Tourism

Top 10 Moroccan Beaches

16 Apr, 2020

The African coastal country of Morocco is filled with beach paradises.

In the busy season, the beaches become crowded with locals, looking to get away from their daily lives and tourists, hoping to experience a tropical getaway. However, the best time to experience the popular Moroccan coastline is in the offseason, when the beaches are free of people, offering a more personal experience.

Running along the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, each Moroccan beach is filled with its own unique traits. Whether you’re aiming to relax or partake in daring water sports, the Moroccan coastline offers excitement for everyone.

Agadir Beach

Set between the Atlantic Ocean and the base of the Atlas mountain range, the perfect climate makes Agadir Beach popular year-round. While most people swim in the water, the beach is truly popular for watersports, like surfing, windsurfing and kayaking. Many visitors enjoy peaceful strolls, down the seafront road, acting like a promenade. Children can play in the various parks and playgrounds, along the shore. The small fishing town of Agadir, part of the Berber City, provides fun for everyone.

Ain Diab

Enclosed by tall, rocky cliffs, the Ain Diab Beach is Casablanca’s city beach. Here, most beachgoers are wealthy city dwellers that use this sandy oasis, as an escape from their busy lives. The Ain Diab is the perfect trendy spot for families, teenagers and foreigners. Along the beach are expensive nightclubs and posh restaurants, offering a rich nightlife. However, other activities rest along the shore line, like swimming pools and surfing schools that provide relief from the sweltering summer heat.

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The Ain Diab Beach can get pretty hectic, especially on the weekends. So, the best time to go would be during the week, while locales are at work and cannot have a relaxing getaway.

Dragon Beach

In the middle of a blue lagoon, the white dunes of Dragon Beach protrude out into the crystal clear Atlantic waters. Every year Dragon Beach attracts people looking for excitement in various water sports and those enamored by nature. In Western Sahara, on the Dakhla Peninsula, this beach is home to the annual Kitesurfing World Championships, an event that brings excitement to Dragon Beach.

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However, the perfect day on Dragon Beach consists of swinging on a hammock, provided by the local bars, while watching small birds fly across the sky. After sticking around, the end of the day provides the perfect present: watching the sun sink into the ocean, painting the sky with beautiful colors that reflect in the sand.

Essaouira Beach

In the 1960’s, the Essaouira Beach became popular among hippies and many famous artists. Creatives found this beach, outside of the ancient City of Essaouira, to be filled with nature overlapping the city’s culture. Today, the beach is found especially attractive towards tourists, due to the City of Essaouira being so influential. It’s truly a relaxed environment, both during the day and at night. Although, it is not recommended to sunbath because Essaouira is the “Wind City of Africa,” making the beach perfect for windsurfing. In the early evening and into the night, beachgoers can enjoy rich meals, in beachfront restaurants, while looking out on the crashing waves.

Las Cuevas Beach

Protected by rounded cliffs covered in lush greenery is the Las Cuevas Beach. Only six-kilometers south of the town of Asilah, the Las Cuevas Beach can be pretty tricky to get to. From the road, beachgoers follow a steep, dusty path down to the golden sand. If walking is too difficult, there are other ways of accessing the Las Cuevas Beach. A horse drawn cart provides an easier form of access to the coastline.

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Beachgoers have several options of relaxation, especially of the section of Las Cuevas Beach that is filled with restaurants. These beach restaurants serve hearty meals of fresh caught fish with sides of potatoes and vegetables. Most restaurants also offer the use of chairs and umbrellas free of charge that can assist in the perfect lazy beach day. However, the beachgoers that look for more excitement can surf among the continuously crashing waves. The summer season brings more activities to the Las Cuevas Beach. During this time, locals and visitors alike can enjoy local vendors and offered camel rides, a truly unique experience.

Legzira Beach

The natural rock formations of the Legzira Beach have made this Moroccan getaway recognizable worldwide. It is probably the most popular and most visited beaches in the country. Although one of the famous stone arches collapsed in 2016, the other stone arch provides a breathtaking element to an already mesmerizing beach. The Legzira Beach isn’t known for relaxation. Like the Essaouira Beach, the winds that ravage this beach are better for paragliders and surfers, rather than sunbathers. However, the Legzira Beach is known for colorful sunsets that light up the beach every evening, providing an enchanting experience for all viewers.

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Martil Beach

On the Mediterranean coast, Martil Beach is a part of the small town of Martil. Running parallel to the shoreline is a promenade lined with palm trees. Small vendors, restaurants and cafés face the white sand and brilliant blue waters of the sea. Like most beach towns, the summer months are busy and fast paced. Visitors and locals spend these months playing golf, at one of the popular golf courses; walking along the promenade; and relaxing under an umbrella on the shore.

Oualidia Lagoon

The Oualidia Lagoon is not a beach that rests on the Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts, rather the water of the lagoon comes from the Atlantic Ocean, although ragged, red cliffs separate the two bodies of water. Surrounding the Oualidia Lagoon is a fishing village, located just a few hours from Marrakech.

Unlike most of the beaches in Morocco, the Oualidia Lagoon is specifically catered towards relaxing, which is best done on the various boat tours around the lagoon. These tours, usually offered by local fishermen, inspire visitors by showing off the nature of the lagoon. At the end of a tour, beachgoers can relax in the sand or grab a meal at one of the small restaurants scattered about the town. Most meals include fish that were just caught that day.

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Sidi Kaouki

The untamed Sidi Kaouki is a beach that kind of flies under the radar. It’s truly a secret of the nearby Berber City, hidden behind untouched sand dunes and vegetation. Next to the Essaouira Beach, the Sidi Kaouki is protected from high winds that flow off of the ocean. Yet, the massive waves attract surfers. Other attractions are the cafés and restaurants that are truly authentic and camel rides that can be taken around the dunes. Despite Sidi Kaouki being a surfing destination, beachgoers can relax on chairs that are scattered across the beach.

Taghazout

North of Agadir, Taghazout is a small fishing town on the rise. As the Moroccan government continues to invest in Taghazout, in hopes of creating a new resort town. However, before Agadir booms with popularity, backpackers and surfers continue to enjoy the quiet beach, in its welcoming seclusion. Most of the beachgoers here are surfers, something that is reflected in the town. Along the shore is a plentiful abundance of surf shops and schools, for amateurs just starting their adventures on the waves. While Taghazout is a popular surfing destination, there isn’t a surfing requirement, and visiors can leisurely chill under an umbrella, in the golden sand. In the evenings, yoga replaces surfing as the most popular sport on the beach, especially during sunset.