After finishing The Monkey Run Morocco in April, I had six days before my flight back to Canada. I was faced with a common travelers dilemma: Do I try to visit as many places as I can in those six days, or do I choose one or two spots and really take them in calmly and peacefully? I decide to go with the latter and chose to spend four days and three nights in Essaouira.
Essaouira is a city 191 kilometers west of Marrakesh, sitting on a tranquil bay partially protected by an island named Mogador. The city has been inhabited since prehistoric times, having been a Roman settlement (The purple dye in the togas worn by many Roman Senators came from the city at one point), a Muslim settlement, a Portuguese fortified establishment, and after 1760, a Moroccan city.
I arrived to the city after a 3 hour bus ride from Marrakesh and instantly felt much more at peace. That delicious smell of the sea permeated the air, a strong wind kept me cool, and the sun shined bright on a cloudless sky. It was a lot quieter than Marrakesh, and things felt like they moved at a much slower pace. I checked in to Moga Hostel, unpacked, and then went on a walk through the maze that is the Medina.
The Medina of Essaouira is completely surrounded by medieval walls erected by the Portuguese and the Moroccans hundreds of years ago. Aside from going on long walks on the beach and the two times I went surfing, I didn’t leave the Medina. From the very first afternoon there, I enjoyed the pace of the place. Walking around in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops, with my phone and 300 dirhams in my pocket, I felt like I had nothing to worry about. My greatest fear during those four days was not wanting to leave.
The day after I arrived, Keith arrived from Marrakesh. From then on, our remaining days followed a very loose schedule:
Wake up leisurely and meet up for breakfast tea. Talk about life and what we might do for the rest of the day. People watch while we sipped our tea.
Go do a midday activity. Wandering, shopping, surfing, and eating were the activities we did. Super simple.
After a slow lunch, go for an afternoon nap.
Wake up for golden hour, dinner, then walk around the Medina at night, usually finishing the night at Chez Miloud, a locals favorite for Msemen (Moroccan pancakes), Harira (Moroccan soup), and Moroccan mint tea.
One of the reasons I decided on Essaouira was because of the surfing. The beach by the city is considered a world class destination for advanced kite-surfers, and a decent place for beginner surfers like me get back into long board surfing. I was excited to get back on the board after a 15 year hiatus, and my surf coach Ayoub was instrumental in getting me riding waves in no time. I enjoyed it so much I went with Keith a second time. April is still a little cold for water sports, yet many surfers and kite surfers wearing wet suits were having a blast. If you’re really into surfing, the best time to go is usually July and August, although it will surely be a lot busier.
Another popular activity in Essaouira’s beach is camel riding. The juxtaposition of camels walking around with kite surfers in the background was fascinating to me. Where else can you see that sight?
As many of you know, I love eating and trying new foods when I travel. I found that Essaouira, due to it’s location (A harbor with abundant fish stocks) and it’s cultural influences (Moroccan, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Berber), had excellent cuisine.
The first dinner with Keith we decided to go to a fancy restaurant with Italian influences. Albeit delicious, it was my lest favorite meal of the trip. I tend to lean towards more traditional meals when I travel.
One morning we decided to head to the harbor to buy fresh fish, prawns and crab. We then found a friendly local to grill it for us for next to nothing. It was amazing.
Seafood tagine was one of my favorite tagines of the trip. As always it was accompanied by mint tea and Moroccan bread.
One night while walking through one of the main streets of the Medina, we stumbled upon a table with fresh escargot. We obviously had to try it.
On a sunny afternoon, while walking around the Medina, we stumbled upon Cafe Al-Atlas, a small hole in the wall restaurant with a charismatic owner. The next day we showed up for lunch and had a fantastic seafood meal and a great conversation about life with said owner.
My stay at Essaouira was one of the highlights of 2019. Amazing scenery, incredible culture, great company, and fantastic food. Couldn’t really ask for much more.
