famous for its wave, one of the longest in Africa. A fish lunch overlooking the bay, then Cape Ghir and its cliffs before reaching Taghazout.
Day 5
Paradise Valley and the Imouzzer palms
Taghazout60 km · 1 h 30
A surf lesson in the morning, pitched at everyone’s level. In the afternoon, the Imouzzer road climbs a valley of palms and oleanders to Paradise Valley, where you can swim in clear rock pools. On the way back, stop at Aourir, the “banana village”.
Day 6
Souss-Massa national park
Taghazout160 km · 2 h 45
South of Agadir, the mouth of the Massa river shelters one of the world’s last colonies of bald ibis, and flamingos in winter. Stop at the fishing village of Tifnit, then come back via the Agadir Oufella kasbah for the view over the bay.
Day 7
Home via Agadir
Taghazout → Agadir50 km · 50 min
Depending on your flight, a visit to Agadir’s Souk El Had, one of the largest markets in the South, for spices and argan oil. The car is returned at Agadir-Al Massira airport: tell the rental company when booking that you picked it up in Marrakech.

In practice

Duration: 7 days
Distance: 690 km
Longest drive: 190 km
Difficulty: Easy
Vehicles: Car, Motorbike
Regions: Marrakech and surroundings · Atlantic coast (Essaouira, Agadir)
Notebook from: €420

Agnès designs the itinerary and your notebook. You book and pay for accommodation and transport yourself, with her trusted addresses.

Price of the design of your itinerary and of your notebook. Accommodation, transport and activities are booked and paid for by you, directly with the providers.