About three hours' drive from Marrakech, Essaouira is a town of ramparts and wind, facing the Atlantic. Its medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its fishing port is one of the liveliest in the country, and its light has long drawn artists and photographers. For an incentive, it brings a welcome change of pace.
Why Essaouira for a group?
Because it surprises after Marrakech: calmer, airier, on a human scale. The medina is easy to explore on foot, the port is a show in itself, and the coast allows activities found nowhere else: horse rides on the beach, board sports, fish straight from the boats.
Is the wind a problem?
Wind is Essaouira's signature, especially in spring and summer. It cools pleasantly, but it has to be planned for: dinners in sheltered places rather than outdoors, beach activities in the morning, warm clothes for the evening.
How do you organise the drive?
From Marrakech the road is direct and takes about three hours. The drive can become a stop in itself, with a visit to an argan oil cooperative. For a short stay, two nights on site strike a good balance.
Which activities work?
- The port and the fish auction, early in the morning when the boats come in.
- The ramparts and the workshops of thuya wood marquetry.
- A horse or camel ride on the beach.
- A first surf or kitesurf lesson, depending on level and wind.
- A fish dinner by the ocean.
In Essaouira the group finally slows down: that is often where the best memories of an incentive are made.
