Essaouira was one of our favorite stops on our recent trip to Morocco! This coastal town has a laid back, artistic, funky vibe and is full of delicious seafood, unique shopping opportunities, and activities.
This is the second part of the series on our trip to Morocco. Read the first part, a post about Marrakech, Morocco here. Check out photos from our trip to Morocco here.
General Information about Essaouira, Morocco
Essaouira is a port city on the central Atlantic coast of Morocco, previously known as Mogador. It is a 2-3 hour drive or 3 hour bus ride from Marrakech. You can read more about how to get to Essaouira on Rome2Rio, one of my favorite logistics planning sites. En route, there are several interesting sites, including one of two “goat trees.”
Apparently goats like to eat the fruit of the Argan tree, and people placed wooden platforms in one of them. Goats climb the trees instinctively, but people capitalized on this and now train the goats to climb one particular tree. Read about the “Flying Goats of Morocco” here.
Arganomade Women’s Cooperative
En route to Essaouira, we stopped at Arganomade, one of several women’s cooperatives where Argan Oil is handmade. We were able to see women preparing the fruit of the Argan tree and making it into oil and other products. You can buy Argan Oil products on amazon, but they often have additives and are not pure. You can find Argan oil in beauty products ranging from shampoo to facial serum, and it is supposed to have anti-aging, moisturizing, and replenishing properties. It is also used in cooking and for dipping bread, much like olive oil. The fruit of the Argan tree actually resembles an olive. It is harvested from the trees, dried in the sun, peeled and mashed. The kernel is crushed with a mortar and pestle, then the oil extracted. The process is more complicated, and if you want to geek out and read more, click here.
I highly recommend picking up some Argan Oil products while in Morocco. Not only are you buying pure oil from the source, but you are helping women. The cooperatives provide salaries, insurance, childcare, and education for the women and their families.
On to Essaouira
The city currently known as Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times and was the first major port in Morocco. It’s location on the Atlantic Ocean provides a link to Europe and the rest of the world, and it has long served as a trading hub for the country. You can read more about the history of this important city here.
The modern city of Essaouira, Morocco was created by Mohammed bin Abdallah in the 18th century. Today, it is a popular location for films, including Game of Thrones. You may recognize the walls that surround the Medina, or old town, as Astapor, home of the unsullied. You can still visit the fortified walls of the castle, the ramparts, where cannons still stand.
The Medina
The walls surround the Medina, where you can wander narrow alleyways and shop for unique, handmade treasures made by local artists. Shops sell pottery, Moroccan tiles, scarves, spices, Argan oil, baskets, and countless other items. We found an artist named “Smarrai” who sold tiny ants made from a single Argan fruit and wire, which he packaged for transport in used plastic water bottles. The artisans’ stalls are punctuated by food stalls where you can snack on shawarma or French crepes. We chose “Chez Said” and our sandwiches were divine!
The Fishing Port
After wandering the Medina, we climbed the sea wall and crossed over to the fishing port. It was like stepping through the looking glass into a different world. This world was chaotic and pungent, but beautiful. Brightly painted blue boats were stacked 4-5 deep and fishmongers gutted fish on the docks, tossing the innards to the plentiful seagulls. The port was lined by stalls selling fish, both for commercial and personal use. Some prepared them for immediate consumption, so we had to try! We sampled fresh oysters, sea urchin directly from its shell, and ceviche.
Two salty old fishermen beckoned us to their lair. For a small price, they offered us a “backstage tour.” We climbed a very rickety old ladder to a platform littered with old wood, rusty nails, and the body parts of various sea creatures. We were rewarded with stunning views of town, the sea, and Mogador Island. This island has been used as a dye-making facility, a prison, a quarantine area, and an asylum and is currently a nature preserve which you cannot visit without special permission.
Near the fishing port, you will find a row of stalls with fresh seafood on display, where you can choose your fish, crab, shrimp, etc and have it freshly prepared. We chose dorado, prawns, squid, and anchovies, followed by berber whiskey (mint tea).
The Beach
The main beach begins near the fishing port and arcs around to a strip containing restaurants, bars, and shops. There is a boardwalk that has vendors in the summertime, selling ice cream, popcorn, and other treats. The beach is gorgeous, wide, and has soft sand, but it is often windy. You can rent lounge chairs, and there is a playground for kids and a basketball court.
Further down, you will find surfing and kitesurfing, and you can ride camels on the beach! Even further around, you can go quad biking on the beach.
Vuong and I took surf lessons from Loving Surf. This company also has a cafe, hostel, and private villa you can book, and kitesurfing lessons are on offer. We had an awesome afternoon with our instructor, Ash. The water is COLD, so wear a wetsuit!
Where to stay in Essaouira, Morocco
I would recommend staying in the Medina, but there are other options as well. Staying on or near the beach is also a great option, but the Medina is within walking distance or a short taxi ride to the beach. Here are several options. You can stay in a large, expensive chain hotel such as Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf & Spa, which looks super luxe and gorgeous. Instead, you could choose a hostel and pay $10 or less. Check out hostelworld for a list of artsy, fun places to stay for pennies.
For us, a mid-range, atmospheric, charming Riad in the heart of the Medina is the way to go. For $50-100, you can stay in a traditional Moroccan Inn with a central courtyard, a pool, and a lovely breakfast. We stayed at the Riad al Madina, which was charming! I recommend booking a suite if it is available.
You will likely be awakened by the call to prayer. It is a haunting, beautiful sound and I loved hearing it.
Where to eat in Essaouira, Morocco
There are so many great restaurants in Essaouira! Because of the busy fishing port, seafood is fresh and plentiful. Moroccan food is delicious in its own right, then add in French and Portuguese influences, and you are in for a treat.
We only spent a few nights here, and I can only recommend what I have tried. Check out this more extensive list of great dining options in Essaouira.
The first place I was going to recommend, Casa Vera, is permanently closed. I suggest trying Pastilla de Poulet somewhere! It is sort of like a chicken pot pie, but different… This special Moroccan dish consists of ground chicken with pistachios in a puff pastry and topped with powdered sugar! It sounds odd, but it is delicious!
I highly recommend visiting one of the food stalls or restaurants near the fishing port. You can go directly to the fishmongers and buy fish, then take it to the restaurant and have them prepare your meal. Or, you can just go to the stall with the best looking seafood on display and choose, like we did. Preparation is simple, but the seafood is delicious and doesn’t really need much.
We just happened to be in Essaouira for my 48th birthday! Our tour guide, Omar, planned a very special evening for us at Il Mare, a wonderful restaurant with a view. As we dined on fresh seafood, a two-man band serenaded us. One of the guys wore a long green robe and a tasseled hat, which he twirled continuously as he played his 3-string guitar-like instrument, apparently a lute known as a “hajhuj.” The type of music they played is known as Gnawa music and is a traditional type of music characterized by repetitive chanting. It had a laid-back, reggae-like quality to me.
We were dining and chatting, when the lights suddenly dimmed and the singer broke into the birthday song! He came over and put his hat on me… the continuous twirling is way harder than it looks! Outside of the restaurant, we could see a film crew with lights and a rain machine, and Kelly saw soldiers dressed in white with teal headdresses…
I also recommend checking out the street food stalls. We had French crepes at one, and Shawarma at another.
That’s All!
Have you been to Essaouira? Are you planning to go? It is a gorgeous town in a unique and beautiful country.
Come back to Jennifer’s Path next time and read about our 3-day trek through the High Atlas Mountains during which we climbed Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in Northern Africa. We made great friends and had crazy adventures!