Taghazout – Morocco’s Surf City
In the last post from this October 2025 Adventures Abroad Quintessential Tour of Morocco we explored the almost tourist free city of Taroudannt and learned about how argan oil is extracted from the nuts of that exclusively Moroccan tree into a variety of products. In this post we will travel through the area where argan trees are native as we make our way to the Atlantic coast at the city of Agadir. After a brief stop at the citadel there we will head north to the small village of Taghazout that is famous for its laid back atmosphere that makes it the surfing capital of Morocco. It promises to be a very different experience from the previous days spent in the desert like aridity of the interior.
It is with some reluctance that we say goodbye to the Hotel Dar Zitoune which has been a real treasure of a place to stay, but there are places to go and people to see. Just outside Taroudannt we begin to see argan trees in great numbers. The trees themselves are not much to look at, but what’s on some of them is definitely photo worthy.
Yes, those are goats in trees. Laura tells us that some goatherds will deliberately pose their goats in the trees to attract tourists to stop for photos for which they will demand payment. However, there are no goatherds in sight when we stop to look at this flock of tree climbers. It really is quite a sight to see a goat out on limb and wonder how the heck it’s ever going to get down from there.
Agadir is Morroco’s most southerly major city and a port of some significance. As noted in the last post, it was a Portuguese possession for about half a century in the 1500’s, until being driven out by the founders of the Saadi dynasty. They built a fortress on the hill that overlooks the harbour and that’s where we will make a short stop.
Students of history may recall the so-called Agadir crisis of 1911 which almost provoked the start of WWI when Germany made a ham handed attempt to take control of Morocco by stationing warships in Agadir harbour. Instead it backfired and resulted in giving France an excuse to intervene in Moroccan affairs which led directly to the establishment of the Protectorate in 1912 which lasted until independence in 1956.
This is the view looking down from the Citadel and you can see that the gun boats have been replaced by surf boards.
I still cannot get used to seeing how many colours that camels come in. The idea that they are all sandy coloured creatures is way off base. This brindled camel outside the walls of the fortress is the only one I have ever seen.
Taghazout is only 19 kms. (12 miles) north of Agadir along a very scenic coastal highway. On the way we pass a number of beach nomad dwellings that remind us that despite the apparent prosperity of surf towns like Taghazout there is still a lot of poverty on the Moroccan coast.
Taghazout
Just north of Agadir there are a stretch of beaches and headlands that have become famous with surfers around the world for their right hand point breaks i.e. really great consistent waves. The most well known of these are Anchor Point, Killer Point and Panoramas, all near the town of Taghazout. Once a sleepy Berber fishing village, it became famous almost overnight when Jimi Hendrix and members of The Rolling Stones came to the place in the 1960s to get away from their fast paced lives in London. This was about the same time that surfers were just discovering the place as well.
While none of us are here to surf,(as if we could), it is a very different scene than we’ve been used to in Morocco. Gone are any pretensions of modesty in the clothing department, alcohol is readily available and there is a vibe of youthful cheeriness.
We make our way down to the beach through a series of narrow lanes lined with surfboards, Jimi Hendrix t-shirts and elephant pants for sale.
This is the beach scene at Taghazout.
And of course the mandatory fishing boats photograph. I do note that unlike many of the Mediterranean fishing boats, particularly in Malta, Greece and Egypt, these do not have the Eye of Osiris on their bows. I only note this because that tradition is believed to have started with the Phoenicians and they certainly would have been on this coast 3,000 or more years ago.
We find a place overlooking the beach for lunch which for once includes a beer.
There are also things on the menu that we have not seen in other Moroccan restaurants like this Buddha bowl for Alison.
And this Nicoise salad for me.
I could have lingered much longer in Taghazout, but we still have another 150 kms. (93 miles) to go to our final destination, Essaouira where we will spend the next two nights. From what I’ve read it is supposed to be one of the nicest cities in Morocco so I hope you’ll join us in finding out if that is true.