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Marrakech to Essaouira Day Trip

Day trips

  • 6–8 hours
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • 3 languages
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

Start the trip to Essaouira from Marrakech at 8 AM, the mountain range of the Atlas, whose peaks are recently covered with snow, on the right, threatening clouds is thickening. We stop for a first stop in a cafe on the outskirts of Sidi Mokhtar. At the edge of the roads huge puddles, testimony to the heavy rains of the night. Near a plantation of argan we stop to take some photos of greedy goats’ intent on feeding the seeds of argan in the branches of a tree.

Inclusions

What's included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Air conditioned vehicle
  • Transportation insurance
  • Professional driver

What's not

  • Lunch and Drinks
  • Personal expenses
  • Local guide + Entrance fees (optional)

Itinerary

  1. We continue our journey through sudden and violent rain showers. In the Argan Cooperative we are shown the process by which argan becomes oil for food or cosmetic purposes. After two hours of travel we will reach the gates of Essaouira. From a vantage point we do just in time to take some photos of the city before continue to Essaouira city. Arrival to Essaouira drops you in the port; we have about four hours to visit the city in total freedom. Almost all wooden fishing boats are moored in the port, probably due to the poor conditions of the Atlantic Ocean. The latter, at this time of year, is almost frightening: due to the currents it has a particular reddish color. Some fishermen are intent on cleaning the fish on the quay, maybe they went out to sea in the morning when the weather was more lenient. Paying 10 dirhams (1€) we enter the Skala du Port, the Portuguese bastion dominated by two imposing towers and flanked by four turrets and overlooking the piers. The view extends from the port to the Island of Mogador with the ancient prison, from the jagged coastline to an overview of the old city. It is a pity that an intense sea-scented smell will ruin everything. The area is invaded by seagulls. We continue our visit to the port and take some photos from a suggestive oval window between the walls overlooking the city. After sekkala you continue on foot towards the center through Place Moulay Hassan, crowded with numerous cafes and restaurants and dominated by the clock tower. Entering the Medina you breathe a totally different atmosphere compared to Marrakech: it is pleasant to walk in peace without anybody annoyingly attracting your attention to invite you to purchase a staff or somehing. You slowly walk in search of a little place to have lunch. Pause for lunch here you will have the choice to eat in local restaurant or go back to the port to choose a fresh fish to eat. After lunch you will go back to the Medina to visit the souq, divided into four sectors reserved for the fish, spices, grains and finally the jewels market

    4 h

  2. We continue our journey through sudden and violent rain showers. In the Argan Cooperative we are shown the process by which argan becomes oil for food or cosmetic purposes. After two hours of travel we will reach the gates of Essaouira. From a vantage point we do just in time to take some photos of the city before continue to Essaouira city. Arrival to Essaouira drops you in the port; we have about four hours to visit the city in total freedom. Almost all wooden fishing boats are moored in the port, probably due to the poor conditions of the Atlantic Ocean. The latter, at this time of year, is almost frightening: due to the currents it has a particular reddish color. Some fishermen are intent on cleaning the fish on the quay, maybe they went out to sea in the morning when the weather was more lenient.

    25 min

  3. Visit the cooperative of Argan to discover how the women make argan oil and extract the oil from argan nuts, discover the benefits of the oil and different products soap, creams,...

    1 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Know before you go

Pickup
Pickup is included for everyone.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size
Up to 15 travellers
Operated by
tour in Morocco
  • Specialized infant seats are available
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult

How it compares in Marrakech

  • Its from-price is 31% below the median of the 1647 day trips we list in Marrakech.
  • Its length is typical for the group.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Marrakech

At the foot of the Atlas Mountains, red-walled Marrakech is famed for its maze-like medina, lively main square and tranquil riads and gardens.

Jemaa el-Fnaa, the great square at the centre of the medina, changes character through the day, from juice sellers and snake charmers in the morning to smoke-wreathed food stalls and musicians after dark. The minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque rises nearby as the city's landmark, and the souks spread north in a warren of lanes selling leather, lanterns, carpets and spices.

Top-ranked sights in Marrakech: Atlas Mountains, Tizi-n'Tichka Pass, Jemaa el-Fna (Djemaa el-Fna).

See all 7526 experiences in Marrakech

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Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

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