Top Essaouira Half-day Tours

Avoid the crowds and get out into the stunning desert landscapes of the Essaouira region on this private quad bike tour. In the company of just your party and a guide, you can navigate the sand dunes at your own pace.

Enjoy a day of adventures in the dunes by going on an ATV quad bike tour. This flexible experience lets you choose between a morning and afternoon tour and includes a transfer from Essaouira. It’s a safe and fun way to explore Diabat, as a helmet is provided as well as a quad bike orientation. The tour covers a lot of ground in 3-hours, including Diabat village, the beach, Cap Sim, and winding forest tracks.

The largest rural market in the Essaouira region takes place every Sunday in Had Draa located 30 km up the road towards Marrakech. The farmers of the region travel there by donkey to offer their crops, animals, and crafts, and to also do their weekly shopping. The gathering at Had Draa is mainly attended by men although everyone socializes, chats over tea with friends, and exchanges news in cafés or under tents. The market gives an authentic insight into daily lives in the Moroccan countryside. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, and spices release their plethora of aromas while the market showcases everything needed to live and work. We sample and taste a variety of foodstuffs. Next door are many cafes with open grills which presents us with the unique opportunity to try fresh grilled dromedary, served along with warm bread, olive and Argan oil, as well as traditional mint tea. HIGHLIGHTS ! Discovering rural life and taste local food.

A large section of this walk takes you through an Argan forest. Argan trees are an endemic species only found in the south west of Morocco and a mythical emblem of the Essaouira region. This is a relatively easy walk suitable for people looking for a leisurely ramble. Throughout the hike, the guide will give you useful insights into the ecology of these trees. You will thus be able to observe the different stages of a tree‛s life cycle until it reaches maturity; you will also learn about the many different products derived from the trees and their fruit as well as the beneficial impact on the local culture. You will walk through a little village where there is a ‘Marabout‛ -or saint‛s temple- featuring elements dating back to the 16th century, and later you will be served tea at a Berber villager‛s and experience first-hand traditional Moroccan hospitality. At the end of the walking tour, you will visit a women's cooperative where you will discover the secret of making the famous argan oil.

Hop on a quad bike and explore the desert outside Essaouira on this guided, 3-hour quad-bike tour. After a brief introduction to the bike and a practice run, travel from the Ruins of Sultan Palace and Portuguese Castle to Essaouira Beach and beyond. Also, visit a small forest of eucalyptus and mimosa. The quad-bike rental plus use of a helmet and wind jacket and a Essaouira hotel pickup and drop-off are included. 

Prepare a traditional menu of Moroccan dishes at a small-group cooking class in Essaouira, where you’ll be welcomed by a local couple in their family home. The evening begins with browsing fresh ingredients and aromatic spices at the food market; next, enjoy the chance to talk and tell stories as you cook a special dinner in Khadija and Hussein’s home kitchen.

Ride a horse across Essaouira’s beaches, dunes, and forest on this tour. Select a horse that’s suited to your riding experience — beginners start with a basic riding lesson — then walk, canter, or gallop across the smooth sand; clamber up steep seaside dunes to sweeping views, and wind through the shade of Essaouira’s arid forests.

After the firm confirmation of your reservation, enjoy a pick-up from your place of residence to the small village of Diabat: the starting point of your 4-hour getaway. Your guide will give you instructions and provide you with the necessary equipment to start your adventure serenely. During this trek, you will meet locals and learn a lot about their traditions and way of life. You can stop to take some photos to immortalize the wonderful moment you live. Relax during a short break for tea under the shade of trees facing the Atlantic Ocean away from the hustle and bustle of the city. After this short break, you will be ready to guide you for 2 hours of camel riding. You will then come back to meet your driver who will take you to your hotel.

Walk through the endless dunes and explore the region of Essaouira on a traditional transport, well treated, well maintained, combining comfort and security. You will fill up on memories and taste the serenity of these literally enchanting places !! During the ride, Lima dromedary lends you a shawl to better protect you from sunburn, wind and sand stirred by the dromedary who will be in front of you.

This half-day excursion takes us to Sidi Mbark, a small Berber village 35 km south of Essaouira. We walk to a little cascade and close by visit the old Marabout (residence for the spirit of a Saint or wise man). Here, the convergence of a large sand dune, a small river, and an imposing rock splendidly frames a lovely bay. We are invited to a family from the region for a traditional Berber tea ceremony at the end of the walk. There is the option to have a donkey with a guide on the walk, which is fun for kids to ride.

This tour walks you through this worldwide unique Arganforest and you learn about the eco-system Argan. You visit the best conserved sugar fabric from the time of the Saadiens from the 16th century. You will get an insight into a Berber home, we are welcomed for a traditional tea ceremony at a local family. On out way back we will stop at an artisanal Argan oil production to see from A to Z how this oil is produced by hand by the women.

Enjoy a relaxed private transfer from Essaouira to any hotel or riad in Marrakech city or Marrakech Airport. Whether traveling alone, with your family, with friends or in a group, our new fleet of cars and minivans and professional drivers can take care of you.

For a break from the medina with its bustling streets and shops, take a walk into nature just 5 minutes from town. The walk starts at the entrance to the town and takes us to the top of a hill with a beautiful panoramic view over Essaouira’s bay, the town itself, and the Islands of Mogador. We then take a shady break from the sun while passing through a small Eucalyptus forest on our way to the riverside of “Oued Ksob”. Although the river’s water level is normally low, it flows through a peaceful canyon lined with Argan trees; the combination of water and hills is charming. Passing through the dunes between the sea and Diabat village, we will then visit the ruins of the old sultan’s palace of Sidi Ben Abdallah. The walk ends with mint tea and Moroccan pastries at the Hendrix Café in Diabat.

Explore the best of Essaouira and witness the amazing sights of the fortified city. Visit the fishing port and Scala “the Astapor” also known for being the filming location of "Game of Thrones". After breakfast, pick up from your hotel. Join your guide to discover “The Mogador Essaouira” listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site. Our visit starts at the ancient fishing port. Visit the Museum “Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah the old Alaouite Sultan, the founder of the City», as anthropology and art unite at this quaint refurbished museum of regional art in a traditional house showcasing weapons, instruments, and historical photos of Essaouira. Continue towards the medina. A wonderful labyrinth of streets, this 18th mid-century fortified town was built with the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. Explore the souks. Our last stop will be at the ramparts and places around the Scala where “the Game of Thrones season 3” was filmed (Astapor).

During this Essaouira tour you'll discover another part of the moroccans lifestyle, the weekly markets where locals go to purchase each week, all their daily needs and goods. You'll enjoy a rich berber breakfast among the locals. - Get introduced to the Moroccan lifestyle - Travel back in time centuries ago - Unique & Original tour - Live the locals experience - Discover the Moroccan culture - Learn to bargain

Essaouira is a city of pirates and adventurers, where around every corner, you'll uncover some amazing stories of betrayal and nobility, love and hate, of mind-blowing adventures and triumph. Being a favourite destination for Musicians and artists from all around the world, Essaouira has squares and alleys filled with music and acrobats and Africans dancing to concerts on the beach among the thundering roar of the ocean at night. Essaouira is a bustling fishing port with a market offering a fantastic array of ocean creatures, a bustling port that smells far from pleasant and is, therefore, lively and authentic. Essaouira is a favourite destination for filmmakers; titles such as Game of Thrones, Othello, Phaedra and Kingdom of Heaven were filmed here. What matters most are the ocean, the sun, the incredible sunrises and sunsets and the smiles of everyone you meet. The love of Essaouira will remain with you forever!

The camel ride allows you to feel like the Blue Men because all the ingredients are there: Sand dunes, desert beaches along the Atlantic Ocean, popular costumes worn by men in the Sahara. in particular La Darâa and Le litham and finally the dromedary, this emblematic animal, friends of man since antiquity.

This oasis of Ain el Hajar is situated around a spring which brings water to the whole region and is characterized by its rich forestry resources and agricultural diversity. The oasis was once teeming with palm trees which have progressively been replaced by olive trees and irrigation systems that were introduced to enable market gardening. The walk begins at one of the largest Argan trees in the region. You will walk across fields and gardens towards the mausoleum of Saint Sidi Bourahmoune. The walk starts at the allegedly biggest argan tree in the region. You will walk across fields and gardens towards the mausoleum of Saint Sidi Bourahmoune. ou will then continue to a vantage point offering a stunning view of the oasis, right up to the spring. You might even come across a stone mason, carving the stones which serve as millstones for olive oil extraction.