There is a lot to see in Morocco and lots of different landscapes. When we were talking to Tony at the Riad he not only suggested a day trip to the mountains (post here) but also one to the coastal town of Essaouria; if we had time. I hadn’t thought about going to the coast but the more I heard about it, the more I wanted to go! Essaouria is known as the ‘Windy City of Africa” and also as ‘Tassort’ in Berber. It is about three hours away by car. We got up early one morning and made the trip from Marrakech to Essaouira
Essaouria is a seaside fishing town also known for kitesurfing and windsurfing because of the powerful trade wind constantly blowing onto the protected beach. Plus, it is a center for Argon oil is production. That means there are many Argon trees. Also, unique to the area are tree climbing goats who only climb the Argon trees which made the drive one of the most interesting parts for me – keep reading.
Marrakech to Essaouira
We set off from the Raid, for the drive from Marrakech to Essaouira, a little before 9 a.m. with one of the Riad employees walking us to the closest gate to help us find our driver. It was actually the same driver for both of the day trips we did which was nice. We loaded up and set out for the coast. To be honest, I think I fell asleep for the first hour of the drive. Not long after waking up the driver said we would be stopping soon to see the goats that climb trees! I had heard about this but had never seen it and I had been looking forward to seeing them.
As we drove on we started to see the goats in the trees I really wanted the driver to pull over but it seemed like he was never going to. Finally, the driver pulled over and we were able to get out to see them!
We drove on to Essaouria with 2 quick stops left before we arrived. The first stop was the women’s cooperative; Cooperative Marjana D’huile D’argan. Here they show you how the women make Argon oil which is then used to make various products such as face creams and oils as well as oil for cooking and salads. I think it is always nice to support women’s cooperatives. Plus, I had been wondering what this black tar ball like substance was that I had seen in the Souk. Now I know!
The second and last stop was a viewing point about 10 minutes out of Essaouria. We only stopped for a few minutes to look at the view before heading off. Right outside of the city we had a slight mix up. I think the actual day tour included a camel ride by the beach. We wanted to spend more time in the town (and were not sure about the treatment of the camels). The driver stopped for us to meet a guy that was going to take us to the camel ride. After explaining that we would prefer to see the town we were dropped at the square where the driver told us what time to be back. He did say we could meet earlier and he would show us where to eat but we just decided to do it all on our own!
This was a very nice little town! It does not take long to walk around but it is very easy to get lost in the winding streets! We stopped at many of the stops and stalls looking at all the different things that were sale. It is a lot less pushy that in Marrakech.
We decided to visit the Sqala du Port d’Essaouria. Here we climbed the tower (50 dh per person/$5) and got some great views of the city. We also got some interesting views of the fish market! They had some of the biggest shrimp I have ever seen!
After that we set off in search of lunch! We found a packed café in the square and sat down for a quick lunch (wraps, fries, and juice) before saving the best for last!
There was a small stall nearby selling crepes and ice cream!
We had a little bit of time before we were scheduled to meet for the drive back to Marrakech. With the extra time we decided to walk through the small restaurant stalls selling seafood. In retrospect we should have search there for a place to eat. If we had had time we would have walked along the beach but we had a three hour drive back to Marrakech and had to get going!
I could easily have spent more time in Essaouria. However, I think 2 days and one night would have been plenty. It is very picturesque and has a slower pace compared to Marrakech. Definitely worth a visit!
Lots of Love,
Buffy x
