Agadir being the first stop on my new exiting travels is a great place to arrive in Morocco. While two weeks would probably be too much time to spend in the city for any active adventure seeking solo traveller without a car, for me it was perfect. I was staying at Ahmed´s AirBnB as a volunteer and he and his Family welcomed and introduced me to the Moroccan life. After only a few days in his house I was invited to join them for a wedding in their family:
a night emerging in Moroccan culture
There is a little tailors and dress hire place down the road, for 100 dirham per dress we women from the house each chose a sequined long dress in a different colour. Around 7 pm we arrived at the village where the rest of the family lives. There we were welcomed with tea and bread, olives, honey and all sorts before we got ready and set for the event in the nearby city. Women and men were seated separately and served traditional wedding dishes while the bride and groom went through a long procedure containing several dress changes, musical performances, ceremonial eating, parading and endless picture taking by the photographer and all family members. The first few dresses were royal looking, sequined dresses in different colours, followed by a Berber dress, one representing the Sahara and finally a white wedding dress. With the ceremony starting around 10:30 we decided to head home around 5 am, we had eaten, danced and admired the bride for hours and had to drive an hour back to Agadir. Upon our leaving there were two dresses still to come and I quietly wondered if it would not be disappointing having such an scheduled wedding, with most people leaving before the newly weds had even finished their duties to the family. This was probably one of the most unique and inside experiences Morocco would hold for me and I am very thankful for that.
The house I stayed in was located in a residential area. Only 10 minutes walk away you will find yourself on a busy street with shops, boutiques, cafés & restaurants where you have to try the Harira soup and of course Moroccan mint tea. In the immediate neighbourhood wasn’t much else other than little shops and food stalls and an amazing local food market, which sadly was not certified on that street and taken down by the police in the second week of my stay. Here I did get a feel of the Moroccan life off the beaten tracks from big hotels and people trying to sell you something.
Down at the beach front of Agadir, the promenade is paved with several big hotels of international brands, with pools, fancy restaurants and private areas on the beach. The city beach reaches from one end of the bay along to the other side where the harbour cuts it off. The wide sandy beach, though preferred by the elderly due to the good climate and families because of the calm sea, attracts many travellers from all over the world. But now in the quieter month I saw mostly local teens or families around.
One street up from the beach, on ‘boulevard du 20 Aout’ lies the sinful strip of bars, nightclubs and casinos (drinking, gambling, flirting and such are viewed as sinful in Muslim religion, which is predominantly in the Moroccan county and current culture). The only one I visited on a night out with some hostel mates and locals was ‘la bodeguita’ and amongst the many local men of all ages there were a few expands present and live music created a nice flair in this surreal establishment. Also the English pub was mentioned several times when talking with locals about decent nightlife in Agadir.
Most of Agadir bay has no surf but beginners can try out in the far end of the city beach where there is also a surf school and rental. More consistent and over all better for surfing in vibe, conditions, shops, schools & rentals are the nearby towns Taghazout and Tamraght. From Agadirs ‘batoir station’ buses and collective taxis frequently go there in about 30 /50 min drive. If you don’t plan to stop there on your travels it is definitely worth a day trip to experience the small surf town vibe where Moroccans and expands from all over are drawn to stay for month or years.
In Agadir city I found the big souk ‘El Had’ and the ‘Ibn Zaidoun’ park are the most attractive sights. The souk is the most important shopping destination for tourist and locals alike. Amongst the hundreds of stalls in many intertwining paths you can get keys cut, clothes altered or get some lunch or juice and you can buy anything from toiletries over mattresses, second hand clothes, sawing appliances, fruits & vegetables to argon oil product, leather works, jewellery and whatever you would imagine. Give yourself a couple of hours to walk around, sit to drink tea and people watch and enjoy this special cultural experience in a tranquil way. The ibn park is one of the few green spots in Agadir and the time I was there the only accessible one since the two other parks were under construction and the most vivid green is reserved for the king in his three palaces. The park is relatively new and consists of two big parts separated by one of the main streets it accommodates a skate area, fountain and several patios where young and old enjoy some quiet space.
Other than that Agadir is a good base to do day trips around the area. Paradise Valley and the mini Sahara are around an hour drive away. Also, the small surf towns of Anza, Taghazout and Tamraght are under an hour bus ride from the city
I myself had the chance to hitch a tour to Paradise valley when my host had some guests going there. On the way there we passed the Souss river and stopped at the parking lot at ‘Oued agadir inzegan’, across the river from which flamingos are to be seen. Here, between the river and one of the kings palaces is also a beautiful route to enjoy on the back of a Berber horse, for around 200 DH a boy from the nearby Berber village took me on a ride and showed me the landscape as well as some of the culture and show around Berber horses. The big sand dunes further south reach down to the ocean and the lovely fishing village Tifnit. It is a beautiful spot to watch the sunset in the dessert after spending the day chilling on the beach and surfing or hiking around the dunes and do sand boarding. It is quite impressing having ocean and dessert in one place I thought.
More than the city itself the place I stayed at made my experience in Agadir, so I recommend staying with Ahmed from the bottom of my heart. He will give you the authentic experience if you want that, but also volunteers and the few guest create a hostel vibe.
