Sidi Kaouki

A wide, empty beach south of Essaouira with a marabout on the headland, a handful of guesthouses and almost nothing else. Sidi Kaouki is where people go when Essaouira feels too busy.

The beach is long and consistent, picking up plenty of swell, and it is rarely crowded even in season. Wind affects it much as it does Essaouira, so the surf season is winter and the wind season is summer.

There is very little infrastructure — a few cafés, horses and camels on the sand, and a strong sense of being at the edge of things. Bring what you need.

The wind is the thing to understand before booking. The same north-easterly that made Essaouira a windsurfing capital blows down this beach all summer, which is why the surf season is winter and why most summer visitors are on kites and sails rather than surfboards. The beach is open and exposed, with rips that strengthen on a bigger swell and no lifeguard cover outside the peak weeks — manageable for a confident intermediate, a lot to handle for a first lesson on the wrong day.