Wind, white walls and the easiest good day's riding in Morocco.
Essaouira is a fortified port town on the Atlantic with a UNESCO-listed medina, a working fishing harbour and a reputation for wind that is entirely deserved. The trade wind that makes it a kitesurfing centre is the same one you will feel as a crosswind on the approach. It is the natural coastal counterweight to a desert-heavy itinerary, and the road there is a pleasure rather than a transfer.
The run west from Marrakech is around three hours of good tarmac through argan country, with goats occasionally in the trees and the landscape drying out then greening again as you approach the coast. The route is generally less technical than mountain or desert stages, although wind, traffic and road conditions still shape the day.
Essaouira is windy nearly all year, and the last stretch of coast road is exposed. On a tall adventure bike with luggage the crosswind is noticeable and occasionally tiring. It is usually manageable when ridden to the conditions, but it is worth knowing before you set off rather than discovering it at speed.
The walled medina is compact, flat and easy to walk, which is a relief after Fes or Marrakech. The fishing harbour with its blue boats is still a working port rather than a display, and the ramparts along the sea wall are the town's best half hour.
Essaouira works as an overnight on a coast-and-Atlas loop, or as a two-night pause in the middle of a longer trip. It is the one stop where riders reliably decide they would like an extra day, mainly because the temperature is twenty degrees kinder than the interior.
One night is enough to see the medina and harbour. Two nights is the common upgrade for anyone wanting a rest day by the sea.
Comfortable all year and a genuine refuge in summer, when the interior is very hot. The wind is present in every season.
Casablanca→Casablanca
Our 12-day loop combines the Atlantic coast, the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas ranges, the kasbah valleys, remote southern pistes and the dunes of Erg Chebbi before returning to Casablanca. With nights in Essaouira, Marrakech, the Sahara and the Draa region, it combines a wide range of landscapes and riding conditions in one itinerary.
Agadir→Casablanca
A relaxed eight-day ride from Agadir to Casablanca along Morocco's Atlantic shore — empty coastal sweepers, the harbours of Essaouira and El Jadida, the Oualidia oyster lagoon — then a taste of the Atlas foothills before Casablanca. A scenic ocean-to-city route, and it runs in either direction.
We combine destinations into multi-day routes — from a short coast and Atlas loop to a Grand Morocco expedition.
