Imsouane

An hour and a half north of Agadir, Imsouane is a working fishing harbour with one genuinely exceptional wave. The Bay is a long, slow, forgiving right that on the right day runs for several hundred metres — arguably the best learning wave in the country.

The Bay breaks over sand into a sheltered harbour, which means it holds shape when the open coast is blown out, and it is slow enough that a second-week surfer can make the drop and actually ride rather than survive. Cathedral Point, around the headland, is the punchier alternative for people who have outgrown it.

The village is small and the pace is slower than anywhere south. Cafés above the bay, fish straight off the boats, almost no nightlife.

The honest limitation is variety: one excellent wave and one alternative is thin for a full week if the swell direction turns wrong, and there is far less to do out of the water than in Taghazout or Essaouira. As three or four nights inside a longer trip, it is hard to beat.

Where to stay in Imsouane

There is not much: a few guesthouses above the bay, a handful of small camps, and rooms let by families in the village. Doubles run about €25 to €50, and the better views tend to cost more than the better rooms. Book ahead in winter — the supply is genuinely small and one weekend of good swell fills it.

Good to know

Bring anything you cannot buy in a village. The shops cover food and basics and little else, and the nearest real supermarket is back towards Agadir. The Bay is at its best on a mid-sized swell and crowded on exactly those days; the Cathedral side is the alternative. The road in is winding, so allow more time than the distance suggests.