Essaouira · Atlantic — Maroc
Former Portuguese Mogador, Essaouira charms with ocean-battered ramparts, a working fishing port and a medina alive with artists and musicians. The bracing sea air and the light do the rest.
2h30 from Marrakech, Essaouira (formerly Mogador) opens its 18th-century Portuguese ramparts onto the Atlantic. Its medina, listed by UNESCO since 2001, is a regular grid designed by Théodore Cornut, engineer of Louis XV. Visit the blue port and its fishing boats, the Sqala (artillery bastion), the ramparts and their Spanish cannons, the alleys of thuya marquetry craftsmen and contemporary art galleries. Seafood lunch at the port, then free time. Windsurfers and surfers will appreciate the constant trade wind: we can add a kitesurf intro. Return to Marrakech in the evening.
8am departure. Stop at the argan groves to see the argan oil press. Arrival in Essaouira, guided tour of the port, Sqala and medina. Seafood lunch, free afternoon. Return to Marrakech around 7pm.
Tucked into the Rif mountains, Chefchaouen dazzles with a medina of a thousand blues. Flower-filled lanes, quiet squares, springs and whitewashed rooftops make it one of the most photogenic towns on earth.
150 km north-east of Marrakech, the Ouzoud falls plunge 110 metres in three tiers. An exceptional natural site, among the finest waterfalls in North Africa, home to Barbary macaques.
Step into cinema and history in the Moroccan south. Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage earthen ksar, has served as the set for more than 20 films including Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
Guaranteed reply within 2 hours, 7 days a week. Clear quote, no surprises.