Activities & tours · Essaouira

What to book in Essaouira.

Wind, ocean, dunes and medina — all within thirty minutes. These are the activities we actually book for our guests, and who to do them with.

Essaouira ramparts and medina on the Atlantic

Why here

A town where everything fits in one day.

Essaouira is small in the best way. You cross the medina on foot in twenty minutes, the beach starts where the ramparts end, and the best wind spots are less than half an hour's drive away.

So you can take a kitesurf lesson in the morning, have lunch at the port, walk the souks in the afternoon and watch the sun go down over the Diabat dunes. No need to choose.

Kitesurf & surf

Essaouira, the city of wind.

The trade winds blow across the bay almost all year — that is what built Essaouira's reputation among kitesurfers and windsurfers. The strong season runs April to September, but people sail through winter too, in a wetsuit.

Whether you are starting out or already riding, we send our guests to Windy Essaouira: a local kitesurf and surf school, lessons in English, French and Arabic, equipment included.

Kitesurf school in Essaouira
Blue fishing boats and harbour ramparts in Essaouira, the city of trade winds and kitesurfing

On dry land

The dunes, the medina, the table.

Camel & horse ridingAlong the beach towards Diabat, late afternoon. One to two hours. Book the day before.
Quad bikingThe Diabat dunes and the argan forest. Half a day, helmet provided, 16 and over.
Cooking classTagine, pastilla, bread baked at the neighbourhood oven. Market first, then cook, then eat. Half a day.
Traditional hammamThe real thing, not the spa version. Black-soap scrub. Ninety minutes — save it for the end of the trip.
Medina & souksThuya marquetry, Berber silver, spices. Best time: early morning or after 5 p.m.
Argan cooperativesOn the Marrakech road. The genuine ones are women's cooperatives — we will tell you which.
Private padel court at Thuya House, blue turf

Without leaving the house

Padel, on site.

If you are staying at Thuya House, the easiest activity is fifty metres from the living room: a private padel court, yours alone, no booking and no shared slots.

See the padel court — rackets and balls included.

Vacation rentals

Staying close to the activities.

We rent two houses in Essaouira, each suited to a different kind of trip. Medina House is a house to rent inside the ramparts: the kitesurf beach, the souks and the port are all on foot. Thuya House is a villa to rent with a heated pool and a private padel court, set in the thuya forest — 18 minutes from the medina, 35 from Sidi Kaouki.

Nightly or weekly rental, booked direct with the owner. We help arrange lessons and excursions before you arrive. Send your dates — reply within 24 hours.

Heated pool at Thuya House, a villa to rent in the thuya forest near Essaouira Thuya House — villa with heated pool & padel court Arched window at Medina House, a house to rent inside the Essaouira ramparts Medina House — inside the ramparts, ocean view

Plan your stay

Tell us what you fancy.

Kitesurfing every morning, a day in the dunes, a cooking class for the whole group — we know the right people and we set it all up before you land.

Write to the owner