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Experience the real Morocco with expert guides
Top-Rated On Tripadvisor Trips for All Budgets Experience the real Morocco with expert guides
Are you looking for a perfect getaway to the Atlantic Ocean as a cultural and climatic change from the city? Well, look no further, as we can offer you a perfect Marrakech to Essaouira 2-day tour to the most ideal seaside town in Morocco.
En route, you drive past the hilly slopes of innumerable argane trees and visit a local argane co-operative. On arrival at the ocean, you can make straight for the vibrant seaport to photograph the famous blue fishing boats of Essaouira. Here you will also be able to taste some of the best seafood this fishing port has to offer.
You could then take a post-lunch stroll along the Mogador (the old Portuguese name for Essaouira) beach to digest. And here you can experience the fun of horse riding, or have a sunset camel ride. For water-sport enthusiasts, Essaouira is an ideal location; all necessary equipment can be hired out at the beach.
It is worth exploring the walled medina and photographing the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ramparts to get a better feeling of how the town is set out. The colourful souks and alleyways are full of local craftsmen selling unique thuja wood handicrafts and wacky metal souvenirs. These locally made crafts are only available at a much more limited scale elsewhere in the country.
Your beautiful riads at the heart of the medina will allow you to be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves against the rocks and the cries of the gulls.
| No Days | Meals |
|---|---|
| All-inclusive | |
| Total price | |
| 2 Persons |
|---|
| 235 € * |
| 470 € * |
| 3 Persons |
|---|
| 195 € * |
| 585 € * |
| 4 Persons |
|---|
| 175 € * |
| 700 € * |
| 5 Persons |
|---|
| 160 € * |
| 800 € * |
| 6 Persons |
|---|
| 160 € * |
| 960 € * |
You will set out on this delightful Marrakech to Essaouira 2-day tour when your driver fetches you from your riad in Marrakech at 8.30 in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle. As you reach Essaouira, you drive past hilly slopes where almost every tree is an argane. You will be able to stop and photograph goats climbing into the argan branches to devour the leaves and the argane nuts. This really does happen and is not just an urban myth.
You will be able to visit a women’s co-operative offering argane products. Here, you can see exactly how the oil is extracted from the kernels of the nut and is processed into a variety of oil products. The oil is used as a beauty product for skin care and hair treatment and is also put to delicious culinary use. Taste some argane oil with fresh Moroccan bread accompanied with a glass of mint tea – a culinary highlight in Morocco. The quality is higher than most exported products and decidedly cheaper, so if you wish to take some home, this is an excellent opportunity.
Upon your arrival in Essaouira, the vibrant seaport with its famous blue boats is a fascinating and unique experience. And no doubt hungry from your morning’s drive, it is right here that you can choose a selection of freshly caught fish at this lively fish market, only metres away from where the day’s catch was brought ashore. Your fish will be prepared for this lunch treat before your very eyes, side-by-side with local diners.
In the afternoon, retrace your steps a little for a tour of the coastal ramparts. These massive fortifications were built by the Portuguese and many of the cannons that were used to defend the town can still be seen. Visit the Skala and fortified ramparts, which were used as a set for the popular TV series Games of Thrones, as well as the opening of Orson Well’s production of Hamlet.
Later in the afternoon, we suggest you enjoy a walk along the Mogador beach for several kilometres, either on the beach itself or on the wide pavement alongside. It is also possible to take the plunge and experience some horse riding or perhaps a sunset camel ride.
Essaouira is a windy coastal town and this makes it an ideal destination for surfers and kite surfers. So, if you are a water sports enthusiast, you have definitely come to the right place. Arrange with local schools on the beach to take a board out – all the necessary equipment can be hired on the spot.
Enjoy a well-deserved dinner in one of the myriads of restaurants at the heart of this charming town and spend the night in a beautiful Essaouira riad to the sound of the sea-gulls.
After breakfast in your riad, you will still have time to continue your exploration of the historical walled medina of Essaouira and panoramic viewpoints. The medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been used as a film set for many famous movies, such as Oliver Reed’s production of Hamlet and some scenes from the Game of Thrones. That makes it a particularly interesting place to experience during your holiday in Morocco.
What better way of getting to know Essaouira better is there than wandering the walled alleyways of the medina and photographing its old white-washed houses? Most of these houses have wooden window-shutters painted a distinctive blue which make this town so unique.
If you tour the medina markets full of local craftsmen selling seminal thuja wood handicrafts and unusual metal goods, you will find great souvenirs for yourself or as presents back home.
There is a huge variety of restaurants in the heart of this charming town for lunch – you are spoiled for choice. If you have had enough of the medina by this time, head towards the beach and relax a while. Sip a relaxing glass of mint tea in one of the many cafés overlooking the sea.
In the afternoon, you drive back to Marrakech. This takes you through the Haouz plains to Chichaoua village, where you can stop for a tea or coffee break, overlooking the surrounding countryside.
Your 2-day tour from Marrakech to Essaouira comes to an end around 18:00, when your driver escorts you to your hotel.
