Take a day trip to Essaouira from Marrakech and spend some time in the relaxed fishing town. On the road, we will stop to visit an Argan woman’s Co-operative to see the women at work extracting the argan oil, and then continue your journey westward.

Essaouira is fortunate to have an excellent climate, with cooling sea breezes in the summer (also good for water sports) and warming lowland air in winter. This pleasant climate, with its beautiful Portuguese architecture, has always attracted artists and poets, but it continues to be a traditional fishing port in its heart to this day.

Essaouira is the ideal destination for a day trip away from the bustling activity of Marrakech, with a wide range of things to do: shopping in the souks for leather goods, ironwork, glazed pottery, jewelry, colorful rugs, original art, olives, spices, rare argan oil and more. Visit the harbor and watch the fishermen unload their catch, or learn how the boats are made using age-old techniques, then eat fresh fish or shellfish grilled at one of the seafood stalls, visit Joutiya Square to watch local people auction everything from teapots to pants, walk 2 miles along the beach at low tide to see the romantic fort of Borj El Barod crumbling into the sea, take a boat to the Mogador Islands, fertile ground for the rare Eleanora Falcon, try water sports (surf / kite / windsurfing / boogie boarding / kayaking), or just sit in a cafe near the beach. Relax and watch the world go by with coffee or mint tea, and maybe a Moroccan pastry, in one of the cafes of the Moulay Hassan place.